Halifax Entrepreneurs Create New Vodka Spritzer
HALIFAX — Summer is right around the corner. Some days in Halifax the hot weather makes it feel like summer is already here. That means we will soon be putting down the hot drinks for something a little cooler. And a Halifax entrepreneur has just launched a refreshing new drink at 10 NSLC locations.
Jennie Dobbs and her partner Simon Rafuse combined their talents to create Drink Sprizzi Limonata, a low-sugar vodka spritzer that comes in a colourful can.
The duo has a lot of experience in the food and beverage industry. Rafuse is a professional winemaker, while Hobbs opened her first Morris East pizzeria when she was just 29.
“I saved $45,000 and imported wood fired oven from Italy and brought it over to Halifax and started making gourmet thin crust pizzas,” recalled Dobbs.
The passion Dobbs has for Italian dining is evident. It’s what helped inspire her to make Drink Sprizzi Limonata.
“It’s Just a really lovely idea of having a bright lemon drink to go with your pizza, and just to enjoy good food with good friends and have an enjoyable time,” said Dobbs.
“It’s just enjoying good food outside in the summer, and the experience of enjoying that together; having a long leisurely meal.”
It took 15 months for Dobbs and Rafuse to find the right recipe for their Limonata. Dobbs says their biggest concern was making sure the lemon juice they used tasted fresh.
“We tried different juices from different suppliers,” recalled Dobbs. We really started to form an opinion on how to make a product that would be remarkably fresh. One of our goals was to preserve the freshness of the fruit so that when you drank the product, it tasted real, and it tasted fresh. Unlike a lot of [ready-to-drink] products which are just water and flavor. We wanted to be a real product with real juice.”
“And then we just refined that recipe to make sure it was perfectly balanced. Because we did strive for the perfect balance between tart and sweet.”
On top of the fresh lemon juice, which Dobbs says comes from the best lemon-supplier in North America, the Limonata Spritzer is also made using Nova Scotia spring water.
The spritzer just launched in NSLC a week ago, and so far, sales are going well, with some locations already selling their first shipment in short order.
“It’s going incredibly well,” said Dobbs. Two locations sold out over the weekend, after just receiving their allotment on Wednesday. And the following Monday, I received another order from the NSLC to restock it.”
“It’s wonderful. I love seeing people enjoy it. I love seeing the diversity of people enjoying it. I think ready-to-drink products are new to some people, and they haven’t had the experience of a high quality ready-to-drink product. So, it’s really fun to see them try it and enjoy it.”
Derek Montague is a Huddle reporter in Halifax. Send him your feedback and story ideas: [email protected].