Bellissimo Aceto (Lambrusco-Amaro Cocktail) Recipe

The bittersweet, tart, and fruity flavor of this sparkling cocktail is perfect with rich cocktail-party fare.

Updated February 07, 2023

Why It Works

This cocktail has a unique, but balanced, combination of vinegar, amaro, mint, and Lambrusco.
Shaking the fresh mint with the vinegar and the amaro bruises the leaves, releasing their aroma and flavor.

When a French 75 goes red, you're in for a treat. This garnet-colored mouthful, from Corey Phillips of Bellina Alimentari in Atlanta, is bold and fruity, with a rich, bittersweet flavor contributed by Amaro Lucano, a liqueur from southern Italy's Basilicata region. The amaro is a bit like amped-up, licorice- and cinnamon-laced cola, and it adds an herbal, caramelly core to dry Lambrusco in this recipe.

A bellissimo aceto cocktail served in a champagne flute. — Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Mint leaves, slightly bruised once the mixture is shaken with ice, add freshness to the mix, while the sour element comes from a small amount of white balsamic vinegar. The wine's fizz and the amaro's bitterness make the drink a perfect pairing for buttery cocktail-party nibbles. Just make a cheese plate (or a meat and cheese plate), whip up a little chicken liver pâté, and you're set.

Want more sparkling cocktail options, for any season? This holiday pleaser has a pretty pink blush and cranberry cordial. This spritzy grapefruit variation forgoes sparkling wine in favor of a radler, and this tropical riff includes rum.

December 2016

Recipe Details