Let's face it: Italy doesn't have much of a cocktail culture. In La Dolce Vita, when Marcello hits up a burlesque show with his father, the drinks of choice are champagne and whiskey. No homegrown spirits need apply.
But the Italians have made at least one invaluable contribution to the spirits world: Campari, a shockingly red liqueur made with infused bitter herbs and aromatic plants. Stroll around Venice on any given afternoon (or morning, for that matter) and highball glasses filled to the brim with the ruby-colored liquid are impossible to miss, most often accompanied by the pink sports pages of La Gazzetta Dello Sport and a small glass bowl piled high with potato chips. Few are the pleasures that surpass lazing away in the Venetian sunshine sipping on a spritz, an absolute classic Campari concoction:
This article appears in Apr 22-28, 2009.