The Tasting Panel magazine

RESOLUTION: Drink Thin! Voli at Tonic, New York City N ew York's Times Square is the reference point for New Year's Eve. This year, as the big ball dropped, Voli was the exclusive vodka being served at one of the famed intersection's busiest nightlife venues, Tonic, just as international recording artist, Pitbull, an owner of Voli, was performing in Times Square before mil- lions. An upscale sports bar with a difference, Tonic's Times Square location has a restaurant setting on the second floor and a lounge on the third. Voli is in demand at every bar in the place, according to Randolph Hernandez, Director of Marketing and Events for the busy establishment. "It's not often I come across a spirit that I can market because of its unique qualities," says Hernandez. "Voli is produced in Cognac; it's high in electrolytes and low- calorie—it appeals all around to our female clientele, especially." The Voli "Resolutionary" billboard that faces Managing Partner Guillermo Zapata (seated) and Bar Manager Paulo Gorsse at Sur Lounge. Voli Vodka helps keep Sur's star clientele both thin and glamorous. RESOLUTION: "Drink Glamorous!" Voli at Sur Lounge, Los Angeles T he A-list celebrities that dine at Sur in see-and-be-scene West Hollywood stay on to party late into the night at adjacent Sur Lounge. If there's one thing these resolute movers and shakers know, it's that the only thing better than staying thin in Los Angeles is staying glamorous. Managing partner Guillermo Zapata should know; he moved to L.A. 19 years ago from Buenos Aires, at the age of 23, to pursue an acting and modeling career. Zapata ran Sur (Spanish for "south") for ten years until, in 2005, he and his Paris-born wife, Nathalie, partnered with actress Lisa Vanderpump and her husband, Ken Todd, to develop Sur as one of Hollywood's most intimate celebrity haunts. Randolph Hernandez, Director of Marketing and Events at Tonic. the restaurant from across the street doesn't hurt sales either, Hernandez notes. Tonic features seven Voli signature cocktails, including newly-minted concoction The Resolution, and Voli is the featured vodka for the bar's popular Happy Hour as well. "I've become more attached to Voli than to many of the other brands I've worked with," Hernandez is quick to say. "It's helped our Happy Hour tremendously." THE RESOLUTION (just 74 calories) ◗ 1½ oz. Voli Lyte ◗ Splash club soda ◗ juice from 2 lime wedges ◗ Build over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with lime. The Resolution cocktail at Tonic features Voli Vodka. 62 / the tasting panel / january/february 2012 "From day one, Sur was one of the places to be," says Zapata, who still has leading-man looks; "I could name a lot of names." He notes that his exposure to modeling and his experience as an actor gave him the skill to man- age a venue like Sur—after all, he says, "the restaurant is a stage." True to form, the photo-ready Sur staff looks plucked right out of a Vogue spread. Bar Manager Paulo Gorsse created the Voli Glamtini using Voli Espresso Vanilla Fusion. "The coffee taste of the Voli Espresso Vanilla is so real that I now skip the actual espresso in our Coffee Martini," says Gorsse. His beautifully poised Voli cocktail is a fashion statement in itself. The resolution to stay glamorous never looked—or tasted—so good. VOLI GLAMTINI ◗ 1½ oz. Voli Espresso Vanilla Fusion ◗ 1 oz. Bailey's Irish Cream ◗ ½ oz. Frangelico ◗ espresso beans for garnish ◗ Shake ingredients and pour into a Martini glass. Garnish with espresso beans. The Voli Glamtini at Sur Lounge utilizes the creamy texture of Voli Espresso Vanilla Fusion. CREDIT: PHOTO: CHRISTINE MERSON PHOTO: CHRISTINE MERSON PHOTO: DOUG YOUNG PHOTO: DOUG YOUNG

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