Holiday Gift Guide: The Spirit of Italy
Panettone, Pantry Provisions, Chips, Taralli, Ornamenti Natalizi...
On LAST CALL we’ve got you covered with Holiday Gift Guides for Holiday Advent Calendars, Food & Provisions, Drinks & Spirits, Books & Cookbooks, and Stocking Stuffers. Today’s Holiday Gift Guide is devoted to The Spirit of Italy. This is a super-sized dispatch and will likely be truncated in your email, so be sure to click the “View Entire Message” link to expand.
Today’s LAST CALL Holiday Gift Guide is available to all readers thanks to the generous support of Doladira.
The holiday season is the perfect time to stock up on Doladira, the transportive, all-natural, pink-hued aperitivo that evokes the crisp sensation of the Alps. A collaboration between Meredith Erickson and Richard Betts, Doladira possesses a distinctive profile of rhubarb supported by gentian, rosemary, elderflower, plum, and pine. Bright notes of rhubarb, cherry, and stone fruit are rounded out with a pop of saline and a drying, herbal backbone with a light, lingering bitterness. With 60% less sugar than other major aperitivo options on the market, Doladira makes a great low-ABV option for enjoying on the rocks, with soda, or in countless cocktail applications, especially a classic spritz.
In NYC you can find Doladira on the backbar at spots like Jac’s On Bond, PDT, Ray’s and Ray’s Hometown Bar, Public Records, Contra Bar, Amor y Amargo, Superiority Burger, Tigre, Il Buco, Massara, Bar Primi, Mr. Melo, and many more.
Dolomite
Try Doladira in the Dolomite, Doladira’s refreshing take on their signature spritz.
Makes 1 Drink
3 ounces Doladira
2 ounces grapefruit soda, preferably San Pellegrino Sparkling Pompelmo
Garnish: rosemary sprig
Combine the Doladira and grapefruit soda in an ice-filled collins glass or stemmed bulb glass. Gently stir to combine and garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig.
Holiday Gift Guide: The Spirit of Italy
Panettone
An Italian-born holiday tradition, panettone is a sweet bread (think fruitcake, but not the bad kind of fruit cake) originally born in Milan that remains a popular tradition during the holiday season. You’ll find affordable commercial brands at your local markets, small-batch varieties from bakeries, as well as some on the more luxurious side that come in their own ready-to-gift box or festive wrapping paper. It’s a labor-intensive process for bakers, but worth the price for having (at least) one on hand to enjoy with your caffè or a glass of Asti Spumante (it also makes excellent French Toast for Christmas morning or New Year’s Day). Check out your local Italian market, and if you’re lucky enough to live near an Eataly, you’ll encounter dozens of varieties from Italy.
Last year I came very close to finally going all in on an Olivieri 1882 Apricot and Salted Caramel Panettone I had been scoping out at Eataly, but I couldn’t justify the expense. Will this be the year I do it? Right now I’ve get my eyes set on Philadelphia bakery Lost Bread Co.’s Chocolate, Cherry, Preserved Lemon Panettone to pick up at the Union Square Greenmarket (pre-order info will drop after Thanksgiving) and Friend of LAST CALL Patrick Miller, who appreciates the finer things in life, hipped me to Una Pizza Napoletana’s Lemon, Dark Chocolate, and Sea Salt Panettone which has my full attention.