Discover The Best Drinks Being Produced In Italy Right Now
Wine might be one of Italy’s most famous exports, but Italians are sipping more than just vino these days. Pouring their spirit into their drinks, Italian distilleries craft some of the world’s finest beverages, from herbal vermouth and mouth-puckering amaro to unique Amalfi citrus gin and refreshingly hoppy beer from the foothills of the Alps.
We would never tell you to kick your negroni habit — and a classic Aperol spritz will forever be raised to mark apertivo. But if you want to explore more of the real tastes of Italy being celebrated today, now is the time to make room on your bar cart and discover something new.
Cocchi Vermouth
di Torino
Celebrating its 130th anniversary this year, Giulio Cocchi was established in Asti in 1891. It’s one of the leading wineries in Italy for the production of vermouths, aperitifs and sparkling wines. It was Giulio Cocchi who formulated the original recipes for Barolo Chinato, the Aperitivo Americano and some different types of vermouth that have been in production for over a century. The Bava family, renowned wine producers in the Asti and Langhe areas, have been managing Giulio Cocchi since the late 1970s and have renewed production by laying the foundations for the cult status that the brand has now conquered. Giulio Cocchi maintains its own character and its boutique dimension using only traditional techniques and natural ingredients in the production of its rich vermouth, as well as its sparkling wines.
Portofino Gin
This herby Italian gin tastes of the sun-soaked and sea-sprayed hillsides of Portofino — its lemon and lavender hues making the perfect, bright cocktail. With the taste of Italian summer afternoons bottled in this aromatic gin, you might never taste it the same again.
The best way to enjoy it? Their signature Portofino Spritz puts an Italian spin on a classic drink with the bright citrus of bergamot and the sparkle of Prosecco and tingly mint.
Portofino Spritz
2 oz Portofino Dry Gin
1/2 oz Italicus or other bergamot liqueur
2 dashes of lavender bitter
Preparation: Pour into a large glass filled with ice, top with Prosecco and garnish with fresh mint leaves.
Select Aperitivo
This complex aperitif was first produced in Venice after World War I when the Pilla brothers recognized the need for having fun and enjoying life again. With bitter rhubarb roots and floral tropical notes, this liquor is perfect for the base of a good cocktail.
Home of the famous Aperol spritz, the Venetian brand has even trademarked their own refreshingly tart spritz using their liquor — a must-try if you adore the classic and want to expand your pallet.
The Select Spritz
3 Parts La Marca Prosecco
2 Parts Select Aperitivo
1 Splash Soda Water
Garnish: 1 Large Green Olive
Preparation: Pour Select, La Marca Prosecco, and soda water into a wine glass over ice. Top with a large green olive.
Terra Organica Primitivo
A celebrated southern Italian grape variety, the Primitivo is very much at home on the hillsides of Casa Vinicola Botter’s vineyards around Trapani, Santa Ninfa and Alcamo in Sicily.
Using no chemical fertilizers or insecticides and run entirely on renewable energy, Terra Organica’s operation is an excellent example of the kinds of Italian wineries marrying tradition with modern tastes and sustainability goals. Plus, they’re creating great wine — the Primitivo swirling with the taste of blackberries, prunes and dark chocolate that’s perfectly paired with wintery stews and rich tomato pasta dishes.
Stambecco Maraschino Cherry Amaro
Amaro, which simply means ‘bitter’ in Italian, are traditionally enjoyed at the end of a meal to aid digestion. This sweet Amaro liquor — distilled on the snowy mountainsides of Pidemonte, North-Eastern Italy by Master Distiller, Beppe Ronco — is made with sweet maraschino cherries and 30 botanicals — and if you drink this dazzling liquor neat, you’ll taste notes of cinnamon, oregano, coriander and bitter oranges. It’s also great as a component to spice up cocktails.
Menabrea Birra
Beer might not feel as chic in your hand as a cocktail, but inside the stylish bars of Milan and Turin, the barkeep will slide you a Menabrea with a knowing smirk when you ask for a cold one.
The oldest continuously producing brewery in Italy, the family has brewed their distinctive birra for 150 years only using five simple ingredients — water, barley, hops, yeast & brewer's maize. Their location at the crossroads of Europe, at the foot of the Alps, means they can easily source the best ingredients.
Unlike almost any other beer in the world, this Italian birra is aged for at least 30 days in caves two stories underground where they undergo a unique maturation process known as 'lagering.' This fresh birra tastes of rural Italy with a complex, hoppy, malty flavor balanced by delicate citrus.