From Bread to Vodka:
The Unexpected Story of Altamura Wheat
Giovanni D'Alessandro
A fascinating look at how this iconic grain has evolved from bread-making to Premium Vodka.
Some ingredients were always destined for greatness. Altamura wheat is one of them.
For centuries, this ancient grain has been at the heart of Italy’s most cherished traditions. It has shaped the golden crusts of Pane di Altamura, filled kitchens with the scent of fresh pasta, and earned a Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) status, standing alongside some of Italy’s most celebrated exports – Parma ham, Modena balsamic, and San Marzano tomatoes. And now? It’s making vodka. The world’s finest vodka, in fact.
Altamura Wheat: A Grain Like No Other
Altamura wheat isn’t just wheat. It’s history, flavour, and craftsmanship woven into every grain. Grown in the sun-drenched fields of Puglia, it has long been prized for its rich character, high protein content, and deep, nutty flavour. Bakers have sworn by it for centuries, crafting loaves so perfect they have been protected by law since 37 BC. Yes, 37 BC.
But great ingredients don’t just stay in one lane. When a grain is this exceptional, it demands to be explored.
From the Oven to the Glasss
While Altamura wheat has been shaping Italy’s most famous bread for centuries, its full-bodied complexity and delicate sweetness make it the perfect base for something even more refined… vodka. Most vodkas are made from whatever is cheapest – corn, rye, even potatoes.
The goal? Neutrality. But Altamura Distilleries Vodka takes a different approach.
By using Altamura wheat, this vodka isn’t just smooth—it’s layered, nuanced, and impossibly elegant. It carries hints of soft grain, a whisper of sweetness, and a finish that lingers like the last light over the Puglian countryside.
The result? A vodka that doesn’t just mix. It stands on its own.
Why Altamura Wheat Makes Better Vodka
- The secret is in the quality, the climate, and the craft.
- The Quality: Altamura wheat isn’t mass-produced or stripped of character. It’s grown with the same care that has sustained Italy’s best baking traditions for over 2,000 years.
- The Climate: Puglia’s warm Mediterranean sun, cool breezes, and mineral-rich soil create the perfect conditions for wheat that is bold yet balanced, strong yet refined.
- The Craft: Unlike industrial vodkas that erase every trace of their origins, Altamura Distilleries Vodka celebrates its wheat, enhancing its natural flavour rather than stripping it away.

The Evolution of an Icon
From ancient ovens to modern martinis, Altamura wheat has been feeding, inspiring, and indulging generations. What started as the backbone of Italy’s most famous bread has evolved into the foundation of a vodka unlike any other. It’s smooth, complex, and deeply rooted in Italian craftsmanship.
So whether it’s baked into a loaf or poured into a glass, one thing is certain…
Altamura wheat was never meant to be ordinary.
And with Altamura Distilleries Vodka, it never will be.

Natasha Daniels
Natasha is an award-winning scriptwriter, strategist, and digital consultant with over a decade of experience crafting compelling narratives across TV, audio, and branded content. She has worked with high-profile clients such as the BBC, Netflix, and A24, as well as luxury brands including Burberry, Gucci, and Armani.
Queen Bee
Giovanni D'Alessandro
Altamura Distilleries Signature CocktailGucci Giardino Florence
Queen Bee is inspired by life in a beehive – a group of components working cohesively, just like in a bar. The queen bee directs all the other creatures in this fantastic ecosystem, aiming to form a strong and solid structure, a perfect mechanism that renews daily. The drink features banana-infused bourbon and mango-infused vodka, different ingredients that together create harmony and body. Close your eyes, and you’ll be able to taste each element building the drink’s complexity, just as you imagined. Everything is left to rest overnight with homemade pineapple Greek yogurt, providing a velvety sensation on the palate. As in any beehive, honey and the balsamic note of propolis are essential. To complete the homey thought, a memory of the hive is created with pollen.
- Bartender: Martina Bonci, Matteo Piga
- Venue: Gucci Giardino – Florence
- Event: Florence Cocktail Week
- Recipe
Queen Bee
3 cl Altamura Distilleries Vodka infused with Mango
3 cl Michter’s Bourbon Whiskey infused with Banana
5 dash Propolis in alcohol solution
2,5 cl Thun Honey Millefiori
3 cl Lemon juice
Milk Washing with Pineapple Yogurt

