Chic AF Sommelier & Queen Of The Wine Spritz Jordan Salcito Spreads His Best Entertainment Tips

When Jordan salcito organize a party, better to arrive thirsty!

There is surely no better host than the acclaimed sommelier and founder of Ramona, the cult canned spritz company that makes cocktails a snap.

Hot on the release of its new flavor, Amarino – a bitter orange varietal that’s an all-season spritz that you can’t resist – Jordan shares her top tips for entertaining, from how she stores her bar cart to her professional strategy to avoid hangovers. drink !

How are you going to celebrate the holidays this year?
Every year we go to Colorado and celebrate Christmas and New Years in the mountains near Beaver Creek. My husband and I bring our two boys and spend a week or two.

What types of parties do you prefer to organize?
Dinners, when I can cook for a wonderful group of girlfriends, about 10 people to keep things interesting and private.

What’s the one thing every big night needs?
A crispy drink as soon as you walk in the door.

Who is your biggest pet peeve?
When people arrive early for dinner, especially without warning!

What items do you always have on your bar cart?
РA vintage Saint Louis Herm̬s crystal cocktail shaker
– Vintage double jigger in silver
– Vintage citrus juicer
– Whiskey Yamazaki (18 years old)
– Pinhook Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon
– The Lemon of Roulot
– A bottle of Rochelt “Williamsbirne” that I brought back from Austria in a suitcase

What’s your festive sip of choice?
Currently, I like the Amarino, then Champagne one-two punch.

On the champagne side, my essentials are Champagne Savart, Bérêche e Fils, Ulysse Collin, La Closerie de Jérôme Prévost.

Where does the inspiration behind your new Amarino flavor come from?
I fell in love with the slightly bitter aperitif Italian spritz during a particularly rainy harvest in Italy (2008), where the daily afternoon spritz marked a moment of happiness. The spritz has a fascinating history, and its current iteration grew out of the futuristic Italian art movement at the turn of the 20th century, when artists (and mixologists) wanted to celebrate “newness” and the future, rather than the past. In 2006, Campari & Aperol changed their recipe and started using coal tar dyes to achieve this bright red color (instead of carmine, a dye made from tiny insects). Coal tar is a by-product of petroleum that is also used, among other things, to kill and repel head lice. It has been linked to cancer as well as ADHD and hyperactivity in children.

My inspiration for Amarino was that carefree, cheerful “spritz” moment – minus the petroleum byproducts, the artificial flavor and the cane sugar.

What’s the most elegant way to serve Ramona?
I love to drink it in a stemmed cocktail glass, garnished with a large lemon zest.

Any tips to avoid the holiday hangover?
Drink a glass of water for every glass of alcohol and stick to wines / cocktails / etc made with organic ingredients.

What hostess gifts do you covet the most?
Anything that a woman does that makes the world a better place.

What are you most excited about next?
My husband and I are going to Paris next month – delighted to be traveling again!