Giostra d'Alcol, Italian Red Wine Spritz
- Makes 1 cocktail
- Prep 2 minutes
- Total 2 minutes
Giostra d'Alcol is a good and fun cocktail created by Enrico Prampolini. Sometimes referred to as a Prampolini it's made with Barbera d'Asti red wine, Cedrata soda and Campari, it's bitter, sweet and refreshing!
It was created in the 1930s by Italian artist, Enrico Prampolini as part of the Italian Futurist Movement. Giostra d'A'col translates as the carousel of alcohol and it was originally served with a piece of cheese and chocolate (one of the strangest garnishes we've ever heard of we have to admit but it was the futuristic movement).
It reminds us of Spanish Sangria but a much simpler and less sweet version. Made with red wine, Cedrata soda (Citron) and Campari it's so simple to make and tastes good.
We've adjusted the quantities ever so slightly so it's not as bitter (you can find the original in the recipe notes).
See the photo below that shows you everything you need to make a Giostra d'Alcool Red wine (Barbera d'Asti), Campari and Cedrata soda.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
If you can hunt down these ingredients it's well worth it to try the original (or visit Italy and make it there….any excuse!). We've listed some good alternatives below if you can't find the main ingredients.
- Barbera d'Asti – if you can't find this wine a good substitute would be Barbaresco, Barbera d'Alba or Barolo.
- Cedrata – a Sicilian sparkling soda made with citron citrus fruit. This isn't the easiest to find outside of Italy although some online Italian food stores do sell it. A good alternative would be Lemonade.
- Campari – you could also use Aperol.
More good Italian cocktails to try
Drinks
Aperol Spritz Cocktail
Drinks
Classic Campari Cocktail – Spritz
Drinks
Classic Peach Bellini Cocktail
Drinks
Classic Negroni Cocktail
Ingredients
Makes 1 cocktail
- 2 parts Barbera D'Asti red wine
- 2 parts Cedrata soda
- 1 part Campari
- 1 orange slice (for garnish)
- Ice
Method
Fill a glass with ice, add the campari and red wine and stir.
Add the cedrata soda (can add more to taste) then garnish with a slice of orange.
Kitchen notes
- The original cocktail is made with 2 parts red wine, 1 part Campari and 1 part Cedrata. We added a little more soda so it was a little sweeter. You can tweak the recipe to your own taste.