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VCW23 SIGNATURE COCKTAILS
Giovanni D'Alessandro
Altamura DistilleriesSignature Cocktails
@Venice Cocktail Week 2023
There are experiences that go far beyond simple events. Situations and places that evoke powerful emotions, capable of captivating us, enveloping us, making us feel at the center of a unique experience. Venice, with its magical autumnal atmosphere, provides the perfect backdrop for all of this during the unmissable Venice Cocktail Week 2023. Once again, Altamura Distilleries will be a key player and the Main Sponsor of the event. As always, the event is organized by Paola Mencarelli, Founder & Creative Director of VCW. It’s a week where the art of mixology meets various other arts—food, music, fashion, and the art of living well—all of which Italy and Venice are world-renowned masters.
- ALTAMURA SIGNATURE COCKTAILS FOR VCW23
Altamura Distilleries’ Premium Vodka takes center stage in a remarkable 11 of the 31 official Signature Cocktails of VCW2023. The bartenders from Venice’s most renowned cocktail bars and hotel bars have created works of art and flavor that we are proud to present to you here.
La Via della Seta
- Bartenders: Claudio Trevisan, Stefano Fabrizi, Carlo Dal Zotto
- Venue: Ai Do Leoni
- Technique: Throwing Rolling
- Glass: Tumbler Basso
- Event: Venice Cocktail Week 2023
- Recipe
- 2 cl Altamura Distilleries Vodka
- 2 cl Select
- 2 cl Vermouth del Professore Rosso
- Aromatic Bitter Drop Blend
- Angostura Amaro Sour Foam
Pangea
- Bartenders: Lorenzo Di Cola, Pietro Lorefice, Edoardo Ruzzante, Nikita Osti
- Venue: Experimental Cocktail Club, Il Palazzo Experimental
- Technique: Fat Wash, Stir and Strain
- Glass: Rock Glass
- Event: Venice Cocktail Week 2023
- Recipe
- 3 cl Altamura Distilleries Vodka
- 1, 5 cl Paragon Timur Berry
- 1,5 cl Cordusio Aperitif
- 3 cl Limestone Ginger Beer
- 2 drop Grappa Nardini Riserva 7 Anni
U’gnuroski
- Bartenders: Giovanni D’Este, Marco Montaldo
- Venue: Osteria I Rusteghi
- Technique: Stir
- Glass: Martini Glass
- Event: Venice Cocktail Week 2023
- Recipe
- 2 cl Altamura Distilleries Vodka
- 2 cl Vermouth del Professore Rosso
- 2 cl homemade Bitter Mix
- Angostura Aromatic Bitters dash
- Paragon White Penja Pepper dash
Venetians roots
- Bartenders: Massimo Milanese, Michael Costantini, Ivan Favaretto, Benito Frasca
- Venue: Caffè Lavena
- Technique: Shake and Strain
- Glass: Low Tumbler
- Event: Venice Cocktail Week 2023
- Ricetta
- 4 cl Altamura Distilleries Vodka
- 3 cl Select
- 4 cl Acqua di Cedro Nardini
- 2 cl Rabarbaro Nardini
- 1 Angostura Aromatic Bitters drop
- Egg white & Lemon Juice
Amazing
- Bartender: Mauro Varagnolo
- Venue: Caffè Florian
- Technique: Shake
- Glass: Coppetta
- Event: Venice Cocktail Week 2023
- Recipe
- 2 cl Altamura Distilleries Vodka
- 3 cl Acqua di Cedro Nardini
- 1 cl Lime
- 2 Herbal Liqueur drops
Strawberry Goats
- Bartender: Chiara Poloni
- Venue: Amo, Fondaco dei Tedeschi
- Technique: Stir
- Glass: Low Tumbler
- Evento: Venice Cocktail Week 2023
- Recipe
- 4 cl Goatcheese fatwashed Altamura Distilleries Vodka
- 4 cl homemade Strawberry Cordial
Adriatica
- Bartenders: Facundo Gallegos, Ludwig Negri
- Venue: Arts Bar, The St.Regis Venice
- Technique: Shake
- Glass: Old Fashioned
- Event: Venice Cocktail Week 2023
- Recipe
- 3 cl Altamura Distilleries Vodka
- 1,5 cl Bitter Chinato Nardini
- 2 cl alcohol-free Bitter
- 2 cl Strawberry Shrub
- 1 cl Citric Acid
Rosehip
- Bartender: Giacomo Mondin
- Venue: Venissa – Il Bar
- Technique: Stir and Strain
- Glass: High Tumbler
- Event: Venice Cocktail Week 2023
- Recipe
- 3 cl Altamura Distilleries Vodka
- 3 cl Bitter Nardini fennel infused
- 3 cl Lemon Juice & Canided Gingerbread
- homemade Verbena Top Kombucha
Red Passion
- Bartenders: Alessandro Cara, Alessandro Pighetti, Ivan Vartesi
- Venue: Top of the Carlton Sky Lounge, Hotel Carlton on the Grand Canal
- Technique: Stir
- Glass: Martini Glass
- Event: Venice Cocktail Week 2023
- Recipe
- 4 cl Altamura Distilleries Vodka
- 1 cl Select
- 1 cl Cointreau
- Select, Cointreau and Gingerbread Jellies
Metropole White
- Bartender: Lino Marchese
- Venue: Orientalbar & Bistrot, Hotel Metropole Venezia
Technique: Shake and Double Strain - Glass: Martini Glass
- Event: Venice Cocktail Week 2023
- Recipe
- 4 cl Altamura Distilleries Vodka
- 2 cl Acqua di Cedro Nardini
- 2 cl Cointreau
- 2 cl Lemon Juice
- 1 cl Vanilla Syrup
- 6/7 fresh Mint leaves
Ris Giald
- Bartender: Alessandro Pozzi Cristofaro
- Venue: Ancòra
- Technique: Shake and Double Strain
- Glass: Martini Glass
- Event: Venice Cocktail Week 2023
- Recipe
- 3 cl Altamura Distilleries Vodka
- 1,5 cl Select
- 1,5 cl Cointreau
- 1,5 cl Nardini Tagliatella
- 1,5 cl homemade Lime Cordial
- 1,5 cl Aqua Faba
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Marielle Songy | My Tales of the Cocktail Experience, 2023
Marielle Songy | My Tales of the Cocktail Experience, 2023
“Another Tales of the Cocktail is in the books; as always, it was an experience…
…Tuesday was Galatoire’s lunch day with Altamura Distilleries! This was an event I was super excited about because it isn’t every day you get to have a fancy lunch at a New Orleans restaurant with tasty martinis provided by an incredible brand.


