Name: Piccola Italia
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 45 ml Grappa; 22.5 ml Rosso/sweet vermouth; 10 ml Amaro (e.g. Nonino); 5 ml Red bitter liqueur; 2 dash Orange bitters

Piccola Italia
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Glass:

Photographed in an Urban Bar 1910 Retro Coupette 15cl

Ingredients:
1 ¹⁄₂ oz	Nonino Il Moscato Grappa Monovitigno
³⁄₄ oz	Strucchi Rosso Vermouth
¹⁄₃ oz	Amaro Nonino Quintessentia
¹⁄₆ oz	Italian red bitter liqueur
2 dash	Orange Bitters by Angostura

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

Select and pre-chill a COUPE GLASS.
Prepare garnish of skewered Luxardo Maraschino Cherry.

How to make:

STIR all ingredients with ice.
STRAIN into chilled glass.

Garnish:

Garnish with skewered maraschino cherry.

Allergens:

Recipe contains the following allergens:

Rosso/rouge/sweet vermouth (di Torino) - Sulphur Dioxide/Sulphites

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

Aromatic moscato grappa is the hero of this complex bittersweet aperitivo.

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History:

Adapted from a recipe created by Simon Sedgley, a fellow Discerning Drinker, as a riff on Audrey Saunders' Little Italy.

Nutrition:

One serving of Piccola Italia contains 115 calories

Alcohol content:

1.5 standard drinks
25.55% alc./vol. (25.55° proof)
21.2 grams of pure alcohol

More Aperitivo/aperitif cocktails
More Bittersweet (e.g. Negroni) cocktails

Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Chris Brislawn

22nd September at 03:20

We like Saunders' Little Italy so had to try this, though it's a rather loose riff on a Boulevardier. It got me to reopen a neglected bottle of the only grappa we have, a Marolo Grappa based on brunello (sangiovese) grapes. No idea just how much this differs from moscato grappa. Limiting the Campari to just 1 teaspoon is right on the money: this drink opens plenty bitter enough then expands into a nice interplay of the grappa with the fruits and herbal flavors in the vermouth (Cocchi Storico) and those in the Amaro Nonino before a lingering, bitter finish. Sweet vs. sour vs. bitter balance is excellent. 5 stars to S. Sedgley!

Simon Sedgley

9th October at 13:19

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the generous review. Cheers.

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