Analcolici
Chinotto
The short answer
Chinotto is a dark, bittersweet Italian soft drink made from myrtle-leaved orange, tasting like a herbal, much less sweet cola.
- Style
- Bitter citrus soda, 0% ABV
- Glass
- Small tumbler over ice with an orange slice
- Strength
- None
Where it comes from
The chinotto citrus arrived in Liguria from China in the 1500s and the Savona coast still grows it. San Pellegrino bottled the soft drink in 1932, and it became the Italian child's first taste of bitter — the training wheels for a lifetime of amaro.
What you need
- 1 bottle chilled chinotto
- Ice
- 1 orange or lemon slice
How Larry builds it
- 01
Serve very cold. Chinotto warms up badly — the bitterness turns medicinal.
- 02
Add citrus. An orange slice lifts it; a lemon slice sharpens it.
- 03
Drink it with salty food. Crisps, olives, focaccia. It is an aperitivo in soft-drink form.
Larry’s rule: Made from the myrtle-leaved orange. Cola's bitter Italian cousin.
Variations worth making
Chinotto spritz
Half chinotto, half sparkling water with an orange wheel. Even drier.
Chinotto and amaro
An ounce of Averna lengthened with chinotto over ice.
Questions people ask
What does chinotto taste like?
Bitter orange and herbs over a cola-like base, with far less sugar than cola and a long bitter finish.
Is chinotto alcoholic?
No. It is a non-alcoholic soft drink, which is why Italian children grow up drinking it.
Is chinotto the same as cola?
No. They look alike, but chinotto is made from bitter citrus and botanicals and is markedly less sweet.
More from Analcolici
← All 67 Italian drinksQuoting or citing this drink? Credit “Uncle Larry Adventures” and link to https://unclelarryadventures.com/beverages/chinotto.