Get our free mobile app

While we've all been staying home over the past year, one thing we've all seemed to do is enjoy an adult beverage... or two. But have you ever tried what's been called Minnesota's Most Popular Pandemic Cocktail?

While some sectors of Minnesota's economy were really hurt by the shutdowns caused by the pandemic (notably, bars, restaurants, and other businesses that makeup Minnesota's vibrant hospitality industry), sales of alcohol (which we consumed at home) were actually up, not just here, but across the country in 2020.

Minnesotans Tried a Lot of Drinks During the Pandemic

So, it makes sense, then, that a lot of us were perhaps trying new recipes for adult drinks that we hadn't tried before. My wife and I were in that category. We tried several new drink recipes over the past year (like a fresh Whiskey Sour or a whisky-based drink called the Midnight Winter Glass) and found that while some were only OK, we both really liked this Quarantine Cosmopolitan recipe. (It only has four ingredients; click HERE to see how to make one.)

And even though the Quarantine Cosmo was popularized by celebrity chef Ina Garten last year, it wasn't Minnesota's Most Popular Pandemic Cocktail. Nor was it the Bloody Mary, or my guess, the Old Fashioned.

According to the crew over at BroBible, who looked at the most-searched-for drink recipes on Google during the shutdown, the Most Popular Pandemic Cocktail here in Minnesota was a drink called... the Oliveto.

Okay, so Just What is an Oliveto?

Hmm. I can't say I've heard of an Oliveto-- or tried one. According to this Tasting Table story, Marvel Bar in Minneapolis makes a pretty good Oliveto. Check it out:

Oliveto Cocktail Recipe
2 oz. gin
1/2 oz. orange liqueur
1 egg white
1 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 oz. olive oil

(Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with some ice, shake, then strain into a glass removing the ice.)

I'll have to try one and report back on how it is. In the meantime, while the Oliveto might have been Minnesota's most popular cocktail during the pandemic, it's not our state's signature drink. Keep scrolling to check out what IS Minnesota's Signature Drink-- as well as the signature drinks for every other state too.

Listen to Curt St. John mornings from 6 to 10 on Quick Country 96.5
and afternoons from 2 to 6 on 103.9 The Doc

What Are the Signature Drinks From Every State?

More From Quick Country 96.5