The meal included delicious appetizers, Turtle Soup, Sauteed Gulf Fish with Crab Meuniere, and Bread Pudding for dessert.
Altamura kept the cocktails coming including, Prosecco and Altea Martini, Maize Martini, and Espresso Nuttiny served with dessert. Halfway through, owner Frank Grillo was presented with the New Orleans Spirits Competition for Best International Vodka.
Very exciting!
Read the Original Post written by Marielle Songy on her Blog
Giovanni D'Alessandro
“Another Tales of the Cocktail is in the books; as always, it was an experience…
…Tuesday was Galatoire’s lunch day with Altamura Distilleries! This was an event I was super excited about because it isn’t every day you get to have a fancy lunch at a New Orleans restaurant with tasty martinis provided by an incredible brand.
The meal included delicious appetizers, Turtle Soup, Sauteed Gulf Fish with Crab Meuniere, and Bread Pudding for dessert.
Altamura kept the cocktails coming including, Prosecco and Altea Martini, Maize Martini, and Espresso Nuttiny served with dessert. Halfway through, owner Frank Grillo was presented with the New Orleans Spirits Competition for Best International Vodka.
Very exciting!

What's for Dinner? | Elizabeth Drinks (and eats) in NOLA
Giovanni D'Alessandro
RECAP: TALES OF THE COCKTAIL IN NEW ORLEANS
…Of particular note was Lunch at Galatoire’s. Friday afternoon lunch at Galatoire’s is a THING, and my favorite lunch ritual. This time it was a Three- Martini Lunch event for TOTC, instead of the traditional Milk Punch Lunch, but just as good!
It was hosted by Frank Grillo, an American who moved to Italy and discovered Altamura bread. The bread was so much better than any other bread that he had experienced that he thought, “what would happen if I used the grain to make a spirit instead of bread?” and he did it.
The lunch at Galatoire’s celebrated Frank Grillo’s birthday—which had been his birthday tradition for 16 years—and the launch of Altamura Vodka. The vodka is made in Apulia using the same 2000 year-old ancient-wheat grain that is used to bake the famous Pane di Altamura. The vodka is still in its infancy, and has already racked up the awards, including the Best in Category for International Vodka at the 2023 NOLA Spirits Competition. If you are a vodka drinker, this one’s for you!
Read the Original Post written by Anthony Underwood & Elizabeth Karmel su Whats4Dinner.com

