Doladira: A New Aperitivo Born in the Alps
"High on a mountain top."
Say “Ciao” to Doladira
There’s a new aperitivo joining the expanding ranks of the dozens of legacy and new-look red bitter brands now available from Italy and the United States, and its name is Doladira. But what makes it stand out, beyond the undeniably stylish and somewhat austere bottle, is the story behind its creation.
“I created Doladira to have the drink I always wanted but could never find. An aperitivo with real ingredients, less sugar, and a perfect balance of bitterness, acidity, herbaceousness, and salinity. There is a lot hiding in the mountains, especially if you know where to look. The spirit of alpine cooking is alive in this drink. It’s fresh, fresh, fresh and a happy consequence is that it makes you thirsty for more. This is the culmination of my work in the Alps over the last decade.”
A collaboration between Meredith Erickson and Richard Betts, Doladira was inspired by Erickson’s extensive time in the Alps researching and writing her book, Alpine Cooking: Recipes and Stories from Europe’s Grand Mountaintops (named one of the best books of 2019 by The New York Times).
The all-natural garnet hue of Doladira comes courtesy of black carrot and rhubarb and achieves its distinctive profile from a combination of gentian, rosemary, elderflower, plum, pine, and rhubarb. It opens with a hit of bright cherry, rhubarb, and stone fruit that’s rounded out with a pop of saline and a drying, herbal backbone with a light, lingering bitterness.
Erickson, the co-founder and president of Doladira, is Canadian, and currently live in Milano, Italy, with her partner and two sons. In addition to Alpine Cooking, she is co-author of numerous cookbooks, including The Art of Living According to Joe Beef, Le Pigeon, Olympia Provisions, Kristen Kish Cooking, Claridge's: The Cookbook, Joe Beef: Surviving the Apocalypse, Mandy’s Gourmet Salads, Friuli Food and Wine, and More Mandy’s. She has also written for The New York Times, Elle, Saveur, Monocle, and Lucky Peach.
I recently connected with Meredith to talk about the launch of Doladira, the inspiration behind it, her favorite ways to drink it, and more. Read on for our interview and a couple of recipes to mix up Doladira at home.
Talking with Meredith Erickson
What first drew you to the Alps and its foodways, drinking culture, and lifestyle?
Erickson: I guess it was back in 2014 when I really started spending a lot of time in the Alps—finding all of these rifugio gems at altitude across Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and France. Sure, the food and wine story worlds really spoke to me but the beauty and cultures hooked me. And so I lived across the Alps (with brief respites back in Montreal) over 6 years while writing Alpine Cooking. I spent a lot of time in Alta Badia, Cortina, Merano, Lech, the Salzburg Alps, and Sils (the Engadine). But I really visited every nook and cranny of the mountains across the range.
Can you tell me more about the Spring Rhubarb Cocktail drink in Alpine Cooking that served as the germ of the idea for Doladira?