The Uncle Larry Italian Beverage Menu

Bitter, low-proof and built to wake up an appetite. In Italy the aperitivo is not a drink, it is an hour — and Larry has never once ended it on time.

• Aperol Spritz

  Spritz Veneziano

  Bitter orange, sparkling, 8% ABV

  Build

  3 parts Prosecco · 2 parts Aperol · 1 splash soda water

  Serve

  Large wine glass, packed with ice, orange slice

  Prosecco first, Aperol second. Pouring in reverse leaves the bitter sitting on the bottom.

• Campari Spritz

  Sharper, redder, 10% ABV

  Build

  3 parts Prosecco · 2 parts Campari · splash of soda

  Serve

  Wine glass, ice, half orange wheel

  For people who think Aperol is dessert.

• Negroni

  Bitter, stirred, 24% ABV

  Build

  1 oz gin · 1 oz Campari · 1 oz sweet vermouth

  Serve

  Rocks glass, one big cube, wide orange peel

  Stir 30 seconds. Never shake — a cloudy Negroni is a confession.

• Negroni Sbagliato

  The “mistaken” Negroni

  Sparkling, softer, 12% ABV

  Build

  1 oz Campari · 1 oz sweet vermouth · top with Prosecco

  Serve

  Rocks or wine glass, ice, orange peel

  Born when a Milan bartender grabbed sparkling wine instead of gin. Best mistake in Italy.

• Americano

  Long, bitter, 9% ABV

  Build

  1½ oz Campari · 1½ oz sweet vermouth · top with soda

  Serve

  Highball, ice, lemon and orange peel

  The Negroni's older, calmer brother. Two is a normal number.

• Milano-Torino

  Mi-To

  Two ingredients, 16% ABV

  Build

  1½ oz Campari (Milano) · 1½ oz Vermouth di Torino

  Serve

  Rocks glass, ice, orange peel

  The original from 1860. Everything else on this list descends from it.

• Garibaldi

  Bitter and citrus, 11% ABV

  Build

  2 oz Campari · 4 oz fluffy fresh orange juice

  Serve

  Highball, crushed ice

  The juice must be aerated — blend or shake it until it foams.

• Bicicletta

  Wine-based, 9% ABV

  Build

  2 oz Campari · 3 oz dry white wine · splash soda

  Serve

  Wine glass, ice, lemon wedge

  Named for how Milanese regulars rode home afterwards. Allegedly.

Venice, Milan and Florence gave the world half the cocktail canon. These are the ones worth mixing at home.

• Bellini

  Peach and Prosecco, 8% ABV

  Build

  2 oz white peach purée · 4 oz cold Prosecco

  Serve

  Chilled flute, no ice

  Invented at Harry's Bar in Venice. Yellow peaches make it sweet; white peaches make it right.

• Rossini

  Strawberry and Prosecco, 8% ABV

  Build

  2 oz strawberry purée · 4 oz Prosecco

  Serve

  Flute

  Strain the purée or it clogs the bubbles.

• Espresso Martini

  Coffee, sharp, 20% ABV

  Build

  1½ oz vodka · 1 oz fresh espresso · ¾ oz coffee liqueur · ¼ oz simple syrup

  Serve

  Coupe, three coffee beans on the foam

  Shake hard with ice for 15 seconds — that violence is what makes the crema.

• Sgroppino

  Frozen lemon, 12% ABV

  Build

  3 scoops lemon sorbet · 1 oz vodka · 3 oz Prosecco

  Serve

  Chilled coupe, whisked not blended

  Venetian palate cleanser. Serve between courses or after a plate of sausage and peppers.

• Limoncello Spritz

  Sweet-tart, 11% ABV

  Build

  2 oz limoncello · 3 oz Prosecco · splash soda

  Serve

  Wine glass, ice, lemon wheel, mint

  Amalfi in a glass. Use ice-cold limoncello straight from the freezer.

• Aperol Sour

  Silky, tart, 14% ABV

  Build

  2 oz Aperol · ¾ oz lemon juice · ½ oz simple syrup · 1 egg white (optional)

  Serve

  Coupe, orange peel

  Dry-shake first without ice, then shake again with ice for the foam.

