Famous for its cuisine, fresh ingredients, and world-renowned wine, Italy is a culinary haven for the most discerning of palates. Culinary enthusiasts will learn authentic recipes, made with fresh pasta and vegetables picked in a local garden. If you’d prefer to leave the cooking to a professional, we can arrange a chef to make you a meal at a luxury apartment in Rome. Pizza making classes are also very popular. Visit wine vineyard in the fall during their peak harvest season. Wine connoisseurs can visit a local vintner during this time and become a winemaker for the day. Choose from one of our popular escorted Italy tours or create your own custom itinerary.
We want to share with you some of the traditional Italian drinks you should try when you are visiting.
Interestingly enough, in Italy, they ofter drink what is called an aperitivo to prepare your digestive system for your meal. Italians usually have this with a light appetizer such as olives & bread.
Lemoncello is an Italian lemon liqueur mainly produced in Southern Italy, around the Gulf of Naples, the Sorrentine Peninsula and the Amalfi Coast. The main ingredients are water, lemon zest, rectified spirit and sugar. It has a slightly turbid appearance from the small oil droplets suspended in the drink. It is served chilled as an after dinner “digestive”. It can also be sued to make cocktails, pastry and ice cream.
Alchermes is a type of Italian liqueur prepared by infusing neutral spirits with sugar, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and vanilla. It is scarlet in color and syrupy with a sweet, spicy flavor that comes from a blend of anise flowers cinnamon, cloves, coriander, jasmine, mace, nutmeg, orange peel, sugar and vanilla. The ingredients are steeped in alcohol and flavored with rose water. It is very popular in Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna and Sicily.
Amaretto is a sweet Italian liqueur originating in Saronno. Commercial brands are prepared from a base of apricot stones, peach stones, or almonds, all of which are natural sources of the benzaldehyde that provides the almond flavor. It can be served by itself or used in mixed drinks or added to coffee.
Aperol is called the perfect aperitif made of gentian, rhubarb and cinchona with a vibrant orange hue. Its high sugar content makes it sweet. It is most popular in Northern Italy and served with a salty spread of bar snacks. It is typically served as an Aperol Spritz or mixed in creative cocktails.
Campari Spritz is crimson red in color and bittersweet in taste marked by underlying flavors of cherry, cascarilla, clove, rhubarb, cinnamon and orange peel. It is the signature ingredient in classic cocktails such as the Negroni, Boutevardier, Americano, Bitter Spritz and Jungle Bird. The bitterness functions as an excellent refreshing boost to your digestion. This famous Italian drink is also often served with citrus juice or soda.
Negroni is made from gin, Campari and red Vermouth garnished with a slice of orange. This famous Italian beverage is now one of the most common cocktails in the world.
Galliano is a sweet herbal liqueur created in Livorno, Tuscany, and named after Giuseppe Galliano, an Italian officer of the Royal Italian Army of the First Italo-Ethiopian war. It is made from neutral alcohol steeped with a range of herbs and spices, anise and vanilla. You can drink it straight and served in a rocks glass.
Frangelico is pale gold in color made of Tonda Gemtile hazelnuts. It is distilled in the Piedmont region of northern Italy from an infusion of the toasted and crushed nuts, Natural flavoring extracts of cocoa, coffee and vanilla are blended into the distillate.
Sambuca is a colorless anise-flavored liqueur with elderflower, licorice and other spices. It was originally created in Civitavecchia about 130 years ago by Luigi Manzi. It can be served on the rocks or with water, resulting in the ouzo effect from the anise. It is usually served after coffee or added to coffee in place of sugar.
Let’s not forget the amazing Italian wines. Some of the most popular wine regions in Italy are Tuscany, Piedmont, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Calabria, Abruzzo, Puglia, Lombardy and Sicily.
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