5 Best Italian Cocktails for your Destination Wedding
A few weeks ago I wrote about the types of bars you can have at your wedding reception. Many of you asked me about the most famous Italian cocktails for the wedding bar. Italy has a long bartender tradition, world-famous standards, and barman schools. Italians love to spend a good evening chatting with their friends or family in front of a good drink. No wonder many world-famous cocktails were born in this “dolce vita” country. Here are the most famous Italian cocktails used on weddings!
1. Aperol Spritz
Spritz is an Italian alcoholic aperitif, first created in Venice. It is a must in many nightlife places in Venice and the most famous aperitivo places in Italy. Spritz is a mixture of white wine or Prosecco, Aperol, and sparkling water. It is usually served with ice, a slice of orange, and sometimes with a green olive.
What many people don’t know about it is that the original Venetian recipe is different from the IBA (International Bartenders Association) recipe:
The Venetian recipe is:
1/3 white wine,
1/3 bitter
1/3 sparkling water
The official IBA recipe is:
2 oz Prosecco
1 oz and 1/4 Aperol
A splash of Soda
2. Hugo
Hugo cocktail is a relatively new drink, created in 2005. It spread very rapidly from the northern region Alto Adige throughout Italy, even crossing national borders. German-speaking tourists who spent their vacation in this mountain area borrowed it to remind them of Italy, so Hugo served in numerous bars in Germany and Switzerland as well.
A variant of the Spritz, Hugo cocktail is an ideal summer drink and aperitif, thanks to its freshness and low alcohol content.
Here is how you make a Hugo cocktail:
2 oz or 6 cl Prosecco
2 oz or 6 cl Soda
1 oz or 3 cl Elderflower syrup
4 mint leaves
3. Bellini
Bellini was invented in the Forties in the world-famous Harry’s Bar in Venice. It consists of sparkling white wine, whipped pulp and white peach juice. The head bartender of Harry’s Bar named it Bellini for its pinkish color that reminded him of a similar color used by Giovanni Bellini – a famous Italian painter.
Bellini is one of the official cocktails of the International Bartender’s Association.
Here is what you need to make a Bellini:
3 1/4 oz or 10 cl Prosecco
1 3/4 oz or 5 cl White Peach Puree
4. Rossini
Rossini as well belongs to the large family of sparkling cocktails. It is the spring version of Bellini and it is made of strawberry puree and champagne, spumante, or prosecco.
It is less famous than Bellini, but you should try it at least once to appreciate the sweetness of strawberries. It is perfect for brunch and as an aperitif, but you can also drink it during meals, with fish and shellfish dishes.
Using strawberries to make the wine sweeter is a long Italian tradition, way before it was turned into an actual cocktail. Try it sometimes, if you happen to be in Italy in spring, it is delicious!
Ingredients:
3 1/4 oz or 10 cl Prosecco
1 3/4 oz or 5 cl White Strawberries Puree
5. Negroni
Negroni is an alcoholic cocktail having a typical orange color you can’t mistake for anything else. It was originally created in Florence in the Twenties in honor of Count Camillo Negroni.
The legend says it was first born at the historical Caffè Casoni, in Tornabuoni Street. Count Negroni used to ask the barman for an “Americano with an addition of gin”. This is how one of the most famous Italian cocktails was born.
Ingredients:
1 oz or 3 cl Gin
1 oz or 3 cl Campari Bitter
1 oz or 3 cl Vermouth Red
If you want to make a Negroni sbagliato – “wrong” Negroni, born in Milan, here is the recipe:
1 oz or 3 cl Spumante
1 oz or 3 cl Campari Bitter
1 oz or 3 cl Vermouth Red
What is your favorite cocktail? Do you love Spritz, Negroni or maybe Mojito? Let me know what you would like to prepare for your unique wedding day and I will be happy to help you make your dreams come true!