La Dorita dulce de leche liqueur couldn’t be sexier . . . from the sleek cobalt-blue bottle to the velvety smooth drink contained within. It’s Gastón’s baby, and everything about it reminds us of him: You get what you see; a delicious liqueur made from natural ingredients only, with no added colorant, filler or preservatives. Gastón partnered with a good friend, Barry Young, who is a founding partner of PA Pure Distilleries, known for making the triple-distilled boutique potato vodka, Boyd & Blair. Barry and Gastón worked for more than a year to perfect the blend of dulce de leche and vodka, in an attempt to recreate that liqueur that Gastón and Josephine sipped on the night of their engagement. They not only captured its essence, but far exceeded its taste.
The process was challenging and arduous, with many a test batch wasted, as Gastón and Josephine were committed to keeping the drink natural. Alcohol naturally acts as a preservative, but as the liqueur is all natural and milk-based, it will naturally separate in time. This is the price we pay to stay natural, but all you need do is shake the liqueur fervently before serving. And, as is the case with real milk, the liqueur may curdle whenever it comes into contact with a weak acid such as lemon, tonic water or a lime cordial.
Gastón and Josephine sip the dulce de leche liqueur straight, over ice. Grandma Dorita drank it in her coffee after lunch, but not until she raised her glass and drank to your health. ¡Salud! Shortly after, she’d fall asleep in her chair for her afternoon siesta. Chin chin, abuela Dori! This one’s for you.