Around Italy in a (Cocktail) Glass
© Roots Est. 1680
Bar ohne Namen
Entschlossen verweigert sich Savage, der Bar einen Namen zu geben. Stattdessen sind drei klassische Design-Symbole das Logo der Trinkstätte in Dalston: ein gelbes Quadrat, ein rotes Viereck, ein blauer Kreis. Am meisten wurmt den sympathischen Franzosen dabei, dass es kein Gelbes-Dreieck-Emoji gibt. Das erschwert auf komische Weise die Kommunikation. Der Instagram Account lautet: a_bar_with_shapes-for_a_name und anderenorts tauchen die Begriffe ‘Savage Bar’ oder eben ‚Bauhaus Bar‘ auf.
Für den BCB bringt Savage nun sein Barkonzept mit und mixt für uns mit Unterstützung von Russian Standard Vodka an der perfekten Bar dazu.
by Maurizio Maestrelli
We are used to know that big cities mean also great cocktail bars. At least, this is what we know from the most famous “cocktail bar lists”. We can agree, but this is just part of the story. There are many amazing places, with beautiful drink lists and talented bartenders even in towns that are out of sight from the “official” rankings. Consider Italy, for example. Rome and Milan are the unanimously cocktail capitals of the country, then maybe you can find Florence and Venice. But what about Bassano del Grappa, a town in Veneto where the very first distillery, Nardini, was founded in 1779? Just 42 thousand people and a surprising bunch of vibrant places to have a proper drink. So, yes, we pick one bar in Milano but then let us lead you around a less known Italy that, we hope, will intrigue you.
1. Camparino in Galleria
If you can pick only one spot from the rich “milanese” cocktail bar scene it has to be Camparino. The iconic venue where the legend of the most famous Italian bitter began to take off is hidden under the vaulted ceiling of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, it was first opened in 1915 furnished in Liberty style and, since then, it’s the place to be to celebrate the daily ritual of an aperitif with a “shaken” Campari or Campari Seltz with a glimpse of Duomo in the surroundings. Have a drink standing at the always crowded Bar di Passo, take a seat, if you’re lucky, and watch people go by in the Galleria or ask to go upstairs for a more personalized service.
Piazza del Duomo, 21
Milano
© Camparino in Galleria
2.Palazzo delle Misture
Opened on the actual premises in 2016, Palazzo delle Misture in Bassano del Grappa is not just a beautiful bar but a cultural embassy of cocktail history. The owners are truly passionate about it so don’t be surprised by the list of Americano that here is declined in three different versions or try as a start the simple “spruzzo”, probably the ancestor of the more famous “spritz”, as it was described in a cocktail book from 1936 or, again, get lost in the almost infinite Negroni list. Added value: a special list of absinthe cocktails and a selection of “polibibite”, the word the Italian futuristi, an artistic movement born at the beginning of the 20th century, used to call cocktails.
Piazzotto Montevecchio, 23/24
Bassano del Grappa
© Palazzo delle Misture
3. Roots Est. 1680
Just at a short walking distance from the famous Ponte Vecchio and the primordial Grapperia Nardini, founded by the bridge in 1779, Roots cocktail bar can be found in an historical building, established in 1680. This is the kingdom of Massimo Sandri, a talented and bearded bartender with a passion for vintage recipes with a modern twist. The bar is elegant and cozy, tastefully furnished and with a selection of spirits and liquors that wink to local products. Enjoy a classic evergreen as a Last Word or a Gibson but this is a place where you are not obliged to read the drink list, just let Sandri guide you.
Vicolo Gamba, 31
Bassano del Grappa
© Roots Est. 1680
4. Aguardiente
By the harbour of Marina di Ravenna there is one of the best cocktail bar in Italy, a Caribbean corner recently discovered also by World’s 50 Best Bars and a rum club that sugarcane lovers can’t miss. The owner, Jimmy Bertazzoli is a kind of “living encyclopedia” of the spirit and guards a treasure with more than two thousand bottles including rare vintages and the legendary collection of Caroni rum. More important you can have a glass from nearly all of them for a unique and exclusive experience. Obviously many of the cocktails presented see rum as the base spirit, but if you’re not a rum geek you won’t be disappointed anyway.
