Vodka sauce

Vodka sauce is an Italian-American cuisine sauce made from a smooth tomato sauce, vodka, typical Italian herbs, and heavy cream (which gives the sauce its distinctive orange coloration). It is a key ingredient in penne alla vodka.
The vodka's function is, ostensibly, to release flavors in the tomato that are normally inaccessible; using alcoholic beverages for this purpose is common in Italian cooking, although wine is usually used and vodka seldom used. 