Chef in Town: “Belvedere Vodka,” the luxury vodka for tastings and star recipes.

Two Cocktails recipes to do at home perfect for Valentine’s Day

The most elegant angel of the cinema used to sip it with boredom, touching it with long satin gloves: yes, we are talking about Audrey Hepburn of <<Breakfast at Tiffany’s>> and the cocktail is the <<White Angel>> a mixture of vodka and gin in equal parts. You need a personality to drink it without hesitation, and the weird Holly had plenty of it to spare!

In <<The Blues Brothers>> during the concert at the Palace Hotel, surrounded by police, the boys perform, and the sheriff, played by John Candy, enjoys the show by ordering an <<Orange Whip>>, a mix of dry vodka, amber rum, orange juice, and cream. A show for the palate!

The <<Blonde Atomic>> played by Charlize Theron has launched the <<Lorraine vodka>> an anarchic drink in which add to the cup vodka and ice to taste! For true rebels!

And in the funniest season of the series of all time, <<Peaky Blinders>> a sparkling countess named Petrovna upsets the balance. She enters forcefully in the life of the protagonist, Thomas Shelby, involving him in parties to the sound of vodka and women of dubious morality.

In short, vodka wants to be heard in the cinema in addition to bars, changing tastes and preferences of lovers of fine drinks. But if until now the collective imagination has always remembered vodka as a distillate useful for mixing other ingredients, there is someone who changes its fate: Belvedere Vodka! The first brand in the world to introduce the concept of “terroir” in the world of vodka! It is a concept that fits well with the history of champagne but is new in the vodka distillate.

Belvedere Vodka has the appellative of <<Polska Vodka>>, similar to the DOC extended to wines. They use rye cultivated exclusively in Poland and spring water owned by Belvedere Vodka. They don’t use added sugars and additives.

What makes Belvedere Vodka, not a distillate like any other, odorless and tasteless, is the rye that gives a natural aroma to the liquid. It gives it an aftertaste of white pepper and vanilla, thanks to which it can be also be used as a tasting alcoholic beverage.

Lastly, the package is an elegant transparent bottle that allows seeing the distillate and the three-dimensional effect of the design: the Royal Palace from which it takes its name. Belvedere Vodka is defined as the luxury vodka to be sipped alone or to make your drinks precious.

1 – Miriam’s Cosmopolitan

It is Carrie Bradshaw’s favorite cocktail. In Sex and the City, she orders it at every party. 

The original recipe includes cranberry juice, the American cranberry, a classic vodka’s base, and lime juice.

Miriam’s Cosmopolitan revisited: 

Belvedere Vodka Pure 50ml 

Orange Liqueur 20ml 

Pink Grapefruit Juice 

Ice

Utensils:

1 Shaker (or jar) 

1 Jigger (or cup)

1 Citrus Squeezer (or hand squeezer)

1 Cutting board 

1 Knife 

1 Strainer

One spoon 

1 Potato peeler

Serving glass: Martini Cup

Procedure:

After arranging the station with all the ingredients, it is time to prepare the pink grapefruit juice: cut the grapefruit in half and, with a citrus squeezer, obtain the juice. 

Pour the ingredients into the shaker: first the fresh pink grapefruit juice, then the orange liqueur, and finally Belvedere Vodka. Now fill the shaker with ice, close it and shake vigorously. Pour the liquid into a martini glass previously cooled with a passage in the freezer and proceed with a double filtration (strainer of the shaker + strainer). As decoration, we can make a peel of pink grapefruit with a potato peeler and knife. 

Belvedere Vodka, made from rye, makes the drink with even more character.

2 – Belvedere Vodka Sour flavored with Basil

In the world of mixing, “sour” alludes to the use of a sweet part (sugar syrup) and an acid part (citrus). 

Curiosity: whisky made this type of drink famous, with the drink whisky sour. Today, any alcoholic base mixed with lime juice and sugar syrup is considered a <<Sour>>.

Here is the Vodka Sour version with Belvedere Vodka. 

Original Recipe: Vodka, lime juice, and sugar syrup.

Basil revisited: 

Belvedere Vodka 50ml 

Lime juice 15ml 

Homemade basil syrup

Fresh Basil

Ice

Utensils:

1 Shaker (or jar) 

1 Jigger (or cup)

1 Citrus squeezer

1 Cutting board 

1 Knife 

1 Colander 

1 Spoon 

Serving glass: Low Tumbler

Procedure:

After setting up the station with all the ingredients, prepare the fresh lime juice. Cut the lime in half, squeeze it and pour the liquid into the shaker together with the basil syrup and Belvedere Vodka. 

Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously for at least 10 seconds, then pour the liquid into a low tumbler, making a double filtration with a filter. Fill the glass with ice and garnish with a basil leaf.

Basil Syrup Preparation: 

1KG Sugar

500ml Water 

10/15 basil leaves

Procedure:

In a pot, bring the water to heat. As soon as the water begins to heat, pour in the sugar. Stir continuously to prevent the sugar from sticking to the pan. Bring to a boil. Let it boil for at least 2-3 minutes and turn off the heat. With the heat off, place the basil leaves in the pot and stir well to release all the flavors. Then remove the basil leaves once the syrup has cooled. 

Enjoy!

Chef in Town- a food and beverage column curated by

Intl Editor Francesca Romana Riggio