La Dolce Vita Cocktail
Muddle; Shake ∙ 4 min ∙ 17.7% ABV ∙
La Dolce Vita is a vodka cocktail built on muddled green grapes, honey, and orange bitters, shaken and topped with dry sparkling wine. Muddled grapes give a soft, honeyed fruit body against a clean spirit backbone, while the sparkling top lifts the finish bright and dry.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- In the base of the shaker, muddle: Green grapes 4 pcs
- Add Vodka 30 mlHoney 1 bspOrange bitters 1 dash
- Shake with ice
- Fine strain into the chilled glass
- Top with Dry sparkling wine
- Garnish with a lemon twist
Tips
- Shake hard with ice before fine-straining so the grape solids and honey fully blend, then top with sparkling wine to keep its fizz.
- Pre-chill the martini glass so the sparkling wine keeps its bubbles longer once poured on top.
- Add the sparkling wine last, after straining — pouring it into the shaker would flatten it.
History
This cocktail was created in 2002 by bartender Tony Conigliaro at Isola, a restaurant and bar in London. Its muddled-grape, vodka, and honey base topped with dry sparkling wine reflects the early-2000s London bar scene's turn toward inventive, ingredient-driven modern cocktails, with the name borrowed from the Italian phrase for "the sweet life," popularized by Federico Fellini's 1960 film of the same name.
FAQ
How do you make a La Dolce Vita cocktail?
Muddle green grapes in the base of a shaker, add vodka, honey, and orange bitters, then shake with ice and fine-strain into a chilled martini glass. Top with dry sparkling wine and garnish with a lemon twist.
What does "la dolce vita" mean?
"La dolce vita" is Italian for "the sweet life," an expression evoking pleasure, leisure, and indulgence. The cocktail borrows the phrase as a name, matching its honeyed, fruit-forward character to the idea of easy, sweet living.
What is a Dolce Vita Spritz?
A Dolce Vita Spritz is a different, spritz-style drink typically built on prosecco and a liqueur over ice in a wine glass, distinct from this shaken, grape-and-honey vodka cocktail served up in a martini glass.
