A Guide to Drinking Our Neapolitan Set
It’s not every day you’re asked to do a Gelato Messina ice-cream pairing on the job, but believe me - it’s an absolute joy when it happens. With the upcoming release of our Archie Rose x Messina Neapolitan Set, I was given the bright new spirit samples of Strawberry & Pink Peppercorn Gin, Vanilla & Pandan Vodka and Cacao Husk & Hazelnut Whisky. These brilliant flavour pairings pay homage to the nostalgia of Neapolitan ice-cream while introducing the terroir of independent producers that Messina uses to create their gelato.
THE CONCEPT
As Creative Drinks Manager, I was lucky enough to run a bit loose and play with the cocktail concept, my immediate thoughts were to produce some fun 80s style cocktails that would work as blended drinks. Think bright colours and the extreme decadence of chocolate-and-cream while still keeping the focus on fresh produce.
STRAWBERRY & PINK PEPPERCORN GIN
STRAWBERRY MARGARITA
Best known for finding their way into your tropical holiday’s blurriest memories, Strawberry Margaritas are my favourite bastardisation of the classic lime and salt sipper. Lending itself to a saline character, this cocktail was an easy choice for bringing to life the pink peppercorn element of our Strawberry & Pink Peppercorn Gin. Easily made at home and always a crowd-pleaser, this is definitely one for your next house party.
get the recipe here
MESSINA VICE
Perhaps the most extravagant and time-consuming decision of our Neapolitan cocktail line up was how to include the little known classic, the Miami Vice, a blended twin drink which originally featured both a Pina Colada and a Strawberry Daiquiri layered on top of each other. This drink is simply the best of literally everything. In an effort to keep it simple, this is a one blend drink, featuring all the beach holiday flavours of coconut cream, pomegranate, pineapple and of course the Strawberry & Pink Peppercorn Gin.
get the recipe here
VANILLA & PANDAN VODKA
GALAXY MARTINI
With a natural inclination towards vanilla vodka, our Galaxy Martini (a riff on the dubiously named classic the Porn Star Martini) seemed like an obvious choice to showcase our Vanilla & Pandan Vodka. With the tart passionfruit purée balancing out the fragrant sweetness of the pandan, this 90s classic is our fun take on Neapolitan cocktails.
get the recipe here
GRASSHOPPER
One of my personal favourites is the Grasshopper, a gaudy mint chocolate cream number that is generally frowned upon by the bartending and community at large. Despite its sugar-ridden origins, I thought this drink was best to first cleanse with our Vanilla & Pandan Vodka and freshen up with Messina’s Pandan & Coconut Sorbet. Tastes like spring.
get the recipe here
CACAO HUSK & HAZELNUT WHISKY
TOBLERONE
Where would we be in nostalgic cocktails if we didn’t include a chocolate, body-devastating number that blends in ice-cream? With so many different variations of these chocolate-cream cocktails available, I had to zone in on the Toblerone to feature Messina’s classic Hazelnut Gelato with our Cacao Husk & Hazelnut Whisky.
get the recipe here
AZTEC OLD FASHIONED
To round out this whole project though, I really wanted to bring a little class back and feature this delicious whisky in an Old Fashioned. With a little nod to Mexican chilli chocolate, the Aztec Old Fashioned is sweetened with Pedro Ximenez and agave syrup, with a hint of chilli spice to really bring out that nutty chocolate flavour. Decadent.
get the recipe here
More on Neapolitan
Archie Rose and Gelato Messina have come together to celebrate a shared love of exceptional, farm-grown produce and flavour with the creation of a limited edition Neapolitan 200ml three-spirit set.
Conceived as a collaborative twist on the all-time classic Neapolitan strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ice cream combination, this three-spirit set showcases some of the outstanding produce grown at two of Messina’s own farms in Australia and by other producers. Each ingredient has then been individually distilled to create three-spirits ready for cocktail invention.