Ve.N.To - Grappa, Chamomile & Honey Sour Cocktail
Ve.N.To combines grappa, fresh lemon, honey, chamomile cordial, and optional egg white in a modern Italian IBA cocktail. Floral, citrusy, and softly sweet, it gives Italy's grape-based spirit a bright sour-style treatment.
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The Ve.N.To builds a refreshing sour around grappa, pairing its aromatic grape character with lemon, honey, and chamomile. The combination is floral without becoming perfumed, while the optional egg white softens the texture. Served over fresh ice, it is a modern showcase for a spirit more often enjoyed neat than mixed.
A Modern Italian Grappa Cocktail
Created in 2021 by Samuele Ambrosi and Leonardo Varesi, Ve.N.To was designed around grappa and distinctly Italian flavor cues. Its combination of grape spirit, honey, chamomile, and lemon gives the traditional pomace spirit a contemporary cocktail format, and the drink is now recognized by the IBA in its New Era collection.
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- Grappa - provides the dry, aromatic grape-spirit backbone.
- Lemon Juice - adds fresh acidity and keeps the drink bright.
- Honey Syrup - supplies rounded sweetness and floral depth.
- Chamomile Cordial - reinforces the drink's soft herbal and floral profile.
- Egg White - optionally adds a smoother texture and light foam.
Choose a clean, relatively smooth grappa rather than an aggressively rustic example. The honey syrup can also be prepared with chamomile infusion in place of water for additional floral character.
Equipment
- Cocktail shaker
- Jigger
- Hawthorne strainer
- Rocks glass
Grappa in a Different Register
Grappa can be assertive on its own, but lemon and honey give it a familiar sour structure while chamomile connects naturally with its floral and grape-derived aromas. The result keeps the spirit recognizable without allowing its sharper edges to dominate the drink.
Substitutions & Variations
A clean grape eau-de-vie can approximate the base when grappa is unavailable, though the character will differ. Aquafaba can replace the optional egg white for a similar textural effect. Using chamomile-infused honey syrup intensifies the floral profile without changing the basic structure.
Helpful Tips
Keep the grappa and serving glass well chilled. If using egg white, shake vigorously enough to create texture before straining. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice because the floral ingredients benefit from crisp acidity. White grapes are the appropriate garnish and visually reinforce the drink's grape-spirit base.
Ve.N.To Recipe
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Type of Glass
Rocks Glass
Prep Time
4 min
Ingredients
- 1½ oz
- ¾ oz
- ½ oz
- ½ oz Chamomile Cordial
- Few drops, optional
Directions
Add the Ingredients
Add the Grappa, Lemon Juice, Honey Syrup, Chamomile Cordial, and optional Egg White to a cocktail shaker.
If using egg white, use fresh pasteurized egg white and keep it properly refrigerated.
Shake with Ice
Fill the shaker with ice and shake vigorously until thoroughly chilled.
Strain Over Ice
Fill a chilled Rocks Glass with fresh ice and strain the cocktail into the glass.
Add the Garnish
Express lemon zest over the drink and garnish with white grapes.
Grappa, lemon, honey, and chamomile give Ve.N.To a distinctly Italian identity with the structure of a bright modern sour.
