Peroni celebrates International Beer Day with limited-edition Peroni Gelato

International Beer Day just got a whole lot sweeter.

Peroni Nastro Azzurro and il laboratorio del gelato are teaming up to pair two summer staples with Italian ties – beer and gelato – to make an exclusive gelato flavor in celebration of this year’s International Beer Day.

Peroni Gelato, which combines the lemon-citrus notes of Peroni beer with a creamy gelato base, will be available for free at il laboratorio del gelato’s two New York retail stores on Friday, and available for purchase over the weekend in cups, sugar cones and waffle cones. The limited-time flavor also is available in 20-ounce containers for nationwide purchase on the gelato maker’s website through Sunday.

The gelato, which contains less than 0.5% alcohol per serving, “embodies the crisp, refreshing taste of Peroni and the creamy indulgence of Italian-style gelato,” says Samantha Hickey, associate marketing manager for Peroni.

Il laboratorio del gelato, which was founded in New York City in 2002, has grown to become the city’s leading restaurant wholesaler of hand-crafted, Italian-style gelato and sorbet with a flavor list approaching 300.

Like Peroni, it’s a premium brand with a strong connection to Italy, making bringing the two brands together “a perfect fit that allows Peroni to bring its Italian roots and heritage to consumers in a new and exciting way,” Hickey says.

The partnership is the latest step by Peroni to immerse itself in the worlds of food, film, fashion and design. The Italian import kicked off summer with a starring role on an episode of Bravo’s “Top Chef” All-Stars LA, made an appearance at the Screen Actor Guild Awards and the Sundance Film Festival, and aired a series of spots during the E! network’s red carpet coverage of the Academy Awards and ABC’s Oscars pre-show.

And although Peroni books an outsized percentage of its sales from on-premise venues such as bars and restaurants affected by the coronavirus pandemic, “we’ve seen strong growth and momentum in the off-premise this year, and we’re trying to ride that into 2021,” Hickey says.

Year-to-date, Peroni sales volume is up 25.4% and sales dollars are up 26.5%, according to Nielsen all-outlet and convenience data through July 25.

“While a lot of the big plans we had for 2020 were thwarted by the pandemic, we’ve been able to pivot and we’ve been successful in building momentum in new ways in this new world,” Hickey says. “And we’ve got great plans to keep it going to close out the year and head into 2021.”