Vodka sauce is suddenly trendy again. The creamy, sometimes spicy, pink-orange sauce is an Italian American classic. Ella Quittner at Bon Appétit takes a look at why this dish is suddenly popular.
Vodka sauce has always been one of my favorites, and as a kid growing up in the 1980s, it was always on the menu. I was surprised then when I started doing research on for “Red Sauce: How Italian Food Became American,” to find that it was both a relatively new dish and one that didn’t have a clear origin.
There were a lot of rumors and debates over who invented it and where. It does seem like it was a popular dish served in nightclubs in Italy, especially in Bologna, a college town, in the 1970s. Vodka was just getting introduced to the Italian market, and what’s more disco than vodka sauce?
The Italian argument for vodka sauce pinpoints Dante’s, a club in Bologna as ground zero. It’s possible Dante’s was the first club in Italy to start serving the sauce with other clubs copying it. By the end of that decade, vodka sauce found its way to Rome where the wives of two American diplomats were working on a cookbook. Efrem Funghi Calingaert and Jacquelyn Days Serwer’s Pasta and Rice Italian Style includes two variations on vodka sauce. One is white and one is pink. Published in 1983, vodka sauce was by then well enshrined in the American zeitgeist.
Salon cited a Serious Eats article by J. Kenji López-Alt pointing to the rise of vodka sauce in the 1970s and 1980s. That part is true, and why I grew up eating it at every Italian restaurant in North Jersey.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, new Italian restaurants would often feature a version of the dish, and it was a favorite to report on New York Times restaurant reviews. This wasn’t such good luck for JOANNA, a restaurant that opened in Manhattan in 1981, with a poor review of the vodka sauce calling it “tasteless and overcooked.” Oops.
Meanwhile, Americans have claimed credit for creating the dish. The least credible claim was made by a Columbia grad student by the name of James Doty. Perhaps he did come up with a version in the 1980s as he claimed, but thats a few decades too late to be first.
Another somewhat strong claim has been made by chef Luigi Franzese who worked at Orsini’s restaurant in midtown Manhattan where the menu offered a penne alla Russia. This was a creamy tomato sauce with vodka, for sure, and absolutely a vodka sauce as we think of it today. Since then his family members have made a good case for his having been the original.
But Franzese wasn’t first. In fact, the earlier inventor owned a restaurant just a few blocks south of Orsini’s where Franzese cooked.
Vodka sauce was definitively invented in by Armando Mei for his midtown restaurant Fontana di Trevi, debuting on the menu in 1967. Mei called his penne alla vodka, as the dish most often known as in the United States. It was a combination off tomatoes, vodka, and cream. The article reporting on the dish cites Mei as having “broke with tradition,” indicating he was both the inventor and taking a risk in doing so.
Fontana di Trevi opened in midtown Manhattan in 1956. Mei commissioned a replica of the Trevi Fountain for the restaurant created the Roman Sculptor Marras. It was a well regarded restaurant even when it first opened.
Fontana di Trevi is now closed, but at one time it was the inspiration behind Billy Joel’s “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” at least that’s how the legend goes.
Armando Mei was also a war hero in Italy. The Italian government awarded him a silver metal for his work in the Roman resistance. He was even captured by the Germans and sentenced to death, liberated by American forces just in time.
Today, vodka is literally available in the grocery store. Jarred versions from famous restaurants can be found just about everywhere.
FAQs
What's in Vodka Sauce? Vodka sauce is a tomato-based sauce that's spiked with a hint of vodka for extra tanginess, then softened with a splash of heavy cream that gives the sauce a gorgeous reddish-orange color.
Is vodka sauce an American thing? ›
The Origins of Vodka Sauce
Unsurprisingly, the two places that lay claim to the invention of vodka sauce are New York City and Italy. We'll start stateside, with Orsini Restaurant in New York, where it is believed that Chef Luigi Franzese invented, specifically, penne alla vodka, in the 1970s.
