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Thousands of liters of Italian sparkling wine, ordered before President Donald Trump’s tariff threats, are on a boat headed to the United States. Before the wine is unloaded and handed to its recipients, they may need to pay a tariff bill big enough to put a kid through college. Small business owners say they’re paralyzed with indecision because of...

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If walls could talk, the bar at Camparino in Galleria would have stories to tell. Since 1915, this Milanese institution has been the beating heart of Italian aperitivo culture, pouring drinks for poets, fashion icons, and anyone who knows that good evenings start with Campari. From Gaspare Campari’s early innovations—perfecting the Campari Seltz, s...

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"Filu 'e ferru", or "iron wire", is an old drink with a dangerous past and an alcohol concentration of up to 45 percent that knocks down even the most stable of people. Rosa Maria Scrugli was 23 years old when in 1970 she was sent on a work mission to the small town of Santu Lussurgiu, located in the wild Oristano area of western Sardinia among roc...

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In a place with as much history as Italy, it’s common to encounter firsts, whether it’s the first bank, the oldest university or even the first espresso machine. In Bassano del Grappa, about 20 miles from Vicenza at the base of the Monte Grappa hills, you’ll find the first grappa distillery. Farmers had long made stronger alcohol out of grape pomac...

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Fifty years ago my great-grandfather Carlo Portolan hauled down from the roof of his Lincoln Heights home a glass jug full of fragrant black booze, warm from 40 days in the sun. He decanted it into smaller bottles, affixed to each a masking tape label inscribed with the year — 1974 — and passed them around to friends and family. He died four years...

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Anyone who has paid a visit to charming Italy knows all about its gastronomic sensorial signatures: the tang of tomatoes, the smell of fresh basil, and, of course, citric sips of limoncello. The good thing is that regardless of the stamps on your passport, the sunny yellow liqueur has the unique ability to mentally transport you to the Amalfi Coast...

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While visiting your favorite Italian restaurant or taking that once-in-a-lifetime trip to Rome last summer, you might've heard Italians speak about their passion for digestifs. Though the word might sound foreign to your ears, you've most likely indulged in a digestif yourself at least once or twice. While you've probably had a sip of tangy limonce...

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Picture Turin, the 1780s: a cosmopolitan city, capital of the Kingdom of Sardinia, known for its eminent university and for its Teatro Regio, which seats an impressive 1,500 people for operatic performances.  In 1780, Caffè Fiorio opens as a salon catering to the intellectual and political classes. Visitors include Nietzsche and Camilo Benso, Count...

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Explore the Mediterranean Aperitivo. Monday, November 18 - 2:30-4:00 p.m. - @ Prossimo Ristorante, 1550 E 15th St., Tulsa OK 74120. Please join us for a seminar on the Mediterranean Aperitivo, including a tasting and talk on Vermouth di Torino by Jeremy Parzen, a leading Italian food and wine expert and dynamic speaker known for his lively deep-div...

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Produced by an herbalist named, Bernardino Branca – Fernet-Branca is one of Italy’s most storied and celebrated spirits. This unique digestif was invented in Milan in 1845, and was originally intended as a medicinal tonic.  Fernet-Branca is the best-known brand of the fernet category of amari, or bitter herbal liqueurs. It’s made with 27 herbs, roo...

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