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Obsessed with pasta alla vodka? These are the restaurants and at-home treats you need to try
3 years ago
3 min read
Dreaming of pasta alla vodka? Same. We’ve rounded up some of the best London hotspots to enjoy this classic Italian dish, as well as the products that will help you recreate the taste at home.
It seems to fair to say that we just can’t get enough of pasta alla vodka right now.
This creamy tomato sauce with an extra kick is an Italian classic – it’s simple, comforting and delicious… but that shot of vodka helps balance out the sweetness and gives it a satisfying sharpness.
Heinz and Absolut recently announced that they will be teaming up to bring us a jar of tomato vodka sauce, making this in-demand dish even easier to recreate at home. And if you’ve spent any time on the internet in the last week or so, you might have seen this sauce hit the headlines in a very different way: filmmaker Sofia Coppola’s teenage daughter Romy shared a hilarious TikTok video of her making a vodka sauce while she was grounded (for attempting to charter a helicopter – using her dad’s credit card – to visit one of her friends).
With just a few ingredients, pasta alla vodka is pretty simple to recreate at home - but if you’re feeling a little lazy, that’s not a problem. We’ve rounded up some of the best London hotspots to sample this Italian favourite and some of the most delicious ready-made vodka-infused sauces to elevate your next meal.
Where to go
Brutto
A recent opening from Polpo founder Russell Norman, Farringdon’s Brutto is a haven for delicious (and reasonably priced) spins on Florentine favourites, so it’s no surprise that their penne con vodka (£11.50) is a winner.
Oh, and in case you needed another excuse to check it out, the negronis are heavenly (plus, at £5, they’re about half the price of cocktails in similar establishments).
35-37 Greenhill Rents, London EC1M 6BN, brutto.co.uk
Saltie Girl
Saltie Girl, which arrived in London late last year after winning over fans in Boston and Los Angeles, is currently serving up spicy pasta alla vodka for £20, and if you fancy trying their signature seafood, you can add lobster (for an extra £22).
15 North Audley Street, London W1K 6WZ, saltiegirl.com
Motcombs
This Belgravia fixture boasts a menu packed with culinary classics, taking inspiration from the best bits of British, European and Asian cuisine, and its creamy vodka penne (£21) has an enjoyably spicy edge.
26 Motcomb Street, London SW1X 8JU, motcombsbelgravia.com
Scalini
Got a taste for penne alla vodka but fancy something a little different? Head to Scalini in Chelsea for rigatoni perestroika (£20) with added pancetta.
1-3 Walton Street, London SW3 2JD, scalinilondon.co.uk
What to buy
Cottage Delight bloody Mary salsa
With all the kick of your favourite brunch drink slash hangover cure (delete as appropriate), this salsa works well with roasted veg, salads or stirred through a comforting bowl of pasta.
Halen Môn bloody Mary ketchup
To give your at-home brunch set-up a sweet and savoury piquancy, swap your classic ketchup for this punchy bloody Mary-inspired alternative, combining the richness of treacle and molasses with the tang of vodka.
Sauce Shop x Fry Up Police F.U. sauce
And if you’re more of a Worcester sauce devotee? This Sauce Shop offering takes the best of both worlds, combining the sweetness of tomato ketchup with the tang of brown sauce, then adding a glug of vodka and some spicy Chipotle peppers for good measure.
Don Antonio sugo alla vodka sauce
Add a dash of luxury to your midweek dinners with the help of this easy, extra-creamy sauce with peppery herbal notes. All of the Italian brand’s sauces are made in the Abruzzo region, using local produce and family recipes for that extra touch of authenticity.
Images: Getty; courtesy of brands
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