Classics: The Classic Italian Cocktails you Need to Know
These essential Italian classics set the tone for beverage culture from North to South.
The old school classic cocktails of Italy do show some diversity, but majority still impart that bitter drinking culture.
Venetian Spritz - Majority will know this as an Aperol Spritz, where it is traced back to the Veneto region. A three, two, one ratio of Prosecco, Aperitivo & soda water complete this incredibly refreshing, bittersweet cocktail hits at anytime of the day. We love drinking these by any body of water, as a brunch companion, or a low ABV night out sipper.
Negroni - If there is one cocktail that embodies Italy, it’s the go to classic. The most popular and called classic that originated in Italy is a sure fire order when you have to make a decision on the fly. Classic recipe calls for equal parts Gin, Sweet Vermouth and a red bitter (traditionally Campari). It’s bitter but once your palate becomes familiar, you will understand the true beauty of balance in this long time stalwart.
Garibaldi - What do we do when we want to have a little fun at the start of the day with alcohol? We add orange juice. Mimosas, Beermosas, clearly lead this category. The Garibaldi introduces red bitter with OJ. It’s truly aperitivo heaven with red and orange colors just like Italian sunsets. The true key here is using freshly juiced OJ. Riff potential can be utilized with other juices such as watermelon, pineapple or green apple.
Bellini - Morning drinking seems to becoming a trend.. The Italian answer to a mimosa, take away the OJ and sub in peach puree. This fizzy two ingredient cocktail gives great fruit flavor, with the bubbles giving a clean carbonated finish. Puree substitutions can lead to you finding your perfect match.
Americano - Low ABV drinking is here, and here to stay. Here we find a Negroni sans Gin, replaced with soda water. Bubbles are a huge part of Italian Aperitivo drinking whether it’s Prosecco, Frizzante, or soda water. We also love an N/A Americano with N/A red bitter and topping it off with Casamara Club leisure soda’s.
Negroni Sbagliato - a cocktail that has stood the test of time and now getting popular just recently is the Negroni Sbagliato. Story has it that the bartender grabbed a bottle of Prosecco instead of Gin, and the Sbagliato was born. Meaning “mistake” in Italian, this mistake is clearly one you learn from. All the bitter of a Negroni with some added ABV from sparkling wine.
Godfather - Old school drinking gets an old school name. A build similar to the rusty nail, the Godfather is a combo of Blended Scotch and Amaretto. This is your boozy, stirred sipper that is must try nightcap at your favorite Italian bar. We wouldn’t mine puffing a cigar in between either.
Bicicletta - A true Italian cocktail that gets our vote for the best name. Italians would hop on their bicycles for transportations after having one too many which is where this cocktail gets its name. A combo of a dry Italian white wine and red bitter, which gets an energizing addition of soda water for this pre dinner drink.
Amaro Caldo - An oldie that never fully scratched the surface, The Amaro Caldo is a hot toddy only focused on the main product, Amaro. Amaro’s having many botanicals ranging from barks, citrus peels, herbs, showcase it’s tasting notes by getting boiling water from a kettle. The water must be HOT, for it to truly lift the flavors of the Amaro. We love boosting this with added liqueurs, citrus or syrups.
