Nightlife + Dining
Amanda Coscarelli
The Centerfold Cocktail: My Night at Pearl Box with Holiday Vodka
Holiday Vodka’s Aprés Italiano cocktail is the centerfold drink at Pearl Box NYC. Here’s what it’s like to sip one of the city’s most talked about new cocktails.
- By: Julianne Elise Beffa
Some cocktails you order without thinking. Others practically leap off the menu and demand your attention. At it-girl hot spot, Pearl Box, that drink is Aprés Italiano by Holiday Vodka, a cocktail so good it earned the centerfold of the bar’s cheeky Playboy-style newspaper menu. Yes, the centerfold.
The moment you walk into Pearl Box, you know you’re somewhere special. The lighting is flattering, the music perfectly dialed in, and the crowd feels like a mix of downtown regulars, nightlife insiders, and people who somehow always know about the best new spots first. When Aprés Italiano stares back at you from the middle of the menu, the decision is already made.
The cocktail itself is as charming as the presentation. Aprés Italiano blends Holiday Vodka with Heirloom Crème de Flora, Amaro Montenegro, and a hint of orange cinnamon, creating something that feels both cozy and refreshing. The first sip makes you pause, look back at the glass, and immediately go in for another. Holiday Vodka has been quietly building momentum across the city, appearing at spots like the infamous Surf Lodge in Montauk, downtown favorite Jean’s, the always buzzing American Bar, and buzzy rooms like Chelsea Living Room and The Corner Store, where cocktail menus are as curated as the guest lists. Put simply, Holiday Vodka is having a moment- and at Pearl Box, Aprés Italiano might just be its most stylish expression yet.
The brand itself started with a simple observation at a dinner table. Holiday Vodka founder Anna Goldman remembers realizing that, while everyone had ordered martinis, almost nobody had a real preference for the vodka in their glass. “I started asking around to friends, bartenders, strangers, and almost nobody could name a vodka they truly loved. There were plenty of brands, but nobody talked about their vodka the way they talked about their favorite tequila or whiskey,” she says. That sparked the vision for Holiday Vodka: a spirit people feel something for, one that belongs on the table during long dinners, spontaneous toasts, and moments spent celebrating with everyone you love.
I started asking around to friends, bartenders, strangers, and almost nobody could name a vodka they truly loved.
Italian roots were essential from the start. “I knew it had to be Italian vodka as a nod to my family’s Italian restaurants and favorite memories abroad,” Goldman explains. She partnered with world-renowned distiller Giancarlo Mancino, and together they crafted the liquid in Piedmont using the freshest Italian ingredients. Once the vodka was perfected, the brand’s identity revealed itself naturally: aperitivo hour on the Amalfi Coast, afternoons at après-ski in Cortina, vintage convertibles along Milanese roads, and the easy glamour of a life lived beautifully. “You don’t need to be on holiday to have a Holiday,” Goldman says.
The collaboration with Pearl Box felt destined. Managing Partner Kenneth Crum explains, “Our mutual friends made the connection when they noticed how much our brands aligned and we were happy to begin building the relationship.” The bar’s chic 70s ski chalet vibe made it the perfect home for an après-ski inspired cocktail. “We knew we wanted to feature the Holiday brand because we love the product,” Crum says. “The question was, how do we create the perfect cocktail to highlight the taste and vibe of Holiday to our guests?”
That answer came from General Manager Hebert Moreira. “Hebert was inspired by the Italian Alpine origin of Holiday Vodka and it felt like a perfect fit for the 70s ski chalet vibe of Pearl Box and an opportunity to create the best Après Ski cocktail,” Crum explains. The result is Aprés Italiano: a layered but incredibly easy sipper that captures the essence of Holiday Vodka. “After a day on the slopes I want something to feel refreshing and restorative. An easy sipper,” Moreira says. “We find those flavors in the softer tea-like flavors in the creme de flora, a tiny bit of medicinal bitterness from Chiot and cinnamon, with a splash of orange to keep it all soft and inviting.” The balance is key. “The old saying is that the best medicine is always bitter,” he adds. “With this drink, it doesn’t have to be.”
You don’t need to be on holiday to have a Holiday
Goldman describes the feeling she hopes the first sip creates: “My hope is that the first sip feels like the start of a perfect night — great food on the table, friends gathered around, and laughter filling the room. And as they take that sip, I want them to notice how incredibly clean and smooth Holiday Vodka is, elevating the moment without overpowering. I’ve been known to do a little happy dance after that first sip — hopefully you will too!” At Pearl Box, that energy is already in the room. “Because what’s more chic than an apres ski moment?” Crum adds.
While the amaro component makes Aprés Italiano a perfect end-of-night drink, Pearl Box insists there are no rules. “A refreshing bedtime story. But it’s good all day long!” Crum says. Start the evening with one at The Corner Store, or end it with one at Pearl Box — either way, the cocktail fits seamlessly into the night. Part of the reason it works is the atmosphere itself. “People want to be in a space that makes them feel fab, while also making them feel welcome,” Crum explains. “Pearl Box provides all the vibes and none of the stuffiness.”
The cocktail program follows the same philosophy. “It’s as simple as what do we want to drink right now? We know that if we start there, we’ll always end up someplace where people are happy to follow you,” Crum says. Judging by the number of Aprés Italianos hitting tables, people are definitely following. While no sequel cocktail is planned yet, the partnership between Holiday Vodka and Pearl Box is only just beginning. “No plans for an Aprés Italiano sequel yet but we love the team at Holiday, so this is indeed the beginning of a long lasting relationship,” Crum says. “Did someone just say Martini Party?!”
If Aprés Italiano is the first chapter, it is already a very good one. And if the centerfold drink at Pearl Box is any indication, Holiday Vodka’s New York takeover is just getting warmed up.
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