Altamura Distilleries co-founder Frank Grillo is recounting the early days of his premium vodka brand. The brand has come a long way since former Atlanta-based marketing executive, Frank, stood on a farm in Puglia asking a cautious and perplexed Capiello family if they would sell him some of their sacred Altamura grain.
I’ll never forget it. It was like an interview. Tell us your story, your intentions.
Frank, an American with Southern Italian heritage and a love for Italian food laughs as he recounts the initial skepticism. “It was like asking for a daughter’s hand in marriage but instead I was asking to marry their wheat.”
Storied Grain
The storied grain, unchanged in purity for over 2000 years, and even directly referenced by the Roman poet Horace, is traditionally used in pane di Altamura (a bread given Protected Designation of Origin status from the European Union), pasta and pizza dough.
Three and a half years later, building upon a strong, growing presence in Europe, the US and India, Altamura vodka has taken the sacred grains worldwide in liquid form to 23 countries and counting. This year distribution has spread to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Macau as well as Abu Dhabi and Dubai. In June, the brand was named as the official vodka sponsor of The World’s 50 Best Hotels, a fitting partnership for a vodka found in some of the world’s most celebrated hotel and cocktail bars.
“I think the brand’s reputation has grown. The product is used by the best mixologists in the world. We see the anticipation for our vodka, whereas a year ago we were still telling the story,” Frank says. The Altamura Distilleries story is an irresistible one.
An American Man With Italian Heritage
An American man with Italian heritage bakes a loaf of sacred Italian bread during the pandemic at his home in the US and wonders: could you drink this? Man sets up a distillery in Puglia and moves to Italy to create a vodka brand, designed by a local Southern Italian agency. The vodka uses sacred durum wheat from a family farm going back generations, bucking both Mediterranean (fruit) and northern European distilling trends (softer winter wheat). The resulting high ABV premium spirit (Italian bitters, vermouths traditionally lower ABV), made from 100% Altamura wheat turns out to be, well, very Italian.
The Vodka
But there’s more. The vodka is actually good. Very good. It’s smooth, creamy, with a bit of pepper and salinity. It’s a product that speaks to a mixology diaspora across the world that is notably Italian and proud of the motherland’s produce.
“Wherever we go, even in Abu Dhabi, Dubai or Hong Kong, almost every place we go, there’s this core of mixology that is very tied to Italy, that has deep affection for all things Italian,” Frank says.
The Best Cocktails Bars And Venice Cocktail Week
Milan’s Moebius and Barcelona’s Paradiso, both mainstays in the upper echelons of The World’s 50 Best Cocktail bars, were champions of the brand early on and partnerships followed with the likes of Venice and Florence Cocktail Weeks further boosting the brand’s awareness.
This Italian connection influences how the vodka translates to the glass too. Frank speaks evocatively of how bartenders have been inspired by the vodka to create drinks that channel heritage and tradition. Whilst Frank’s international travels in the early years of the brand were spent explaining the significance of the ingredients, Italians recognise the significance of Altamura as if it were Balsamic Vinegar of Modena or Parmigiano-Reggiano.
At a past Venice Cocktail Week, mixologist Chiara Poloni washed the vodka with bread, serving it with a parmesan crisp. At the Four Seasons Atrium Bar in Florence, Edoardo Sandri created the La Merenda cocktail, washing the vodka with tomato water to channel the flavours of his lunchbox snack. Moebius meanwhile is famed for its Pesto Martini, of which Altamura vodka is front and centre.
US Esquire’s Martini of the Year in 2024, aka the best martini in the US, was the Clemente Martini, courtesy of its namesake bar at 11 Madison Avenue. Altamura is part of a cocktail inspired by Italian painter Francesco Clemente’s extensive travels through India alongside the inclusion of curry paste, green chilli chutney and Gordal olives pickled in curry spice.
The Future And Beyond
This interplay between food and cocktails is a theme Frank hopes the brand can explore in the future. Whilst wine remains king in food pairings, he wants Altamura vodka, whether mixed or straight, to be considered and explored. This month the finalists were announced for a competition which saw Altamura partner with Hilton hotels across Europe, The Middle East and Asia, challenging bar and chef teams to come up with a signature Altamura cocktail and matching bar snack.
With further expansion planned for next year as well as more collaborations with the restaurant world, it’s likely you’ll be seeing a lot more of Altamura. Chances are, if there’s a bottle on the shelf, there’s an Italian nearby to mix it.
