For many people, Venice is best enjoyed with an aperitivo; a slug of botanical-rich bitters alongside prosecco and soda water, topped with ice cubes and garnished with—among other things—a canal view (a Grand Canal view if we’re being really picky.)
Even though the drink was invented in Venice, only one aperitif has actually been made here. It’s Select, started in the 1920 by Vittorio and Mario Pilla and originally made in the brothers’ distillery in the Castello area. There are over 20 botanicals in its construction, but its dark red colour is a hint to its complexity, with juniper and rhubarb roots providing heft alongside vanilla and cardamom.
Rudi Carraro, brand ambassador of Select aperitivo
According to Veneto-born Carraro, Select’s brand ambassador: ‘You have to remember that Venice has always been an important hub, a trade route, back into the 1400s and Marco Polo. It has been a centre for spices and botanicals for centuries.
The next layer of the drink, the spritz element, element when Venice was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. “For the soldiers, the Venetian wine was too strong and they would often ask the bartenders of the time to add in a spritz of water. So at the beginning, the spritz was white wine and just a splash of soda water,” says Carraro.
Amo bar is in the centre of the Fondaco dei Tedeschi palace in Venice.
“Originally,” continues Carraro, “Select - like other bitters—would have been drunk with soda and ice, but—at some point in the 1930s—the two drinks were combined to make the Venetian spritz. Because of World War II, it’s hard to say exactly when that happened. So bitters, wine and soda water was the recipe until the 1970s when wine was swapped with prosecco.”
Rudi Carraro’s favourite aperitivo bars in Venice.
Amo is near the Rialto in a very beautiful historical palace, the Fondaco dei Tedeschi. It’s a five-story space and in the middle is a small bar. The bartenders take great care and they want to push the boundaries—it’s got a younger clientele.
Select is the only aperitivo that has been made in Venice.
The bar at the St Regis has been recently refurbished. They have a menu of spritzes, divided into different parts of the day. It also has one of the most beautiful terraces, in front of Giudecca—you have the sun from 9am in the morning until 2pm, perfect for aperitivos and lunch.
Il Mercante is one of the very first cocktail bars in Venice, the guys are brilliant because they can create very beautiful cocktails but at the same time they also pair them with some great little bites to eat.
A typical Venetian bacaro, selling wines, aperitivos and Venetian bites.
Dai Zemei In Venetian dialect, it means To The Twins; it’s owned by twin brothers. You’re just a minute away from the Rialto Bridge, it’s a typical bacaro, very relaxed, a simple bar with drinks and some Venetian snacks.
Al Squero This is where they build and repair the gondolas. It’s in the upper part of the island so you get beautiful sunsets and at the same time you can see people working on the gondolas. It’s very special.
