Cocktail – Volpi Foods

Basil, Pineapple and Tequila Cocktail

Rachel Jurina — Wed, 04 Sep 2019 14:18:29 +0000

You wouldn’t think that a basil, pineapple, and tequila cocktail is a riff on a pizza, let alone a Hawaiian pizza (and the jury is still out on whether or not that’s even a worthy pizza). But for those of us willing to try anything with tequila, we think this shakes out to a well-balanced drink with a taste of the tropics. Besides, the telltale unification of pineapple, ham, and cheese is just the garnish. Phew.

Blackberry Smash With Salami Swizzle

Rachel Jurina — Thu, 29 Aug 2019 20:05:09 +0000

Blackberry season comes along when the ground is crisp and scorched from summer’s heat and the thirst for refreshing, cold cocktails hasn’t ceased. The act of muddling (or in this case, smashing) fruit and mint as a base for a cocktail is mystically satisfying to any mixed drink maker. The blackberry smash with salami swizzle contains tangy blackberries and sharp mint tamed by bourbon’s sweet notes keeps summer in its clutches ‒ it even has a built-in snack of chorizo to tide you over to your refill.

The Volpi Dirty Martini

Rachel Jurina — Fri, 09 Aug 2019 14:07:53 +0000

We’re not looking to pick a fight amongst martini aficionados. The tried and true deserves every bit of worship. Yet sometimes ‒ perhaps when you feel a little rambunctious, or even a little rebellious ‒ only a briny, steel-cold dirty martini will do. We use giardiniera, the ubiquitous Italian pickled vegetable condiment, to add a touch of heat along with the acid. It’s our dirty little secret, or should we say the Volpi dirty martini.

The Volpi French 75

Hashtag Labs — Wed, 26 Dec 2018 17:49:16 +0000

The Volpi French 75, named after a 75-millimeter gun used by the French in World War I, this is no cocktail to mess with. It will hurt you. Just kidding, it will make you feel really good. Especially when you take a sip from a glass rimmed with ground coppa sugar. Yeah, we did that. Just for you. Santé.

Spiced Rum Punch

Hashtag Labs — Mon, 19 Nov 2018 14:01:28 +0000

Day-drinking diaries. The Colonial Americans wrote the book on it, though it’s not as fun as it sounds. They turned to alcohol because it was safer to drink than the water. And gussying up what was probably some harsh hooch with sugar and spice was the obvious way to make it all go down. Pay tribute to the Pilgrims by kicking your plain apple cider up a notch with this spiced rum punch recipe.

The Volpi Manhattan

Hashtag Labs — Sat, 02 Jun 2018 11:28:58 +0000

Rye rules — at least when you’re making a proper, classic, real Manhattan. It’s spicier and drier than bourbon, which means it fuses better with the other ingredients. But rules are meant to be broken, right? We’re grown-ups, so we’re upgrading from the regular sweet vermouth and instead of pouring a nice Italian Amaro. It just feels more serious. And we didn’t stop there. Homemade brandied cherries beat those insipid jokes from the make-your-own sundae bar, because we’re not messing around when it comes to the Volpi Manhattan.

Fire-Roasted Bloody Mary with Chorizo-Scallop Garnish

studio2108 — Mon, 31 Oct 2016 09:00:26 +0000

Party Hard – You earned it, now deal with it. It’s great to be able to predict your hangover and make the morning go just a smidge easier by whipping up the Bloody Mary mix a day ahead. Not only will you just need to add vodka and some ice, but the flavors of the mix will intensify overnight and really give you an eye-opening hit of umami, spice and heat. And if you space it (or party too hard unexpectedly) it’s totally fine to drink it the day you make it. Just stir the drink a little longer with the ice to get it good and cold. And if that hangover is just too intense to make this fantastic meal of a garnish, stab a cube of Chorizo together with some kind of pickley thing on a skewer and surrender to your elixir. This fire-roasted bloody mary with a chorizo-scallop garnish is sure to wake you up and kick that pesky hangover to the curb.

Sour Grapes Shrub Cocktail

Hashtag Labs — Wed, 26 Oct 2016 09:00:47 +0000

Preservation nation. Steeping fruit, especially fruit that’s on its way out, with vinegar and sugar isn’t just about thrift. The result is a slightly fizzy, incredibly refreshing elixir that gained popularity during Colonial American times as a way to cool off workers in the field, though people had been sipping sweetened vinegar in hot climates for centuries before that. We like the unique flavor it lends to cocktails, savory and sweet at the same time. We chose to use grapes for our sour grapes shrub cocktail, but you can try it with any fruit in season to create your own array of funk.

The Volpi G&T

Hashtag Labs — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 12:44:01 +0000

Drinking for medicinal purposes? We can drink to that. Brits living in India back in the 1800s needed protection against malaria and quinine, found in tonic, did the trick. Because the taste was so appalling, they added gin. Genius! Know what else is genius? Making a celery simple syrup and adding grassy sweetness instead of the artificially sweet taste of tonic. So the fizz comes from plain ole seltzer. Mix all that together and you get the Volpi G&T. Take two and call us in the morning.

Mezcal-Hibiscus Slushie

Hashtag Labs — Thu, 11 Aug 2016 14:30:08 +0000

Relax. You’re not going to have to eat a worm or suffer a massive hangover. This is not the cheap tequila binge of your youth. Mezcal, a distilled spirit made from 30 kinds of agave (tequila is technically a mezcal but is only made from the blue agave), is having its day. It’s artisanally made, smoky, and nuanced. Combined with fresh ginger, tangy hibiscus, and bitter-sweet Aperol, we think we’ve come up with a pretty sophisticated slushie. This mezcal-hibiscus slushie is pink and it’s potent. No need for shots.