NYC Bars and Restaurants Feature Unique Italian Soda

Take an ancient Roman spring, discovered 2,000 years old ago, gently bubbling forth its mineral-rich waters after a 30-month purifying journey through the Apennine Mountains; mix in the best Italian fruit you can find from the regions where it thrives best, like citrus from Sicily; and finally, add an uncompromising commitment to quality.

Serafina's Dark & Stormy, made with Kraken Black Spiced Rum, Galvanina ginger beer, lemon juice

Galvanina 75 cocktail at Sociale in Bklyn

Moscow Mule, San Carlo Osteria Piemonte

Galvanina tonic water., the world's only USDA organic tonic water

Moscow Light

Wednesday Mocktail

That’s the recipe for refreshing, vibrantly flavored sodas that taste like you’re drinking sun-ripened fruit straight from the tree. They also come in super stylish embossed vintage glass bottles.

The sodas are products of Galvanina, established in 1901 in Italy as a mineral water company and are the only USDA organic-certified Italian ones on the American market, with no artificial colorings, flavors, or preservatives. Just last year, it won a Specialty Outstanding Food Innovation Award for its blood orange, black carrot, and blueberry sparkling beverage.

Hitting the Cocktail Scene

It’s no wonder mixologists in town are finding that these sodas make great mixers in cocktails.

Stephan Sardi, of Serafina in the Meatpacking District makes a Dark and Stormy with Kraken Black Spiced Rum, lemon juice, and Galvanina’s organic ginger beer.

“Galvanina ginger beer tastes like freshly juiced ginger,” says Serafina barender Stephan Sardi—and for him too, the organic certification is a big plus.

At Sociale in Brooklyn Heights, where the cocktail list consists of Italian classics like Negroni and the Spritz side by side with inventive libations, bartender Rodrigo Varillas particularly loves Galvanina’s blood orange soda, using it for a spin on the classic French 75, called Galvanina 75, with champagne and St. Germain.

“I love to use Galvanina blood orange in a mix. Plus it’s organic, and our guests love it,” Varillas said.

Galvanina’s tonic water is also the only organic tonic water in the world.  At San Carlo Osteria Piemonte in SoHo, the gin and tonic is crafted with No. 3 London dry gin—with its juniper, sweet Spanish orange peel, grapefruit peel, angelica root, Moroccan coriander seed, and cardamom—mixed with Galvanina’s organic tonic water.

“Galvanina tonic water has a fine, delicate carbonation, which makes a perfect and refreshing gin and tonic,” the bartender at San Carlo Osteria Piemonte said.  They also use Galvanina’s organic ginger beer to make their signature Moscow Mule.

At SoHo’s Mamo, too, Galvanina is the go-to tonic water for gin and tonic, made with Hendrick’s gin, lime juice, and hibiscus bitters.

Low-ABV Cocktails and Mocktails at Home

If you would like to try your hand at mixing up some low-ABV cocktails at home using Galvanina sodas, the company has created many recipes. Here are a couple:

Barone Rosso (4% ABV)

7 ounces Galvanina Century Organic Blood Orange Black Carrot & Blueberry Soda

3/4 ounce Gin

7 ice cubes

Garnish:

Organic orange slice and organic fresh blueberry

Pour gin and Galvanina Organic Blood Orange, Black Carrot, and Blueberry Soda. Stir slowly with a bar spoon. Garnish with a slice of orange and some fresh blueberries.

Moscow Light (3.6% ABV)

7 ounces Galvanina Century Organic Ginger Beer

1 ounce Vodka

3/4 ounce fresh organic lime juice

6 ice cubes

Pour lime juice, vodka, and stir slowly with a spoon. Finally add Galvanina Organic Ginger Beer Sparkling Beverage. Garnish with cucumber and lime slices and with fresh mint leaves.

And for a mocktail, try:

Wednesday

8 ounces Galvanina Century Organic Red Grapefruit Soda

1/2 fresh lime

3 teaspoons organic turbinado brown sugar

1/2 ounce crushed ice

Crush or muddle the half cut lime pieces together with sugar and with some basil leaves. Add crushed ice and then Galvanina Century Organic Red Grapefruit soda. Garnish with a slice of organic pink grapefruit and with some organic basil leaves.

Cheers!

Some of the wonderful restaurants where you’ll find Galvanina in New York City include:

Il Buco Alimentari, NoHo

Sapori d’Italia, Little Italy

Gemma, at the Bowery Hotel, East Village

Giovanni Rana Pastificio & Cucina, Chelsea Market, Chelsea

San Carlo Osteria Piedmonte, SoHo

Ciccio Alimentari, SoHo

Salumeria Rosi Parmacotto, Upper West Side

Serafina, Meatpacking District