IBA
Ve.N.To – IBA
Dry shake ∙ 5 min ∙ 14.7% ABV ∙
The Ve.N.To is an IBA-listed grappa sour, shaken with lemon juice, honey syrup, chamomile cordial, and egg white, then strained over ice. A frothy, silky cushion softens the sharp citrus edge, while a floral honeyed warmth lingers beneath a crisp, clean finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- Dry shake (without ice) all ingredients: Grappa 45 mlLemon juice 22 mlHoney syrup 15 mlChamomile cordial 15 mlEgg white 5 ml
- Shake again with ice
- Fine strain into the chilled small tumbler glass filled with ice
- Garnish with a lemon twist and a grape
- Note: If desired water can be replaced by chamomile infusion in the honey mix
Tips
- Dry-shake the egg white with the other ingredients first, then shake again with ice for a fuller, longer-lasting foam.
- If replacing the water in the honey mix with chamomile infusion, let it cool fully before shaking to avoid diluting the chill.
- Pre-chill the glass before straining so the ice inside doesn't melt fast and thin out the drink.
History
Ve.n.to was created in 2019 by Samuele Ambrosi, head of mixology at the promotional project GrappaRevolution, reworking a recipe from his friend Leonardo Veronesi, owner of RivaBar in Riva del Garda. The two Italian bartenders set out to demonstrate that grappa, long treated as a neat digestif, could work as a mixing base, building the drink around honey and chamomile in a nod to how their grandparents traditionally sweetened the spirit. Giorgio Fadda, president of the International Bartenders Association, backed the recipe's inclusion, and Ve.n.to entered the IBA's official cocktail list in 2020 among the "New Era Drinks," becoming the first grappa-based drink ever added to it.
The name is written with two dots to fuse the abbreviations of the grappa-producing regions the drink honors: "Ve" for Veneto (and Venezia) and "To" for Trentino Alto Adige, with the shared "n" standing for Veneto itself. Vento is also the Italian word for wind, evoked as an invisible force capable of linking the two territories.