Everybody knows “La Scala”, one of the most famous theaters in the world, but few know that in Milan, there is another small theater that is just as beautiful, called Teatro Gerolamo. Also known as “The Little Scala”, this theater celebrated its reopening with a major event: the launching of two new brands of Belvedere vodka, Smogóry Forest and Lake Bartężek.

 

On Monday, March19th, Bwine had the pleasure to take part in the launch of these exclusive brands in one of the best locations in the entire city, a theater that first opened in 1868 and had been closed for more than 30 years.

The innovation in these spirits is that for the first time a specific terroir is selected to plant and cultivate the ingredients for production. The rye for these premium vodkas comes from two very different regions of Poland.  The grain for Smogóry Forest originates from the western part of the country, an uncontaminated region surrounded by forests. On the other hand, the rye for Lake Bartężek comes  from the north-east, an area with hundreds of lakes. The uniqueness of these places ensures the uniqueness of the products.

The evening started with a masterclass in mixology, where the best flavor combinations for these new vodkas were presented. This gave us the opportunity to experience how these vodkas taste outstanding both straight and mixed with various ingredients.

It is for these reasons that Belvedere created two new drinks specifically designed to exalt the vodkas’ flavors.

Drink #1

50 mL Belvedere Smogóry Forest

10 mL sweet vermouth

5 mL absinthe

2 dashes chocolate bitters.

 

Drink #2

50 mL Belvedere Lake Bartężek

10 mL crème de pêche

10 mL amontillado sherry

5 mL green chartreuse

1 dash of anise.

Moreover, the Belvedere Espresso cocktail, made with Belvedere classic, 1 shot of espresso, coffee liqueur and 3 coffee beans, was served at the café of the theatre.

After the masterclass, the evening continued on the top floor of the theatre. There, three different bar counters were set up in order for people to taste the newly created drinks. The atmosphere was exotic: next to the bar counters tree trunks, tree shavings and wall-sized pictures of Polish regions accompanied the tasting.

The singularity of this location and the creativity of the design, along with the two brand new top quality vodkas, made our Monday night truly unforgettable.

Nicolò Passoni