Delco re:View Winter 2018 - 22

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When Life Gives You Lemons... Make Limoncello

ll about a South Philly native who is the first woman
in the United States to hold a distiller's license since
1920, back when men were men, and women were
occasionally allowed to speak at public meetings...
As a South Philadelphia native, it was only natural that Joan
Verratti open a store at 1908 East Passyunk Avenue in South
Philadelphia where customers can shop for specialty flavors.
With this store, Verratti becomes the first non-PLCB retail liquor
store in the state to go along with her opening the first femaleowned distillery in the country.
Now, in her early sixties, she is just as comfortable
overseeing operations in the distillery as she is in the kitchen
making gravy and pizzelle. She is the quintessential Italian
matriarch; having been raised in the kitchens of Italian mothers,
finding an Old World recipe and then altering it to her own tastes
came naturally to her.
Limoncello is often overlooked in the world of spirits, mainly
because it was never commercially available outside of Italy. So
when Verratti started making the dessert drink herself, she saw
not just a hobby, but an opportunity. Together, Joan Verratti and
her "partner in business, love, and life," Tom Cavaliere, formed
the Naoj & Mot Distillery in 2006. Verratti, CEO and President
of the company, is the salesman and the face of the company,
where Cavaliere himself handles much of the production. This
Philadelphia-based distillery is redefining traditional limoncellos
in America.
After much trial and error, Verratti narrowed her line down
to ten distinct flavors - five water based and five creams. Over
the last few years, Verratti has perfected her recipes and is
working to expand her line of Liqueurs to 18 water-based and

22 | Winter 2018

cream-based flavors. Specialties currently include Lemoncello;
Orangecello; Limecello; Chocolatecello; Mangocello; and
for those who prefer their cello creamy, you must try the
Lemoncreamcello; Orangecreamcello; Strawberrycreamcello;
Bananacreamcello; or the Chocolatecreamcello.
Verratti describes the process of making her products by
using an Italian phrase, "dalle mie mani al tuo cuore," which
translates into English as, "from my hands to your heart." This
is more than just a sentiment for Verratti, who makes each bottle
by hand, from the peeling of the fruit to filling and labeling the
bottles. Small batches are made daily, unless demand requires
more, to ensure optimal quality. These artisan liquors contain
no more than five locally-sourced ingredients; including water,
sugar, pure grain alcohol, and various fruits or chocolates.
Verratti has Pollyodd Lemoncello and Pollyodd
Chocolatecello in over 100 Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board
(PLCB) stores in and around the Philadelphia area and looks for
greater distribution throughout the state moving forward.
Naoj & Mot is truly a labor of love for Verratti who donates
a portion of Pollyodd's proceeds to fund a scholarship for
underprivileged children in memory of her late son, Thomas
Joseph. The Thomas J. Verratti III Memorial Scholarship
provides tuition support annually, for students to attend Ss.
Neumann and Goretti High Schools. Pollyodd and the resulting
scholarship are ways to keep Verratti's son's name alive. His
name is clearly on the back of each bottle. *

Do something you love today...

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Delco re:View Winter 2018

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