Fabulous Italian cocktails to make at home

In this article, I’m sharing the recipes of some delicious Italian cocktails to make at home to recreate your little corner of Italy. Take a sip, close your eyes, and daydream of your future trip to my beautiful country!

If you are a lover of all things Italian, it’s time to take note of some great Italian cocktails to make at home. Because let’s face it, people talk a lot about Italian wines, but let’s not forget that here in Italy we are specialists in the art of cocktail making. We drink them at aperitivo time, which is a notable feature of our Italian food culture and is typically enjoyed before dinner (pre-lunch aperitivos are also common over the weekend).  

With summer fast approaching, I thought it would be nice to share some easy-to-make Italian drinks that you can enjoy from the comfort of your home. The great news is that you only need a few simple ingredients to prepare these great Italian cocktails at home. What’s more, there’s no need to buy any fancy shakers or tools, as you can easily build the drinks directly in the glass or with some simple tricks when a shaker is required.

All the recipes below are for one serving and most have Campari as their main ingredient. For those who are not familiar with it, Campari is a classic Italian liqueur invented in 186o; it consists of a top-secret herbal mix infused in alcohol and water. Also, bear in mind that you’ll find dozens of variations of these drinks. These recipes are just how I personally like them.

So, here are 11 Italian cocktails to make at home  (no, Limoncello is not included, but I’ve written a whole article about how to make Limoncello at home here). Pair them with some crisps and nibbles for the ultimate Italian aperitivo… Cin Cin!  

Aperol Spritz

Ingredients

• 60ml (2oz) chilled Prosecco
• 40ml (1.4oz) Aperol
• A splash of soda water 
• Ice
• A wedge of orange

Serve in

• A wine glass

Make it

• Pour the Prosecco, the Aperol, and the soda (I usually follow this order) in a glass filled with ice
• Stir with a teaspoon
• Garnish with an orange slice

Aperol Spritz is Italy’s most famous cocktail, one that oozes summertime and aperitivos by the beach – you can even find it pre-bottled in some supermarkets! When traveling around Italy, you’ll find countless local versions of Spritz but this is the original one. Spritz comes from the Veneto region and its story can be divided into three chapters.

It all started in the 19th century during the Austro-Hungarian domination of northern Italy when the soldiers used to add a splash (“spritz” in German) of water to the local wine, which was a bit too strong for them – that’s how this cocktail got its name. A century later, in the city of Padua, the Barbieri brothers invented the Aperol, a liqueur made with a top-secret blend of herbs that they officially presented at the Padua International Fair in 1919. Aperol quickly gained popularity throughout Italy and in the ’20s and early ’30s bartenders celebrated the marriage between Spritz and Aperol (Prosecco was introduced later, in the ’90s, to give the cocktail some extra bubbles).

Campari Spritz

Ingredients

• 60ml (2oz) chilled Prosecco 
• 40ml (1.4oz) Campari
• A splash of soda water
• Ice cubes
• A wedge of orange

Serve in

• A wine glass

Make it

• Pour the Prosecco, the Campari, and the soda (I usually follow this order) in a glass filled with ice cubes
• Stir with a teaspoon
• Garnish with an orange wedge

This is a variant of the Aperol Spritz, where Aperol is replaced by Campari. I personally prefer this one because it’s a bit more bitter, as opposed to the Aperol Spritz, which is rather sweet.

Americano

Ingredients

• 30ml (1oz) Campari
• 30ml (1oz) Red Vermouth (e.g. Red Martini)
• A splash of soda water
• A wedge of orange

Serve in

• A rock tumbler glass

Make it

• Pour the Campari and the red Vermouth in a glass filled with ice
• Add a splash of soda water and stir with a teaspoon
• Garnish with an orange slice

Although the name may be misleading, the Americano is a classic Italian cocktail. It is said that it was invented in Gaspare Campari’s bar in Milan back in 1860, but it was nicknamed “americano” only in the 1930s following the victory of the Italian boxer Primo Carnera at Madison Square Garden that crowned him World Heavyweight Champion.

The Americano is one of James Bond’s favorite cocktails, as seen in various movies from the 007 saga, from Casino Royale to From Russia With Love.

Negroni

Ingredients

• 30ml (1oz) Gin
• 30ml (1oz) Campari
• 30ml (1oz) Red Vermouth (e.g. Red Martini)
• Ice
• A wedge of orange

Serve in

• A rock tumbler glass

Make it

• Pour all ingredients directly into a glass filled with ice
• Mix well with a teaspoon
• Garnish with a slice of orange

The Negroni was invented in 1919 at Caffè Casoni, a stylish bar located in Via de’ Tornabuoni in Florence. Here, Count Camillo Negroni once asked his trusted barman Fosco Scarselli to swipe soda with gin in his Americano after returning from a trip to England. Long story short, the Count adored it and since then the cocktail was named after the count. The bar was still there up until a couple of years ago with the name of Caffè Giocosa, but sadly it’s now closed.

Negroni Sbagliato 

Ingredients

• 3oml (1oz) Campari
• 30ml (1oz) Red Vermouth (e.g. Red Martini)
• 30ml (1oz) Extra dry Spumante wine 
• 1 slice of orange

Serve in

• A rock tumbler glass

Make it

• build in a double rocks glass with ice
• Garnish with a slice of orange

Sbagliato literally means “mistaken” and that’s exactly what a Negroni Sbagliato is: a Negroni that went wrong. This cocktail was born at Milan’s Bar Basso in 1972 when the barman Mirko Stocchetto accidentally added Prosecco instead of gin to a Negroni. The rest is history!

