Commedia All'italiana
-
Commedia All'italiana
Serve in an Old-fashioned glass
| 5⁄6 oz | Strucchi Red Bitter (Campari-style liqueur) |
| 5⁄6 oz | Bittersweet orange-red aperitivo |
| 5⁄6 oz | Strucchi Rosso Vermouth |
| 1⁄2 oz | Nonino Il Moscato Grappa |
| 1⁄2 oz | Luxardo Maraschino liqueur |
How to make:
- Select and pre-chill an Old-fashioned glass.
- Prepare garnish of lemon zest twist..
- STIR all ingredients with ice.
- STRAIN into chilled glass.
- EXPRESS lemon zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.
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
Review:
Full-flavoured and bittersweet. Some will prefer this aperitivo with the dilution that comes with serving over ice in an old-fashioned glass.
History:
Adapted from a recipe created in 2017 by Seba Atienza in Argentina for Campari.
I was just a boy, working as an assistant bartender at the bar of the Festival del Cine de Mar de Plata. Everyone liked me because I treated every customer like a big star: they thought it was my style, a manner that I had practised, but the truth was that I knew nothing about cinema, and I was afraid of looking foolish.
Seba Atienza, 2017
One evening, I was serving a friendly Italian customer and made a joke that made him laugh a lot. When he got up to leave, I saw that he had left a ticket for the major preview the next evening. It was the most keenly awaited event-almost everyone had asked me to give them one of those tickets, but they had been sold out for months.
I decided to take advantage of that unexpected gift: when would I next have the opportunity to participate in such an exclusive event? I didn't even have suitable clothes for the occasion, so I kept on the shirt and tie that I used at work and presented myself at the main cinema clutching the precious ticket.
I entered that beautiful baroque room, found my chair, and sat down just in time for the film's presentation. When the master of ceremonies called the director on stage, I recognized the generous Italian customer. I had served a drink to a legend without knowing it! When he saw me, he smiled and winked at me from the stage.
The presentation ended with applause, the lights dimmed, and the credits began to roll up the screen. Just over two hours later, when the lights came back on, my life had changed forever. I laughed, cried, and loved the story and those characters. For two hours, I was transported away to another time and place. Behind its gentle façade, that movie was incredibly intense, and at the end, it was difficult to say whether it was sweet or bitter-a perfect balance, stylish and unforgettable.
The next evening, with my eyes and heart still brimming with that experience, I tried to translate that magical alchemy into the language that I know best: mixology. I chose only Italian ingredients, and after an entire night of work, the Commedia all' Italiana was born.
Nutrition:
One serving of Commedia All'italiana contains 205 calories
Alcohol content:
- 1.3 standard drinks
- 17.96% alc./vol. (17.96° proof)
- 18.9 grams of pure alcohol
- More Aperitivo/aperitif cocktails
- More Bittersweet (e.g. Negroni) cocktails
- More Short & stirred cocktails
- More Sours (citrus) 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.
Previous cocktail
Beyond The Veil
Next cocktail
Chepari
Bitters
Bitters are alcoholic beverages prepared with herbs, spices, roots, fruits and peels infused in alcohol or glycerin. Popular ingredients include gentian...
Italian red bitter liqueurs
There are numerous Italian bright crimson-coloured bittersweet liqueurs, but Campari is the best-known internationally. Campari is on the drier side of...
Red aperitivo liqueurs
Not to be confused with their more bitter and alcoholic siblings, red bitter liqueurs, these similarly coloured aperitivo liqueurs are altogether lighter...
20 best Amaretto cocktails
The bittersweet almond and vanilla flavour of amaretto mixes brilliantly with dark spirits – particularly whiskey but this versatile liqueur also mixes...
20 best Easter cocktails
There's more to Easter indulgence than mere chocolate eggs
Join the discussion
Showing 2 comments for Commedia All'italiana.
See discussion in the Forum
Excellent! Over ice in an old-fashioned glass, it's as mouth-fillingly rich as a Negroni, but fruitier (more orange), less bitter and distinct enough to earn its own space. One to savour.
[Commedia all'Italiana]
It is a little thick on mouthfeel, so I would agree to serve it on the rocks. We still used a coupe glass, but added some small round ice cubes. If you do not want to do rocks, I would add a splash of cold water before you stir.