Sausage and peppers wants a red with acid and grip, not a heavy fruit bomb. Here is the short list.

• Chianti Classico

  Tuscan Sangiovese, dry, high acid

  Build

  Pairs with: sausage and peppers, Sunday gravy, grilled steak

  Serve

  60°F / 16°C, big bowl glass

  Acidity cuts sausage fat better than anything else on the table.

• Barbera d'Asti

  Piedmont red, soft tannin, bright cherry

  Build

  Pairs with: tomato sauces, salumi, pizza

  Serve

  Slightly cool, 58°F / 14°C

  The weeknight red. Forgiving with anything acidic.

• Nero d'Avola

  Sicilian red, ripe and warm

  Build

  Pairs with: grilled sausage, eggplant, aged pecorino

  Serve

  62°F / 17°C

  The one to open when the peppers came off the grill charred.

• Vermentino

  Coastal white, saline and citrus

  Build

  Pairs with: branzino, seafood pasta, fried anything

  Serve

  48°F / 9°C

  Larry's fish wine. Also his “waiting for the grill” wine.

• Lambrusco Secco

  Sparkling red, dry

  Build

  Pairs with: prosciutto, mortadella, rich pork

  Serve

  Chilled, 50°F / 10°C

  Dry Lambrusco — not the sweet stuff from 1978.

• Prosecco Superiore

  Sparkling white, Glera grape

  Build

  Pairs with: aperitivo hour, fried snacks, spritz duty

  Serve

  Ice cold, 42°F / 6°C

  Buy the Brut for spritzes. The Extra Dry is sweeter despite the name.

Sipped neat at room temperature or straight from the freezer, depending on the bottle. This is the course where Larry starts telling the story again.

• Amaro (Averna, Montenegro, Nonino)

  Herbal bitter, 30–35% ABV

  Build

  2 oz poured slowly, no rush

  Serve

  Neat in a small glass, or on one cube with orange

  Averna is caramel and sweet; Montenegro is floral; Nonino is grappa-based and dry.

• Fernet-Branca

  Aggressively bitter mint, 39% ABV

  Build

  1½ oz straight

  Serve

  Ice cold shot glass

  Tastes like a dare. Genuinely settles a heavy dinner.

• Limoncello

  Lemon liqueur, 28% ABV

  Build

  2 oz, sipped in three goes

  Serve

  Freezer-cold, tiny frozen glass

  Sorrento lemons, grain alcohol, sugar, patience. Never serve it warm.

• Grappa

  Pomace brandy, 40–45% ABV

  Build

  1½ oz

  Serve

  Tulip glass, room temperature

  A young grappa is fiery; a barrel-aged riserva drinks like brandy.

• Sambuca con la Mosca

  Anise liqueur, 38% ABV

  Build

  1½ oz sambuca · 3 espresso beans

  Serve

  Shot glass with three coffee beans — the “flies”

  Three beans for health, happiness and prosperity. Larry always takes four.

• Vin Santo with Cantucci

  Sweet Tuscan dessert wine

  Build

  3 oz plus almond biscotti for dunking

  Serve

  Small glass, room temperature

  The dunk is mandatory. This is the one dessert rule Larry respects.

In Italy, coffee is a standing event at the bar counter. Order by name, drink it in two sips, pay on the way out.

• Espresso

  Un caffè

  25–30 ml, thick crema

  Build

  18 g ground fine · 25 seconds extraction

  Serve

  Warm demitasse, no lid, no name written on it

  If you just say “un caffè” in Italy, this is what arrives.

• Caffè Macchiato

  Espresso “stained” with milk

  Build

  1 espresso · 1 spoon of steamed milk foam

  Serve

  Demitasse

  All the coffee, a whisper of milk. Acceptable at any hour.

• Cappuccino

  Espresso, steamed milk, foam in thirds

  Build

  1 espresso · 4 oz milk steamed to 140°F

  Serve

  6 oz cup, before 11 a.m.

  Ordering one after dinner is legal but everyone will notice.

