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Bicicletta Cocktail Recipe
Bicicletta Cocktail Recipe

Bicicletta

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Cocktail History

The Bicicletta is a classic cocktail that is believed to have been created in Italy in the 1930s. It’s traditionally made with Prosecco and Campari and topped off with soda water for some added sparkle, and it’s said to have been named for the elderly men who would swerve all over the road on their bicycles after drinking too many of them in the afternoon at the cafe.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Sparkling Wine: This is a carbonated wine made with white or red grapes. I used La Marca Prosecco.

Soda Water: This is a type of water that has been infused with carbon dioxide gas under pressure. I used Topo Chico Sparkling Mineral Water.

Campari: This is a liqueur made in Italy with gentian root, rhubarb, citrus, herbs, aromatic plants, fruit, and alcohol.

Lemon Wheel: This is a slice of lemon that has been cut into a circular shape.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. I used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. I used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. I used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2024-11-14.

Bicicletta Cocktail Recipe

Tasting Notes

This cocktail has the following flavor profile:

Appearance: Bright orange-red color

• Aroma: Citrus and wine

• Taste: Initially dry white wine flavor cut with bitter gentian root

• Finish: Lingering bitterness

Kendall’s Rating: ⭐⭐

Kendall’s Take: “I am not Campari’s biggest fan yet, so I didn’t go for this cocktail since there isn’t a lot of sweetness to counter its telltale bitterness. If you do enjoy sipping a dry, palate-tingling drink though, you’ll be pleasantly surprised what the Bicicletta has to offer. It is refreshing, and mixing Campari with bubbly is interesting.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.

Sale
The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks with 150 Recipes
The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks with 150 Recipes
Hardcover Book; Editors of PUNCH (Author); English (Publication Language); 352 Pages – 09/05/2017 (Publication Date) – Ten Speed Press (Publisher)
$13.05 Amazon Prime

This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2024-11-14.

Bicicletta

The Bicicletta is a classic cocktail that is believed to have been created in Italy in the 1930s. It’s traditionally made with Prosecco and Campari and topped off with soda water for some added sparkle, and it’s said to have been named for the elderly men who would swerve all over the road on their bicycles after drinking too many of them in the afternoon at the cafe.

Prep Time 3 mins Assembly Time 2 mins Total Time 5 mins Difficulty: Intermediate Servings: 1 Calories: 160 Best Season: Summer

Ingredients

Method

  1. Add sparkling wine, Campari, and cracked ice to a wine glass.

  2. Top with soda water.

  3. Stir gently for 3-5 seconds.

  4. Garnish with lemon wheel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Expand All:
How do I make this cocktail recipe non-alcoholic?

Use Gruvi Non-Alcoholic Prosecco in place of the sparkling wine and Giffard Non-Alcoholic Bitter Syrup in place of the bitter liqueur to try a mocktail version of this drink.

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About The Author

Kendall is the creator of Novel Nightcaps, a mixology blog chronicling recipes she tries from her cocktail book collection.