Aperitivo in the West Village: Modena’s “Black Gold” Takes Center Stage at Donna

On a quiet Monday evening in the West Village, Donna’s dimly lit room warmed like a lantern. The bar was already humming by the time the aperitivo hour began, a crowd gathering with the kind of quiet anticipation reserved for experiences that promise something unfamiliar. This wasn’t a typical cocktail event in Manhattan. It was an invitation to understand Balsamic Vinegar of Modena—both the classic and the traditional DOP—through the lens of mixology, and to see how “black gold” behaves in a glass as elegantly as it does on a plate.

Hosted on November 17 at Donna’s Cornelia Street location, the tasting drew a mix of industry drinkers, culinary insiders, and curious palates. The team behind Balsamic Vinegar of Modena arrived with a clear point of view: Modena’s most prized ingredient is not only versatile but deeply expressive, capable of adding structure, lift, and aromatic nuance to a cocktail in ways most guests hadn’t experienced before.

Donna’s bartenders approached the evening as a study in contrast and balance. The cocktails avoided theatrics and instead leaned into subtlety—the type that rewards attention. In the hands of Donna’s team, aged balsamic wasn’t a novelty add-on. It was treated with the same respect as an amaro or fortified wine, measured with intention, layered to enhance a drink rather than punctuate it.

The room carried the scent of citrus zest, barrel-aged sweetness, and the faint herbaceous thread that anchors Italian aperitivo culture. Each cocktail arrived with a quiet confidence: deep garnet tones, glossy finishes, and unexpected aromatics rising from the rim.

To ground the drinks in culinary context, Michelin-starred chef Daniele Petitta curated a menu of small bites that mirrored Modena’s culinary identity. His dishes weren’t showy; they were restrained, precise, and designed to remind guests that balsamic—particularly the traditional version—was born from craftsmanship and patience.

The pairings revealed the ingredient’s versatility: a few drops coaxed out the sweetness in roasted vegetables, sharpened the richness of cured meats, and softened the edges of fried bites without overwhelming their crunch. When the cocktails and food were enjoyed together, the effect was unexpectedly harmonious. The acidity tempered the fat. The aged sweetness warmed the palate. The cocktails tasted cleaner, brighter, more dimensional.

Watching Donna’s bar team work was its own kind of demonstration. They handled the balsamic like a spirit, not a condiment—stirred into amaro-based builds, shaken with citrus, even used as a finishing note that coated the glass with gentle complexity. The flavors unfolded slowly: initial brightness giving way to fruit, then wood, then a final echo of acidity.

Guests leaned in each time a bartender reached for the dark glass bottle. It created a kind of ritual, similar to watching absinthe drip or a bartender flame citrus over an Old Fashioned. Balsamic became a performance ingredient—not for spectacle, but for precision.

By the end of the evening, the mission was clear. Modena’s most storied export has a modern voice, and it speaks fluently in both the kitchen and behind the bar. This wasn’t a reinvention but a revelation, an illustration of what happens when heritage techniques meet New York’s creative cocktail culture.

Donna’s aperitivo hour didn’t aim to transform balsamic into a trend. Instead, it positioned it exactly where it belongs: as an ingredient worthy of the same respect given to aged spirits, traditional liqueurs, and handcrafted bitters.