14 Italian Cocktails: No Flight Required

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Discover 14 Italian cocktails that will transport your taste buds to Italy.

Bartenders at Camparino in Galleria in Milan — Image: ©2foodtrippers

Traveling to Italy has culinary rewards that include pizza and pasta as well as many more Italian foods and desserts. Some of these edible rewards are best imbibed from a glass.

In Italy, people fill sidewalk cafes every day of the week. While munching on a range of snacks, from salumi to cheese, their hands clutch glasses of wine as well as flutes filled with sparkling Prosecco and a variety of classic Italian cocktails.

Fun Fact
Italians don’t say cheers when they make toasts. They say salute or cin cin instead.

Drinking Italian Cocktails in Italy

Aperol Spritz on the Costa Smeralda Cruise Ship — We drank this Aperol Spritz on an Italian cruise ship. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Cocktails are nothing new in Italy.

Italians have been sipping Aperol Spritzes and Negronis for more than a century. It just took some time for Italy’s sophisticated sippers to jump the pond in a serious way.

The popularity of those two particular Italian cocktails has skyrocketed in recent years to the point that it’s practically impossible to find a bar in the United States that doesn’t serve one or both. However, while we sip the occasional Negroni and Aperol Spritz, they’re not the only Italian cocktails we craft at home.

Drinking Italian Cocktails at Home

Crafted Americano Cocktail — Crafting Italian cocktails at home is the next best thing to drinking them in their homeland. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

We drink a variety of Italian drinks at home as part of aperitivo sessions filled with olives, cheese and assorted cured meats. It’s a custom we learned about in Bologna and one that we’re happy to recreate when we have company as well as when we don’t.

14 of The Best Italian Cocktails

1. Amaretto Sour

Crafting an Amaretto Sour is easy. The challenge is deciding which ingredients to add. Since this recipe includes both Disaronno amaretto and bourbon, it's technically a Disaronno Sour recipe and it's delicious.

Amaretto Sour Recipe

Americano Cocktail in front of Green Tiles

2. Americano

The sophisticated Americano cocktail is a lazy mixologist's dream come true. Learn how to craft the classic Italian cocktail in five minutes or less.

Americano Recipe

3. Aperol Spritz

The Aperol Spritz is the quintessential aperitivo cocktail in Italy. (Sorry Negroni fans!) Discover the story behind the classic Italian cocktail and learn how to craft one at home.

Aperol Spritz Recipe

4. Bellini

The Bellini cocktail may be the most delightful cocktail of them all. With just two ingredients (peach purée and Prosecco), it's easy to craft. It's also bubbly, sweet and peachy. Plus, it's pleasantly pink. And who doesn't like pink cocktails?

Bellini Recipe

5. Campari Spritz

The Campari Spritz is bitter, bold and bubbly. Sipping the refreshing cocktail at home is the next best thing to sipping one in Italy.

Campari Spritz Recipe

6. Classic Negroni

Follow this Negroni recipe and learn how to make the sophisticated Italian sipper with just five ingredients including ice. Unique for its deep red color and acerbic flavor, the classic Negroni packs a punch with equal parts of bitter Campari, dry gin and sweet vermouth.

Classic Negroni Recipe

7. Cynar Spritz

With roots in the Veneto, the Cynar Spritz is built around a unique artichoke-based spirit. The earthy, herbaceous sparkling cocktail is a wonderful summer sipper that tastes great at any time of the year.

Cynar Spritz Recipe

8. Espresso Negroni

The simple addition of espresso takes the classic Italian Negroni in a different direction. Easy to craft and satisfying to drink, the Espresso Negroni will perk you up and make you smile with its bitter, bold and beautiful flavors.

Espresso Negroni Recipe

Garibaldi Cocktail with Black Background

9. Garibaldi

The Garibaldi, one of summer's hottest drinks, is a sophisticated Italian tipple. Follow this easy recipe and craft a refreshing Garibaldi at home.

Garibaldi Recipe

Hugo Spritz Cocktail with Black Background

10. Hugo Spritz

Don't like Italy's Aperol Spritz? Try Italy's Hugo Spritz instead. Who knows? The refreshing Italian spritz may become your go-to aperitivo beverage.

Hugo Spritz Recipe

11. Limoncello Spritz

The Limoncello Spritz hails from Italy but you don't have to hop on a plane to sip the sweet lemony aperitivo. Instead, follow this step-by-step recipe and sip the Italian lemon spritz at home.

Limoncello Spritz Recipe

12. Negroni Sbagliato

The Negroni Sbagliato was allegedly invented by mistake. Fast forward 50 years and this mistaken 'Negroni with Prosecco' has become a worldwide sensation. Join the hype and craft one at home.

Negroni Sbagliato Recipe

13. Pirlo

Discover the Pirlo. Although it's not particularly sweet, this effervescent spritz may still hit your cocktail sweet spot.

Pirlo Recipe

Select Spritz from Above with Select Bottle

14. Select Spritz

Sipping a Select Spritz is one of the best things to do in Venice. Learn what a Select Spritz is and how to make one at home using the classic 3:2:1 ratio.

Select Spritz Recipe

💡 Frequently Asked Questions

What are Italian cocktails?

Italian cocktails are cocktails invented in Italy. They’re typically crafted with Italian liqueurs like Amaretto, Aperol and Campari.

What’s the most popular Italian cocktail?

The Negroni is the most popular Italian cocktail both in Italy and beyond, with the Aperol Spritz a close second.

When is the best time to drink Italian cocktails?

While it’s always a good time to drink Italian cocktails, the best time is during the Italian pre-dinner ritual known as aperitivo.

Where is the best place to drink Italian cocktails?

Italy is the best place to drink Italian cocktails but it’s also easy and fun to craft them at home.

🎥 Video Recap

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⚙️ Disclosures

Article Updates
We update our articles regularly. Some updates are major, while others are minor link changes and spelling corrections. Let us know if you see anything that needs to be updated in this article.

Funding
We purchased the ingredients and tools used to craft these cocktails.

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Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on their website 2foodtrippers. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers a unique taste of the world.