Drinking Traditions of Venice: 6 Local Beverages That Define the Lagoon

Venice drinks what its lagoon and narrow calli encourage: light, fragrant wines, bitters that wake the palate, and sips designed for grazing on cicchetti. The city’s humid Adriatic climate and seafood-heavy cooking favor crisp bubbles, low-proof aperitivi, and clean digestivi.

Local life revolves around bacari—standing-room bars where an ombra (a small glass of wine) is taken in passing. Aperitivo is a ritual at dusk, before a seafood dinner or a late vaporetto ride, and traditions like the spritz and Bellini have spread worldwide from these canal-side counters.

The Venetian spritz is built around Select, a ruby bitter created in Venice in 1920 by Pilla Distillerie. In the glass: Prosecco, Select (17.5% ABV), a splash of soda, and ice, typically garnished with a green olive or an orange slice. The classic 3–2–1 build (3 parts Prosecco, 2 parts bitter, 1 part soda) yields a bright, lightly effervescent drink around 8% ABV, depending on measures.

Select’s 30 botanicals skew toward bitter orange, rhubarb, and juniper, giving aromas of citrus peel and alpine herbs, with a dry, gently saline finish when paired with a brut Prosecco. The spritz traces to 19th‑century Veneto, when occupying soldiers diluted wine with water; the modern bitter‑wine‑soda formula coalesced in the early 20th century. In Venice it’s strictly aperitivo, best taken standing at a bacaro with cicchetti such as baccalà mantecato or sarde in saor, between late afternoon and early evening along lively fondamenta.

Ask for “un’ombra” and you’ll receive a small pour—often 80–100 ml—of local wine, usually a dry white from Veneto varieties like Glera, Garganega, or Pinot Grigio. Expect a crisp, lightly aromatic profile (citrus, white flowers, pear) and 11–13% ABV, served cool in a simple tumbler. Reds, including youthful Raboso or Merlot, appear in colder months.

The name “ombra” (“shade”) comes from Rialto wine sellers who once moved their stands with the shadow of the Campanile in Piazza San Marco to keep barrels cool. Today the ombra is a social unit as much as a measure: a quick sip taken standing at the bar, often repeated as you “andar per ombre” (bar‑hopping). It’s drunk throughout the day, especially mid‑morning at the Rialto Market or pre‑dinner near neighborhood campi, always with a bite—fried moeche in season, a crostino of creamy cod, or a toothpick of marinated artichoke.

Venice pours Prosecco as its default sparkle. The best known to locals comes from the Conegliano–Valdobbiadene DOCG, a UNESCO‑listed landscape north of Treviso where Glera grapes climb steep, patchwork hillsides. Most bottlings are tank‑method (Charmat–Martinotti), with a second fermentation under pressure over 30–60 days to preserve fresh fruit. Typical strength is 11% ABV, with styles from Brut (0–12 g/L residual sugar) to the regionally favored Extra Dry (12–17 g/L).

Expect aromas of Williams pear, green apple, acacia, and sometimes a delicate almond note; the palate is light, frothy, and refreshing. Prosecco’s bright acidity and gentle bubbles suit lagoon seafood—think cicchetti of shrimp, razor clams, or canapes with soft cheeses. Venetians drink it by the glass as an aperitivo, as the sparkling backbone of a spritz, or with weekend lunches. For terroir specificity, look for Rive-labeled bottlings from single, steep communes around Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, which often show greater tension and minerality alongside the hallmark orchard fruit.

Invented in 1948 at Harry’s Bar near Piazza San Marco by restaurateur Giuseppe Cipriani, the Bellini is Venice’s most elegant export. It blends white peach purée with chilled Prosecco, usually in a rough 1:2 ratio, poured gently to keep the foam fine. At around 7–9% ABV, it’s lighter than many cocktails and depends on ripe fruit; in season (late spring to early autumn) the purée needs little sugar, and its blush can be enhanced by a touch of raspberry for color if desired.

The flavor is perfumed and silky—fresh peach skin, nectarine, and floral notes with a clean, dry finish when made with a brut Prosecco. Venetians order Bellini at brunch, celebratory aperitivi, or as a pre‑theater drink, especially when local peaches from the Veneto are at their aromatic peak. Although riffs like the Rossini (strawberry) appear, the classic remains tethered to place: a canal‑side flute, a plate of prosciutto‑wrapped grissini, and the hum of conversation in a city built for lingering.

Grappa is Italy’s protected pomace brandy, and the Veneto—home to historic distillers—shapes how Venice drinks it. Made by distilling the skins and seeds left after winemaking in copper pot stills or small columns, it emerges clear and potent (legally 37.5% ABV and often 40–50%). Styles include giovane (unaged), aromatica (from aromatic grapes like Glera or Moscato), and invecchiata/riserva aged in wood for vanilla, spice, and toasted nut notes.

On the nose, grappa di Prosecco can be floral and grapey; on the palate it ranges from brisk and herbal to mellow and honeyed if barrel‑rested. Venetians take a small shot as an ammazzacaffè—literally “coffee killer”—after an espresso, or as a caffè corretto with a dash stirred in. Notable houses such as Nardini and Poli in Bassano del Grappa helped codify these styles, and their bottlings appear in city bars and trattorie. Best after a seafood feast or on cool lagoon nights, sipped slowly rather than knocked back.

Sgroppino (from the Venetian sgropìn, “to untie a knot”) is designed to loosen the stomach after rich courses. It’s an airy emulsion of lemon sorbet whisked with a splash of vodka or grappa and topped with Prosecco. Because sorbet and wine dominate the mix, the finished drink stays relatively light—typically 5–8% ABV—yet it tastes vivid: zesty lemon, a creamy texture from the churned sorbet, and gentle sparkle.

Traditionally served between courses in seafood‑focused menus, Sgroppino appears at weddings, Sunday lunches, and summer dinners on shaded terraces. Technique matters: whisk the sorbet until soft, stream in a measure of vodka or grappa to stabilize, then fold through cold Prosecco just before pouring to avoid collapse. In Venice it’s less a bar order than a restaurant ritual, arriving in small flutes or coupes after fritto misto, risotto di gò, or any meal that begs for a bright, palate‑cleansing pause.