Piazzale Adriatico, 7/d
Marina di Ravenna
© Aguardiente
5. Seta Garden Bar
Giulianova is a town by the sea in Abruzzo, an Italian region wrongly underestimated by international tourism. Seta Garden Bar is helping to relaunch its image. At least among the cocktail lovers. The head bartender is Carmelo Licata, a well known figure in the Italian bar industry, with a passion for local products and… whisky. Enjoy a cocktail Martini served at your table as in a luxury hotel of a big city surrounded by trees, plants and soft lights. Give a chance for his It’s not Mary, a variation on classic Bloody Mary with tomato liquor, lime and gin the perfect choice after a day on the beach.
Via Nazario Sauro, 154
Giulianova
© Seta Garden Bar
6. Hanky Panky
Everybody knows Venice, the old town “floating” on the lagoon with its historical buildings, its bridges, the gondolas and, of course, its great cocktail bars that you can find inside the most famous hotels. But consider also Mestre, the town built on the ground that is part of Venice, where hotel prices are often more affordable and, when in Mestre, take a walk in the town centre and head towards Hanky Panky. This small cocktail bar is a gem for the selection of spirits where you can find many limited editions and the cocktail list that starts with some nearly forgotten classic to creative twist made by the bar owner Luca Rossetto. A relaxing break after a day visiting Venice, far from the crowd…
Mestre
instagram.com/hankypanky_venice
© Hanky Panky
7. The Balance
Located in the touristic harbour of the city of Savona, The Balance gained is fame for the huge selection of whisky and rum. Paolo Baccino is an experienced bar manager who knows a little about everyone in the world of mixology (a few weeks ago, Julio Bermejo made a guest shift here) and has a great sense of hospitality. The bar is elegant and welcoming, the staff is prepared and efficient and, regarding cocktails, you’re spoiled for choice. Classic, vintage or personal twist such as in Savonando a vodka and maraschino drink with a touch of chinotto, a citrus typical on Liguria coast.
Via Antonio Baglietto, 30r
Savona
© The Balance
8. Rivabar
Rivabar is located just a few steps from the Garda Lake so, after a nice stroll along the lake cross the threshold of the place where Leonardo Veronesi rules the counter. Large selection of spirits and an amazing cocktail list awaits you. Strongly recommended is Vento, the first grappa cocktail created by Leonardo himself to enter in the official International Bartenders Association cocktail list and the demonstration that the historical Italian spirit is not only to be drunk on its own. Veronesi is also exploring cocktail aging in small oak barrels so why not wait for the sunset on the lake with a Negroni Aged in your hand?
Largo Medaglie d’oro al valor militare, 2
Riva del Garda
© Rivabar
9. Quanto Basta
Lecce is definitely a “city of art” and one of the best example of baroque style in Italy, also is located right in the heart of Salento, an area that is attracting more and more tourists every summer. But it’s also the city where you can find this excellent bar founded in 2013 and, since then, it has been considered a point of reference for cocktail lovers. Credit must be given to the founders, Diego Melorio and Andrea Carlucci, who are pushing the boundaries of modern mixology with talent and creativity. Let them guide you with trust but if you really need a suggestion before entering ask for a Kopiko, a coffee flavoured cocktail.
Via Marco Basseo, 38
Lecce
© Quanto Basta
10. Spirits Boutique
Olbia is the entrance door to Costa Smeralda, the most famous hotspot in Sardinia that means turquoise sea and the jet set that animates the nightlife in summer. But Olbia holds a charm that deserves to be discovered: the harbour, the narrow streets, the old churches and, of course, Spirits Boutique. The bar is a project of Emilio Rocchino, owner of a first spot with the same name in Cagliari, bar manager and entrepenaur who created also a selection of spirits and liquors all made with Sardinian ingredients. Taste the flavour of local juniper, pompia, a citrus that grows only on the island, or traditional myrtle that are inside his gin, his bitter and his vermouth.
Piazza Matteotti, 4/5
Olbia
© Spirits Boutique
