Perfect Your Pink Vodka Sauce With A Clever Reduction Tip

Creamy pink pasta sauce just doesn't taste the same without vodka. The neutral alcohol acts as a solvent upon the tomatoes in the sauce, unlocking more "tomato-y" flavor that won't arrive when tomatoes are simply cooked in water. But that's just the first step in utilizing vodka's taste boosting potential. To find out how to get the most out of vodka sauce without getting tipsy, Chowhound spoke with Matthew Cutolo, a third-generation Italian chef at Gargiulo's, a restaurant that's been serving Neapolitan classics in Coney Island, NY since 1907.

Some recipes that involve alcohol call for torching the whole pan to dramatically burn off the booze in a flash of blue flame. But for vodka sauce,  Cutolo told Chowhound that the vodka should be simmered off slowly over medium-high heat. "This allows the alcohol to cook off while concentrating the flavor," Cutolo says. "You'll know the vodka has reduced properly when the sharp alcoholic smell has mellowed or disappeared, and the liquid has reduced by about half." By slowly evaporating the vodka, all those delicious aromatic compounds pulled out by the spirit get the chance to concentrate, and the pasta won't taste like a tomato martini.

Before the vodka is even introduced to the party, there are other ingredients that could use some attention to maximize your pasta's potential. "Saute the aromatics properly, don't rush the garlic or onions and let them soften and build flavor," Matthew Cutolo says. These alliums have a ton of taste to give, but you don't want it to be a scorched one. Onion needs patience to slowly sweat off its liquid and concentrate flavor, and minced garlic is known to flip from fragrant to blackened the moment a chef turns their head. "Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for subtle heat and contrast against the creaminess," Cutolo also advises, and to use tomato paste for a more intense depth of tomato flavor. Check out this guide on canned and tubed tomato paste to see which is right for you. 

Once the aromatics are married with the tomato paste, and the vodka is cooked off, the last step is to stir in heavy cream and cheese, and Cutolo even adds some butter at the end for extra silkiness and body. And don't forget to use that starchy pasta water to help achieve emulsion perfection. For a full Penne alla Vodka recipe from Matthew Cutolo, you can watch him cook up a dish on his Instagram. As for what to drink with your pasta, we've got the best wine pairing for vodka sauce here.