According to Tia Bledso, director of marketing
for Hood River Distillers Inc., Hood River, Ore.,
maker of Yazi Ginger Vodka, the cocktail
culture always embraces unique, fresh and
new ingredients for drinks. “Yazi is another
flavor profile for their arsenal,” she says.
“Ginger vodka is slightly unexpected, so its
versatility has really helped to drive the trend.”
It is a challenge to come up with a new
liqueur, and it is a challenge to come
up with something unique, says Luca
Bianconcini, chief operating officer of
Louisville, Ky.-based Dumante Verdenoce,
maker of a new ultra-premium pistachio-flavored liqueur. “There’s no other pistachio
liqueur, but there are new flavored vodkas
every day it seems. It took our founder
two or three years to develop the product,
including many trips to Italy. But, he is a
huge pistachio fan, and his research told
him there were no other pistachio liqueurs.
Nutty liqueurs are so popular, he thought
this would be a great product.”
Hood River Distillers
The forgotten nut
Dumante, which has been on the market
for nearly three years, was developed by
Howard Sturm, CEO/owner of Dumante
Verdenoce and a longtime connoisseur of
Italian wines, foods and spirits. Bianconcini
says Sturm had no previous background in
the spirits industry before developing the
new spirit. “Nutty liqueurs like amaretto
(almond) and Frangelico (hazelnut) are so
popular for mixing, so he thought there was
really a place for a fine pistachio liqueur.”
This Mischief cocktail is two parts Yazi
Ginger Vodka to one part triple sec with
a splash of lemon juice and a dash of
simple syrup.
have done it the other way, but Howard
didn’t want to cut any corners.”
Dumante is designed for an after-dinner
drink application, but is highly mixable
and makes great cocktails and martinis.
Customers are also cooking with it, adding
it to desserts and savory dishes.
Dumante
The liqueur is produced and bottled in
southern Italy by artisans who have been
in operation since the late 1800s. The
pistachios used in the spirit are from
the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, and
are the most expensive available.
“Dumante is made from an
infusion of pistachios, which
is another expensive process
as opposed to using extracts,”
Bianconcini says. “We could
The signature Dumante cocktail is the
Sicilian Manhattan, in which New York
meets Sicily. “The drink is made with
bourbon, as we’re in bourbon country here,
and rather than cherry juice and vermouth,
we use Dumante and a dash of blood
orange bitters,” Bianconcini says.
Dumante Verdenoce is a
pistachio-flavored liqueur
produced and bottled in southern
Italy using pistachios from the
slopes of Mount Etna.
Other drinks are the Martini Italiano made
with vanilla vodka, Dumante and dark
crème de cocoa; and the Dolce Vita, made
with equal parts Dumante and Bailey’s
Irish Cream with a dash of Chambord.