Campari Soda

Ingredients

• 60ml (2oz) Campari
• Soda water
• Ice
• An orange wedge 

Serve with

• A rock tumbler glass

Make it

• Pour the Campari into an ice-filled glass
• Add the soda water and stir for a few seconds
• Garnish with the orange wedge

Campari Soda is another classic Italian drink, but a lighter choice compared to other cocktails listed here. It was the very first pre-bottled aperitivo to be marketed in 1932. It’s sold in its signature bottle designed in the shape of a cone.

Bellini

Ingredients

• 100ml (3.5oz) chilled Prosecco
• 50ml (1.7oz) white peach puree

Serve with

• A flute glass

Make it

• Pour the peach puree into a mixing glass with ice (you can also marinate the peaches in some wine beforehand)
• Add the Prosecco
• Stir gently and pour in a chilled flute glass, using a sieve to prevent ice from falling into the glass

The Bellini is an iconic Italian cocktail invented by Giuseppe Cipriani, bartender of the Harry’s Bar in Venice, in 1948. He named the cocktail Bellini after a painting by the Venetian artist Giovanni Bellini, where the dress of a saint had a color similar to the pinkish hues of his drink.

At that time, Ernest Hemingway used to hang out at Harry’s Bar when he was in Venice and became a big fan of the Bellini. Today there are numerous variations of the Bellini, including the Rossini that I’m sharing here below.

Rossini

Ingredients

• 3 strawberries
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 squeeze of lemon juice
• 100ml (3.4oz) Prosecco

Serve with

• A flute glass

Make it

• Put the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a blender until you create a puree
• Put the strawberry puree in a mixing glass along with some ice cubes and the Prosecco and stir gently
• Pour a splash of Prosecco into the flute glass, then pour the content of the mixing glass (use a sieve to prevent ice from falling into the flute)
• Top it up with a little Prosecco for some extra bubbles at the top
• Garnish with a little strawberry

Named after the 19th-century Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, the Rossini is a delicious variant of the Bellini where peaches are swapped with strawberries. For a cheekier version, add a splash of vodka.

Martini Cocktail 

Ingredients

• 60ml (2oz) Gin
• 30ml (1oz) dry Vermouth (e.g. White Martini)
• 1 green olive

Serve with

• A Martini glass

Make it

• Place the Martini glass into the freezer for a couple of minutes
• Meanwhile, put the Vermouth and then the Gin in a mixing glass filled with ice and give it a good stir
• Take the Martini glass from the freezer and pour the drink into it (use a sieve to prevent ice from falling into the glass)
• Put the olive in a toothpick and drop it into the drink (I read somewhere that for a barman an even number of olives in a cocktail brings bad luck – just saying…)

Among all these Italian cocktails to make at home, Martini is definitely my favorite! There are countless ways to prepare this cocktail – shaken, stirred, on the rocks, with lemon, etc. – but this is the classic recipe.

Not many people know that although technically the Martini Cocktail was invented in New York, the brains behind it was an Italian from Liguria, who proposed it to J.D. Rockefeller in 1910.

Espresso Martini 

Ingredients

• 30ml Vodka (better unflavoured, although some use the vanilla-infused version)
• 30ml freshly brewed espresso coffee
• Some sugar
• Ice

Serve in

• A Martini glass

Make it

• Put the Martini glass in the freezer to chill, meanwhile prepare the coffee
• Once the coffee is ready, sweeten it, then pour it into a Mason jar together with some ice and the vodka
• Close the jar and shake it for a few seconds
• Take the glass from the freezer and pour the drink into it, using a sieve to prevent ice from falling into the glass
• You can garnish the cocktail with a couple of coffee beans or some grated dark chocolate
  

My dear coffee lovers, this one is for you. As you can see from the ingredients, Martini has nothing to do with this delicious coffee drink. The drink’s name simply refers to the type of glass commonly used to serve it. Also, I know that technically speaking the Espresso Martini is no Italian invention since it was created in London in the 1980s, but hey, it uses a beloved Italian ingredient, right?

Legend has it that a supermodel walked into this bar and asked for something that would “wake her up and f**k her up” and the barman came up with the Espresso Martini. If you don’t have an espresso machine at home, you can use soluble coffee like the Nescafè Gold Espresso. Also, many recipes use a coffee liqueur like Kahlua as a sweetener, but that’s really up to you.

Garibaldi

Ingredients

• 30ml (1oz) Campari
• 70ml (2oz) freshly squeezed orange juice 
• Ice
• A wedge of orange

Serve with

• A high tumbler

Make it

• Pour the Campari and the orange juice into an ice-filled glass 
• Give it a good stir with a spoon
• Decorate with an orange wedge

The Garibaldi cocktail was born at the beginning of the 20th century to pay homage to Giuseppe Garibaldi, a famous Italian revolutionary general who greatly contributed to the unification of our country. Its two ingredients perfectly represent the union between Italy’s north and south: the Campari symbolizes the north of the country, while the orange juice represents the south – as well as the red shirts worn by Garibaldi’s freedom fighters.

Although little-know, the Garibaldi is a really cool, refreshing drink perfect for those warm summer nights.

Now it’s your turn! Prepare some of these cocktails, experiment, then come back here to share your favorite in the comments below!

Have fun!