What's the deal with vodka sauce? ›
Wine works, too, but a clean-tasting vodka has mostly water and ethanol (a solvent), which is excellent at carrying aromatic compounds — like those in tomatoes. In other words, the vodka in this dish can help you smell, and in turn taste, the sauce's flavors in a heightened way.
Is vodka sauce just alfredo and marinara? ›
Is vodka sauce a mix of marinara sauce and alfredo? No. Alfredo sauce mixed with marinara sauce is known as pink sauce. While pink sauce and vodka sauce are both types of tomato sauce, they are not the same thing.
What happens if you put too much vodka in vodka sauce? ›
If you can taste the vodka in the sauce, you've likely added too much, or perhaps you added it too late. The good news is that this is a simple fix. Just keep simmering the sauce to reduce the alcohol content.
How do you fix red sauce? ›
If your tomato sauce is too acidic and verging on bitter, turn to baking soda, not sugar. Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.
What is red sauce in USA? ›
Red sauce may refer to: Marinara sauce, in the United States. Ketchup, in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Salsa roja, in Mexican cuisine.
Do Italians eat vodka sauce? ›
Vodka sauce also referred to as penne alla vodka, is a long-standing tradition in Italian culture. A sauce that began as a quick and affordable way to impress women has become a staple in Italian cuisine. The sauce is creamy, delicious, and unanimously loved by everyone who tastes it.
Can kids have vodka sauce? ›
The general consensus was that a vodka pasta sauce should be safe for children, if cooked thoroughly. "Traditional vodka sauce uses such a small amount of alcohol that it should evaporate out during cooking," Dr. Rachel Prete, pediatrician with Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, told POPSUGAR.
Does vodka add anything to vodka sauce? ›
So to answer the question: yes! Vodka does alter the flavor of the sauce in a pleasing way. It adds a touch of heat and a bit of a sharp bite that help balance out the sweetness of the tomatoes and the cream.
While the amounts of alcohol in these foods, drinks, or medications are not enough to impair your driving, the alcohol content can be high enough to cause a test failure. These can include: Rum cake. Pasta with vodka sauce.
What is pasta with vodka sauce called? ›
Penne alla vodka (Italian: [ˈpenne alla ˈvɔdka]) is a pasta dish made primarily with vodka and penne (or similar shapes such as rigatoni), usually accompanied with heavy cream, crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce, onions, and sometimes small meats and vegetables such as sausage, pancetta or peas.
What sauce is similar to vodka sauce? ›
It has tomatoes (or tomato sauce), tomato paste, cream, onions, garlic (or shallot), basil, a little spice, parmesan cheese, and vodka! Traditional vodka sauce is a little heavier than a traditional tomato sauce, but lighter than an alfredo sauce, it is similar to a Blush Sauce with a couple of differences.
What is the difference between Rosa and vodka sauce? ›
Pink Sauce doesn't have any vodka in the sauce and is more cream based while Vodka Pasta is more tomato based. While they are both made from some of the same ingredients, I hope you take the time to try them both and choose your favorite!
Is vodka sauce healthier than marinara? ›
Keep in mind that extras such as cheese, meat and cream add calories, salt and fat, especially saturated fat. Alfredo, vodka and pesto sauces are higher in fat and calories than most tomato-based sauces. Alfredo and vodka sauces contain cream, which sends the saturated fat numbers soaring.
Why is my vodka sauce pink? ›
Because vodka sauce uses heavy cream, many will refer to vodka sauce as pink sauce without a second thought.
Is vodka sauce red or white? ›
Vodka sauce is suddenly trendy again. The creamy, sometimes spicy, pink-orange sauce is an Italian American classic.
Why does red sauce stain? ›
The culprit for those stains is a bright red pigment in tomatoes called lycopene. This molecule is 'hydrophobic' (it repels water), and so are your plastic containers. Hydrophobic molecules come together in order to minimise their contact with water, so the pigment clings to the containers.
Does jar vodka sauce go bad? ›
If the sauce has been opened for less than five days, give it a small taste; if it tastes off or sour in any way, it's time to throw it out. Always look out for mold as well; it can happen in an instant with jarred pasta sauce, sometimes even before the five-day mark.