The Cloud
Giovanni D'Alessandro
Altamura Distilleries Signature Cocktail #FCW2023by Giacomo Giannotti - Paradiso Barcelona
A special evening during the Florence Cocktail Week 2023, featuring an exceptional protagonist, a unique signature cocktail and an amazing pool of guests and other top mixologists, all brought together for one unforgettable night. Altamura Distilleries, the Four Seasons Hotel Florence, and Paola Mencarelli made all of this possible, and “The Cloud” was the cocktail that astonished everyone throughout the evening. The Atrium Bar and its host, Edoardo Sandri, warmly welcomed Giacomo Giannotti and his wife Margarita Sader, who perfectly represented the “name” of the world’s number one Cocktail bar, Paradiso Barcelona. And to conclude this magical evening in the best possible way… “The Maestro” Salvatore Calabrese.
- Bartender: Giacomo Giannotti
- Venue: Atrium Bar – Four Seasons Florence
- Event: Florence Cocktail Week 2023
- Recipe
The Cloud
Altamura Distilleries Vodka
Mezcal infused Hibiscus and Llinen Seeds
Amaro Montenegro
Spanish Piparras
Soda Water
XIlitol Cordial

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The Spirit Business | Altamura appoints UK distributor
Giovanni D'Alessandro
Drinks One has been named as the exclusive distributor of Altamura Distilleries in the UK, and will introduce the producer’s premium vodka to the market from July.
Mike Beavan, Nick Worthington and James Shelbourne, founders of Drinks One Distribution, commented: “We are delighted to be the chosen distributor of Altamura Vodka in the UK. This presents a tremendous opportunity for both parties.
“It’s unique qualities and focus on the premium sector perfectly align with our distribution expertise. We are excited to introduce this exceptional spirit to the discerning UK market.”
Read the Original Article by Georgie Collins on thespiritbusiness.com

Viaggio nel Bel Paese
Giovanni D'Alessandro
Altamura Distilleries Signature Cocktail #CLCW2023@Ristorante da Pietro
Viaggio nel Bel Paese is a true and passionate ode to our unique Country… Italy! Our cuisine, our landscapes, our traditions, our lifestyle and the way we share our emotions are enclosed in a journey of flavors. A very special Signature Cocktail made in the hearth of Como, just in front of the Duomo, with an excellent food pairing by Sedat Aydilek, Chef at Ristorante da Pietro. Viaggio nel Bel Paese has achieved the second position in the contest “Best Cocktail on the Lake” within the fourth edition of the Como Lake Cocktail Week.
- Bartender: Mirko Giuliani and Nicholas Sciarabba
- Food Pairing: Sedat Aydilek
- Venue: Ristorante da Pietro – Como
- Event: Como Lake Coctail Week 2023
- Recipe
Viaggio nel Bel Paese
Altamura Distilleries Vodka
Italian Aperitif
Turin Red Vermouth
Shrub yellow Cilento tomato and basil

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Furèst
Giovanni D'Alessandro
"Critics Award" winner - Como Lake Cocktail Week 2023
Furèst, a cocktail crafted between experiences and laughter. Francesco Murano and Federico Manzi created this Signature Cocktail at Krudo Cocktail Bar to represent Altamura Distilleries during the Como Lake Cocktail Week 2023. Perfect also in it’s mocktail version, made with Mango Cordial and Herbal tonic Limestone. Furèst won the Critics Award – Premio della Critica – of the Como Lake Cocktail Week 2023.
- Bartender: Francesco Murano and Federico Manzi
- Venue: Krudo – Como
- Event: Como Lake Coctail Week 2023
- Recipe
Furèst
Altamura Distilleries Vodka
Fat wash with EVO oil from Lake Como
Fennel extract
Mango cordial
Fennel seed tincture
Salt
Soda

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Dark Truth
Giovanni D'Alessandro
Altamura Distilleries Signature Cocktail #FCW23@Moebius Milano
An amazing night with Altamura Distilleries, Moebius Milano and, from New Delhi, two very notorious venues: Sidecar and Home Delhi, for a Guest Shift with Apoorva Kohli and Santanu Chanda. For this special night in Milan Santanu made the Signature Cocktail Dark Truth. Winner of multiple prestigious mixology competitions around the world, Santanu is a new great friend of Altamura Distilleries.
- Bartender: Santanu Chanda
- Venue: Moebius – Milano
- Recipe
Dark Truth
Altamura Distilleries Vodka
Coffee Liqueur
Espresso Coffee
Passion Fruit

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