This Canadian-Founded Aperitivo Brand Is Disrupting Italy’s Liquor Industry
Doladira: a new alpine aperitivo.
Few liqueurs are quite so steeped in tradition as the ones that hail from Italy. Whether in Piedmont or Puglia, the local aperitivi and amari follow recipes held dear for centuries, their unique combination of botanicals and base liquors telling the story of the regions’ long-standing dining cultures. It is exceedingly rare that a new type of aperitivo or amaro is able to break through in the tradition-steeped category, and undoubtedly more so that its inventor comes from beyond Italy’s shores.
But that isn’t stopping Meredith Erickson, the Montreal native and food writer who fell in love with Italy’s herbal liqueurs while doing research for Alpine Cooking, a cookbook and travelogue about the cuisines of Austria, France, Switzerland, and Italy’s alpine regions. At its current trajectory, Doladira, which is inspired specifically by the Italian Dolomites, is sure to top the mountain of fabled aperitivi sooner rather than later. Made with rhubarb-liqueur base, Doladira’s aromatic profile is built on an array of natural alpine ingredients, including plum, gentian, elderflower, pine, and rosemary, and is evocative of a passeggiata in montagna (mountain stroll) on a warm spring day. Doladira is free of added sugar, but never before has one of Italy’s traditional bitter liqueurs tasted so sweet.
