Categories of Italian Liquor digestivo are known to aid in digestion processes. Sweet: These liquori have a decidedly sweet taste and aroma. Examples from the sweet category would be Frangelico, Sambuca, and
Campari, Aperol, Cynar and vermouth are all popular aperitivi. In contrast, digestivi are higher-alcohol liqueurs sipped after a meal to aid digestion – think limoncello, sambuca, amaro or grappa. A new breed of spirit producers are also putting Italian gin on the map.
Grappa. Grappa is to Italy as whisky is to Scotland.
In Italian, bitter liqueurs are beloved as after-dinner cocktails. These bitter liqueurs are called Amari (literally translates to "bitters"), which contain a lot of botanicals that aid in digestion.
Grappa – A shot of grappa will definitely get things moving after a heavy dinner or to start a long night. A (very) high-proof wine liquor made from grapes, this drink is all Italian: It has to be made in an Italian territory to be considered true grappa.
Popular Roman cocktails include the Negroni: gin, Campari and red vermouth; the Negroni Sbagliato: prosecco, Campari, and red vermouth; and the Campari Soda. Many bars will have a list of original proprietary cocktails for you to try as well.
Overall alcohol consumption in Italy has been slowly increasing each year since 2016, and in 2025 will probably amount to almost eight liters of pure alcohol per capita. The share of alcohol consumers among males is almost 80 percent, while almost 60 percent of females over 11 years of age consume alcohol.
Classic Italian red wines include Barolo and Barbaresco (both made from the Nebbiolo grape), Chianti and Chianti Classico (from the Sangiovese grape), Amarone and Valpolicella (from the Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grapes), and Nero d'Avola wine (from the Nero d'Avola grape).
ITALY'S FINEST VODKA
VOGA Vodka is the result of two years research carried out by an internationally acclaimed Italian master distiller to create a vodka that embodies the height of Italian craftsmanship.
Disaronno is the world's favourite Italian Liqueur – it is a distinctive and unique liqueur for the discerning drinker and is best known as the original ingredient to the Amaretto Sour. The Disaronno recipe has not changed since 1525 and is still made in Saronno, Italy.
Italians typically drink wine rather than beer or cocktails with meals, with the exception of pizza, which they usually drink with beer.
1. Negroni. Created by Count Camillo at Caffè Casoni in 1919, the bittersweet Negroni is now one of the most popular Italian cocktails!
Wine was the drink of choice at the very heart of ancient Rome's culture. Ciders and other fermented drinks were known but were all second to wine. Wine was a 'civilized' drink and became central to the Roman way of life. Beer, fermented grains, and milk were decidedly un-Roman and could carry barbarous connotations.
No problem in Italy - there are umpteen varieties of coffee... espresso (just ask for un caffe), cappuccino (with frothy milk), macchiato (espresso with a tiny drop of milk), americano (dilute filter coffee), caffelatte(more coffee than milk), latt'e caffe (more milk than coffee)....
Today, wine is still an essential part of Italian culture, consumed daily by many people. Not surprisingly, Italy is one of the top wine-producing countries in the world.
Among gangsters, scotch and whiskey were always popular choices, particularly the whiskey brand Cutty Sark. And they had their own way of ordering, as recounted by undercover FBI agent Jack Garcia: “Mobsters always order drinks by a brand. Never just a scotch and water, it would be a Cutty and water.
A strong cup of coffee is the Italian cure for hangovers and all other ills, so head to your nearest café pronto. The caffeine will perk you up and help you feel ready to face the day.
Digestivi (“digestives,” in English) are often in the class of amari, or Italian bitters. Amari are made by infusing grape brandy with a blend of herbs, flowers, aromatic roots and bark, citrus peels, and spices. The infused brandy is then sweetened with sugar syrup and aged for a few weeks up to a few years.
Cappuccino
The cappuccino is arguably the most popular type of coffee drink in Italy that includes milk, made with equal parts Italian espresso, steamed milk, and milk foam. Since cappuccinos have quite a bit of milk, Italians only drink this particular type of coffee in the morning.