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Giostra d’Alcol is a delicious and fun cocktail created by Enrico Prampolini. Sometimes referred to as a Prampolini it’s made with Barbera d’Asti red wine, Cedrata soda and Campari, it’s bitter, sweet and refreshing!
I first learned about this cocktail in a book by Mimi Thorisson called Old World Italian: Recipes and Secrets from Our Travels in Italy (affiliate link) and couldn’t wait to try it as soon as I saw it.
It was created in the 1930s by Italian artist, Enrico Prampolini as part of the Italian Futurist Movement. Giostra d’A’col translates as the carousel of alcohol and it was originally served with a piece of cheese and chocolate (one of the strangest garnishes I’ve ever heard of I have to admit but it was the futuristic movement).
It reminds me of Spanish Sangria but a much simpler and less sweet version. Made with red wine, Cedrata soda (Citron) and Campari it’s so simple to make and tastes delicious.
We’ve adjusted the quantities ever so slightly so it’s not as bitter (you can find the original in the recipe notes).
Ingredients
See the photo below that shows you everything you need to make a Giostra d’Alcool; Red wine (Barbera d’Asti), Campari and Cedrata soda.
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Pin ItIngredient notes and substitutions
If you can hunt down these ingredients it’s well worth it to try the original (or visit Italy and make it there….any excuse!). We’ve listed some good alternatives below if you can’t find the main ingredients.
- Barbera d’Asti – if you can’t find this wine a good substitute would be Barbaresco, Barbera d’Alba or Barolo.
- Cedrata – a Sicilian sparkling soda made with citron citrus fruit. This isn’t the easiest to find outside of Italy although some online Italian food stores do sell it. A good alternative would be Lemonade.
- Campari – you could also use Aperol.
More delicious Italian cocktails to try
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Step By Step Photos Above
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Giostra d’Alcol (Red Wine Spritz)
Ingredients
- 2 parts Barbera D’Asti red wine
- 2 parts Cedrata soda
- 1 part Campari
- 1 orange slice, for garnish
- Ice
Instructions
- Fill a glass with ice, add the campari and red wine and stir.
- Add the cedrata soda (can add more to taste) then garnish with a slice of orange.
Notes
- The original cocktail is made with 2 parts red wine, 1 part Campari and 1 part Cedrata. We added a little more soda so it was a little sweeter. You can tweak the recipe to your own taste.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I can find Campari in my area of America but not the other two ingredients…what would be good substitutes?
Hi Marie, Cedrata can be hard to find so you can use lemonade instead. As for the wine, if you can’t find a Piemontese red such as Barbaresco, Barbera D’Alba or Barolo you can use Chianti or something more readily available to you 🙂