Truth be told, Italy is home to a rich culture, people, and history. For example, their food is second to none, and so are their tasty wines. Cocktails?
Well, your guess is correct- they still lead. Others say that Italian cocktails are just iconic.
Best Italian Cocktails
Italy has truly played a huge role in transforming the glamor and appeal of cocktails. From where you sit, you can feel the great sense of fashion and design in how we prepare and serve these drinks.
But apart from embracing cocktail ideas from other parts of the world, Italy has also come up with new recipes, so the legacy continues.
That being said, let’s look at the best Italian cocktails that you can incorporate into your small menus to make yours a killer party. Choose one and you’ll leave memories in your guests’ minds. Read on.
Best Italian Cocktails for Your Italian Dinner Party
Classic Spritz
Dinners who’ve had the chance to have a sip of this crispy cocktail can attest that it’s the perfect drink for summer.
One reason why you’ll get hooked to this cocktail has to be the tasty aperitif and prosecco.
This blend is a sure great antidote for summer heat and humidity. Needless to say, there are way too many variations of Italian spritz, so you’re free to go with the one that suits your standards.
Ingredients: 3 oz wine or prosecco, 1 oz of aperitif, and optional club soda to enhance the taste.
Fill a large jug with ice and add aperitif followed by wine. Stir like a legend to make sure that the mixture combines well. For a lighter variation, top up with soda. Next, garnish a slice of orange or briny olive. Cheers!
Sgroppino
This is yet another awesome and popular Italian cocktail.
Ingredients: 2tsp vodka (chilled), a cup of prosecco, 1/3 cup of frozen lime sorbet, ¼ tsp fresh mint for garnishing.
Pour the chilled vodka and prosecco into two champagne flutes. Divide equally even for the sorbet- a spoon of sorbet into each flute. Garnish with mint and serve almost immediately.
Negroni
It’s worthwhile noting that this is one of the most popular gin cocktails, so you can give it a try.
Ingredients: Ice, Campari 30ml, Red Vermouth 30ml, Gin 30ml, a slice of orange.
Place as much ice as you want in a tumbler glass and add Campari. Then add vermouth followed by the gin. Stir well and then garnish with the slice of orange, or even orange peel.
Serve the delicious drink while hot.
Paloma
Ingredients: 3 oz Tequila, ¾ oz syrup, 1 ½ oz Campari, ½ oz grapefruit extract, 1 oz lemonade, 6 oz chilled soda, a pinch of salt.
In a shaker, mix together all the ingredients except salt and soda. Fill the shaker with ice and shake well. Add the soda and proceed to strain over glasses with dry ice. Next, add some salt and garnish with grapefruit extract. Enjoy your drink!
Americano
It’s believed that Americano is the original Italian Spritz.
Ingredients: 45ml each of sweet vermouth and Campari, soda water for top up, and an orange twist for garnishing.
Pour the vermouth and Campari into a highball glass and add ice cubes. Next, top up with soda water before garnishing with the orange twist.
Negroni Sbagliato
This is yet another of the best Italian cocktails, and believe it or not, you won’t resist the urge to take countless sips after the first one. This is why.
Ingredients:30ml each of Campari, prosecco, and sweet vermouth. You’ll garnish with an orange twist.
Mix together Campari and vermouth in a glass half-filled with ice and top up with prosecco. Garnish with the orange twist and proceed to serve your guests the fantastic cocktail.
Bellini
This delicious cocktail features fresh peaches for a seasonal kick. Think about the pleasant smell and amazing flavor of peaches.
Ingredients: 45ml peach puree, prosecco for topping, and slices of peach for garnishing.
Add the puree to a champagne flute before topping up with prosecco. Garnish with slices of peach. Cheers!
Rossini
This is a slight variation of Bellini. It’s actually the same as Bellini only that it makes use of strawberry puree unlike Bellini.
The recipe is the same as that of Bellini.
Ingredients:45ml of strawberry puree, prosecco, and slices of strawberries for garnishing.
Add the puree to a champagne flute and top up with prosecco. Garnish with the slices of strawberry and serve.
The Godfather
This one is a simple blend of whiskey and amaretto.
Ingredients: 25ml of amaretto, and 50ml of whiskey (Bourbon).
Combine all the ingredients in a mixer and add ice. Strain into cocktail glasses and top with dry ice. Note that there’s no garnish for this recipe.
