Explore seasonal drinks with Italian ingredients
By Jim Begley
Carnevale Bellini
Summer’s here and nothing’s more refreshing than an adult libation when temperatures are hovering in the low triple digits. The good folks at The Venetian and The Palazzo are doing their best to help you cope with the heat with their inventive cocktail offerings during the Carnevale festivities. These drinks not only showcase seasonal offerings, but also traditional Italian ingredients with a Las Vegas spin. Consider starting with a Piazza Prosecco—a limoncello-based cocktail prepared with sweet vermouth, pomegranate juice and a float of prosecco, an Italian sparkling white wine. Limoncello is a sweet Italian lemon liqueur typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif; however, the vermouth nicely cuts its inherent sweetness, resulting in a dangerously smooth drink perfect for any time of day.
The Carnevale Bellini is a play on the Italian favorite. While typically prepared with peach purée, the Carnevale version is prosecco mixed with your choice of strawberry, passion fruit or mango purée. Go with the mango for a bright orange drink that’ll get you noticed and keep you cool.
Celebration Fizz
Looking for something a little more masculine? Look no further than the Celebration Fizz. While the name may not exude manliness, this combination of Tuaca—a vanilla Italian liqueur—and Italian lemon soda would wonderfully pair with your favorite cigar as the drink highlights the Tuaca’s vanilla overtones.
On the more feminine side is the Tarantella, a combination of the Italian almond liqueur amaretto, Tuaca and pineapple and orange juices. The vanilla and almond flavors of the alcohols balance the acidity of the juices, resulting in another cocktail that could be sipped at all day … and night.
The special Carnevale drinks are available at any of The Venetian or The Palazzo lounges, including Zebra Lounge, Oculus, Fusion and Laguna Champagne Bar. You could hang out at any of these and try all of them, or better yet, make a bar crawl out of it—just be sure to be ready to crawl back to your room afterward!
