First Vodka Made With Olive Oil Released in Italy

The first vodka made with extra vir­gin olive oil in Italy is being released in the north­ern region of Liguria.

Thomas Cuberli, the inven­tor of Olioo and chief exec­u­tive direc­tor of the Genoa-based Compagnia di San Giorgio, said that the right amount of extra vir­gin olive oil gives the vodka a ​“vel­vety tex­ture,” a new dimen­sion for the cen­turies-old spirit.

Cuberli added the new prod­uct might also fur­ther boost the pop­u­lar­ity of the most high-qual­ity food prod­ucts of Genoa and the wider region, where the extra vir­gin olive oils come from a cen­tury-old tra­di­tion.

Liguria also has a well-estab­lished tra­di­tion of pro­duc­ing arti­sanal liquors from olive leaves or extracts.

The same dis­til­late pro­ducer had already mixed renowned local food prod­ucts with other pop­u­lar spir­its in recent years, includ­ing basil-infused gin and pine nut ver­mouth.

“We look for high-qual­ity prod­ucts based on high-qual­ity raw mate­ri­als,” Cuberli told IlSole24Ore. ​“Our goal is to have these dis­til­lates make Liguria more pop­u­lar beyond the regional and national bor­ders.”

In a press release, Compagnia di San Giorgio said that ​“before serv­ing, Olioo vodka has to be shaken, not stirred,” a nod to how fic­tional British spy James Bond prefers his own mar­ti­nis.

According to the com­pany, the extra vir­gin olive oil drops are man­u­ally poured into each Olioo bot­tle.

The addi­tion of olive notes to an alco­holic prod­uct is hardly a nov­elty. In December, a beer pro­ducer in cen­tral Italy launched Birra Oleo, which includes olive leaves in the brew­ing process.

Meanwhile, inno­va­tors have found a pre­cious ally in extra vir­gin olive oil for years when it comes to dis­til­lates and liquors.

Massimo D’Addezio, an award-win­ning bar­tender at Rome’s Chorus Café, has also mod­i­fied some pop­u­lar cock­tails, such as his Bloody Mary, enrich­ing them with fresh Datterino tomato, green pep­pers and extra vir­gin olive oil.

A few years ago, the renowned London bar­tender Philip Hanson made the rounds with ​“The Oliveto,” a newly con­ceived cock­tail based on extra vir­gin olive oil mixed with gin, fresh lemon and egg white.

The Italian inno­va­tor Valentina Bertello, a bar­tender at the Guerrini dal 1958 winebar, has also incor­po­rated extra vir­gin olive oil into some of her cock­tails.

One is based on rum and requires extra vir­gin olive oil to be sprayed on the glass when serv­ing. The sec­ond adds a del­i­cate cen­tral Italian extra vir­gin olive oil to a gin, Campari, crème de cas­sis, lemon, pink grape­fruit juice and sage recipe.

• Il Sole 24 Ore
• Teatro Naturale