Angelo Azzurro
If you fancy stiff drinks, then Angelo Azzurro or “blue angel” is your thing.
Ingredients: 10ml of sweet vermouth, 30ml each of gin, Limoncello and Cointreau, and a garnish made from your favorite fruit.
Mix together the ingredients in a shaker. Shake well to combine. Then, double-strain into cocktail or martini glasses. Garnish with your favorite fruit. Enjoy fantastic sips.
Garibaldi
This cocktail got its name from the revered military commander of the same name. Both the original and modern variations of this cocktail are just simple and fun to make. Essentially, this is a great sunset drink.
Ingredients: Campari 30ml, 90ml orange juice, and a wedge of blood-orange for garnishing.
Pour Campari in a mug and fill with ice. Top up with the orange juice and blood orange squeeze. Next, garnish with a slice of blood-orange.
Pirlo
The Pirlo cocktail is a slight variation of Aperol Spritz. Actually, the difference between the two is simple:
The Pirlo uses different white wine and different red liqueur.
Ingredients: 30ml of red wine Campari 90ml of white wine, and slices of orange for garnishing.
Pour the white wine into a balloon glass and add red wine. Now, watch how Campari red wine spirals down to the bottom (that’s the origin of the name Aperol Spritz). Then, add ice and garnish with the slices of orange.
Hugo
This delicious cocktail is a perfect blend of elderflower spritz, white wine and soda water. It’s a fantastic drink with subtle flavors.
Ingredients:30ml elderflower spritz, prosecco 125ml, 30ml soda, and a garnishing of orange, lemon and fresh mint.
Fill a cocktail glass with prosecco and top up with ice. Next, add soda and elderflower to combine. Garnish with mint, lime wedge and half an orange per glass.
7 and 7
This variation doesn’t feature whiskey but you won’t help but love it the moment you take the first sip.
Ingredients: 2 oz cold prosecco, 1 oz St. Germaine, and 1 oz lemonade.
Mix together all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and pour the chilled mixture into a champagne flute. Enjoy it while cold.
Italian Bird
Ingredients:1 ½ oz of aged rum, ¾ oz of Campari, ½ oz of honey syrup, a pinch of salt, ½ oz of Fino sherry, and pineapple sage for garnishing.
Place all the ingredients in a mixer and stir well. Strain into coupe glasses and garnish with pineapple sage. Pour the honey syrup into water of equal parts and shake vigorously to combine.
“Fall into Italy”
Now, this one is a perfect drink for autumn days, because it’s a bit bitter and rum-spiked.
Ingredients: ¾ oz each of Averna, syrup, rum, cognac and lemonade, 2 dashes of Italian bitters and slices of orange for garnishing.
Combine all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Top up with ice before garnishing with the slices of orange. Get some straws for your guests.
Italian Sun
Ingredients: 2 shots white wine, Limoncello liqueur, Frangelico liqueur, and lemon juice.
Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into coupe glasses. Enjoy your drink!
Italian Greyhound
So, you want to impress your guests? Well, do this:
Ingredients: 2 oz grapefruit juice,2 oz of vodka, Campari, and rosemary garnish.
Place the vodka, grapefruit juice and Campari in a shaker, add ice and shake vigorously. Strain the mixture into a coupe glass half-filled with ice. You can garnish with rosemary sprigs if you fancy them.
Gin Fizz
This classic cocktail features egg whites, gin, and soda.
Ingredients: Egg whites, ½-part lemonade, 1/3-part sugar/honey syrup, 1 dash of soda, 2 parts of cream, ice, 1 ½ -parts gin, 2 dashes each of water and orange juice.
Mix together all the ingredients and shake well to combine. Strain the mixture into cocktail glasses.
Limoncello Spritz
Finally, we’ve limoncello spritz, an easy-to-make cocktail, and one that’s just crispy and overly refreshing.
Ingredients: 4 ounces of prosecco, 2 ounces of soda, 2 ounces of limoncello, 1 mint sprig or 1 slice of lemon for garnishing.
Now, pour into an ice-filled highball glass limoncello, prosecco, and soda in that order. Garnish with lemon slices or sprigs of basil, mint, or thyme.
This list is by no means exhaustive, because people are getting creative every day. However, these ones are the most famous Italian cocktails that you can consider or your next dinner party.
Also, try out Portuguese cocktails for another party.