Hotel STARLINO Vermouth, Aperitivos and Maraschino Cherries bring fresh appeal to growing category
Fine wine and spirits company Biggar and Leith today launch an exciting new brand – The Hotel STARLINO range of STARLINO Rosso Vermouth, STARLINO Rosé Aperitivo and STARLINO Maraschino Cherries. STARLINO Vermouth and Aperitivos hail from the Vergnano family’s distillery, Torino Distillati, in Piedmonte, North-Eastern Italy whilst STARLINO Maraschino Cherries are produced in San Gennaro, Vesuviano, close to Naples.
STARLINO Rosé is a delightful and refreshing Aperitivo – made by blending Rosé wine, spirit, pink grapefruit peel, orange peel and 8 other botanicals including Wormwood and Coriander. Delicious served over ice with a premium tonic or sparkling water and delicious as a Spritz – 1 Part STARLINO, 1 Part Sparkling Wine, 1 Part Soda Water, garnished with a slice of pink grapefruit or lemon.
STARLINO Rosso (Red Vermouth) – a classic “Vermouth di Torino” – made from a blend of Italian white wine, Sicilian Ansonica and Cataratto wines and Marsala Wine. This is then blended with a careful selection of botanicals including Wormwood, bitter orange and cloves. The Red Vermouth is then aged in Bourbon Barrels for six months to give a rich, spicy, vanilla flavour – perfect for Negronis, Manhattans, on the rocks or with a splash of soda.
At 17% alcohol, both drinks in the Hotel STARLINO range capitalize on the trend for lower alcohol cocktails.
STARLINO Maraschino Cherries mature for 15 days in their natural Marasaca juice, then rest for an additional seven days to reach perfection. The result of this artisan production method is an all-natural, luxury cherry that is delightfully sweet and tart. STARLINO Maraschino Cherries are made from high-quality, Italian Marasaca Cherries, also known as some of the highest quality cocktail cherries in the world. Marasaca Cherries are a type of sour Morello cherry made from Royal Ann, Rainier or Gold Varieties Cherries. The de-stoned, plump, ruby red cherries produce a small “pop” after every bite, with a distinct sweet cherry flavour experience.
The packaging for the Hotel STARLINO Vermouth, Aperitivos and Maraschino Cherries is inspired by and celebrates Italy’s incredible turn of the twentieth century design and architecture. This design style, known in Italy as Stile Liberty, is famous in Torino. The Hotel STARLINO Aperitivos and Vermouth are packaged in beautiful, heavy apothecary-style bottles. They are finished with ceramic and wooden stoppers, reminiscent of an antique door knob. The premium packaging features an elevator floor indicator, skeleton key, and bellman’s cap, inspired by the great luxury hotels of Italy. The front label resembles a vintage luggage label and the back label an elegant old-fashioned “Do Not Disturb” door hanger. Besides, as Ronco said, “We have so many friends and visitors to our distillery we sometimes refer to it as a Hotel!”
My take on the drinks
These drinks were amazing and each very unique. I tried creating drinks with both and found that they were simply delicious. Adding in the STARLINO Maraschino Cherries brings even a more robust taste that has made the drinks even better. If you are looking for a delightful and unique cocktail, these are ones I would highly recommend. Get ready for a great evening and a great drink!
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