Bellissimo Aceto (Lambrusco-Amaro Cocktail) Recipe

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

By
Maggie Hoffman
Maggie Hoffman is a contributing writer at Serious Eats.
Maggie Hoffman
Maggie Hoffman is a longtime food and drink expert whose recipes and cocktail-making tips can be found on her newsletters What to Drink and The Dinner Plan. She is the author of  The One-Bottle Cocktail and Batch Cocktails, both published by Ten Speed Press.
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Updated March 27, 2025

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, 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

Bellissimo Aceto (Lambrusco-Amaro Cocktail) Recipe

Prep 5 mins
Active 2 mins
Total 5 mins
Serves 2 servings
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Ingredients

  • 4 mint leaves

  • 1/4 ounce (7 ml) white balsamic vinegar

  • 2 1/2 ounces (75 ml) Amaro Lucano

  • Pinch salt

  • 6 ounces (180 ml) chilled dry Lambrusco

Directions

  1. Add mint, white balsamic vinegar, Amaro Lucano, and salt to a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake vigorously until well chilled, about 12 seconds. Double-strain into 2 Champagne flutes (you'll have about 1 1/2 ounces or 45ml of the mix in each glass).

  2. Top each glass with 3 ounces (90ml) Lambrusco and serve immediately.

Special Equipment

Cocktail shaker, cocktail strainer, fine-mesh strainer

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
219 Calories
0g Fat
24g Carbs
0g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 219
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 76mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 24g 9%
Dietary Fiber 0g 2%
Total Sugars 18g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 1mg 5%
Calcium 22mg 2%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 150mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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