• Caffè Latte

  Milk-forward, mild

  Build

  1 espresso · 6 oz steamed milk

  Serve

  Tall glass, morning only

  Order “latte” in Italy and you get a glass of milk. Say the whole word.

• Marocchino

  Espresso, cocoa and foam

  Build

  Cocoa dust · 1 espresso · milk foam · more cocoa

  Serve

  Small glass tumbler

  The Piedmont mid-afternoon repair job.

• Caffè Shakerato

  Iced, foamy, no dilution

  Build

  2 hot espressos · ice · ½ tsp sugar · shake 20 seconds hard

  Serve

  Chilled coupe

  The only correct iced coffee in Italy. The foam is the whole point.

• Granita di Caffè

  Frozen coffee ice, Sicilian

  Build

  Sweetened espresso frozen and raked with a fork every 30 minutes

  Serve

  Glass with whipped cream, with a brioche on the side

  Breakfast in Catania in August. Not a dessert, a survival tool.

Nobody in Italy sits out the aperitivo hour. These are the bitter, grown-up options with no alcohol in them.

• Crodino

  Bitter orange aperitivo, 0% ABV

  Build

  Pour cold over ice, or top with soda for a longer drink

  Serve

  Wine glass, ice, orange slice

  The original alcohol-free aperitivo. Tastes like a Spritz that went to bed early.

• San Bitter Rosso

  Sharp red bitter, 0% ABV

  Build

  One 98 ml bottle over ice

  Serve

  Small tumbler, ice, lemon twist

  More bitter than Crodino. The move if you actually like Campari.

• Spritz Analcolico

  Zero-proof spritz

  Build

  3 oz Crodino or zero-proof bitter · 3 oz sparkling grape juice · splash soda

  Serve

  Big wine glass, ice, orange slice

  Same glass, same ritual, same hour. Nobody can tell across the table.

• Chinotto

  Bitter citrus soda, 0% ABV

  Build

  Serve very cold

  Serve

  Bottle over ice with a lemon wedge

  Made from the myrtle-leaved orange. Cola's bitter Italian cousin.

• Aranciata Rossa

  Blood orange soda

  Build

  Sicilian blood orange juice, sugar, sparkling water

  Serve

  Tall glass, ice, blood orange wheel

  Look for bottles with real juice percentage on the label — 20% and up.

• Cedrata

  Citron soda, floral and sweet

  Build

  Citron essence, sugar, carbonated water

  Serve

  Cold, straight from the bottle

  The yellow one from every Italian beach bar since 1950.

What is actually on the table during dinner, plus a few things worth making from scratch on a Sunday.

• Acqua Frizzante with Lemon

  Sparkling water, table standard

  Build

  Sparkling mineral water · lemon

  Serve

  Glass bottle, lemon wedge, no ice in Italy

  Every Italian table has both frizzante and naturale. Nobody drinks tap at dinner.

• Limonata Casalinga

  Homemade Italian lemonade

  Build

  1 cup lemon juice · ¾ cup sugar syrup · 4 cups cold water · 1 cup sparkling water

  Serve

  Pitcher with ice and mint

  Add the sparkling water last, right before pouring.

• Orzata

  Almond syrup drink

  Build

  1 part orzata syrup · 5 parts water

  Serve

  Tall glass, ice, cold water

  Sicilian almond milk in soda form. Pair with granita on a hot afternoon.

• Latte di Mandorla

  Sicilian almond milk

  Build

  Blanched almonds, water, sugar, steeped overnight and strained

  Serve

  Very cold, tall glass

  Real almond milk, not the carton kind. Thick enough to coat the glass.

• Tè Freddo al Limone

  Italian iced tea, lightly sweet

  Build

  Strong black tea · lemon juice · light sugar syrup · chill 2 hours

  Serve

  Pitcher, ice, lemon slices

  Less sweet than the American version. Sharper finish.

• Caffè d'Orzo

  Roasted barley “coffee”, caffeine-free

  Build

  Brewed like espresso from roasted barley

  Serve

  Demitasse, same as espresso

  What Italian kids and late-night sippers drink. Nutty and surprisingly good.