Editorial
Italy gave the world the Negroni, the Bellini, the Negroni Sbagliato and the very idea of aperitivo. The 10 below run from the bars where those drinks were invented, like Bar Basso and Harry's Bar, to the modern revival led by Drink Kong and Locale Firenze. Rome and Milan lead the field, with Florence, Venice and Naples adding weight.
The Jerry Thomas Project hides in Rome's centro storico and still plays the speakeasy game, a password at the door and a five-euro membership before you get a drink. Inside, the cocktails are classic and properly made, which is the point of all the theatre. Book ahead, because it is small. One for cocktail purists who do not mind the rigmarole.
Drink Kong in Monti is the modern face of Roman drinking, a neon, Tokyo-leaning bar that landed at number 40 on the 2025 World's 50 Best list. Patrick Pistolesi's menu is precise and a long way from the Negroni tradition. It works best after dinner. Go for cocktails built as design objects, not for a quiet local.
Camparino has poured Campari under the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele in Milan since 1915, and the Belle Epoque counter is the place to stand for a Negroni or a Campari Selz. It is a tourist landmark now, with prices to match the Duomo address, so drink at the bar rather than the table. Go at aperitivo hour for the history.
Caffe Rivoire has sat on Piazza della Signoria in Florence since 1872, famous for thick Turin-style hot chocolate but a fine aperitivo stop too, if you can stomach the square's prices. The view of the Palazzo Vecchio is the real order. Stand at the bar to keep the bill sane. Go mid-afternoon for chocolate, early evening for a spritz.
Harry's Bar off San Marco invented the Bellini in 1948 and still charges like it, north of 20 euros a glass. The room is small, the waiters formal, and the prices a clear tourist tax. You go once, for the history and the Carpaccio, and order the Bellini knowing what it costs. Pre-dinner is the moment, if at all.
Bar Basso on Via Plinio is where the Negroni Sbagliato was invented in 1972, and they still serve it in the oversized goblet that made it famous. This is the pilgrimage stop, more neighbourhood institution than fashion bar, and the better for it. Evenings fill with a mix of locals and cocktail tourists. Order the Sbagliato. Anything else misses the point.
Locale Firenze sits inside a restored palazzo in Florence's centro storico and ranked 22nd on the 2025 World's 50 Best list. The menu is low-waste and design-led, the Foglia its calling card, all gin, hemp and basil. It is a late-evening room for people who take their cocktails seriously. Grand setting, serious drinks, prices to match.
Freni e Frizioni in Trastevere is the value pick on this list, a former mechanic's garage where the cocktail comes with a free aperitivo buffet from half six. It pulls a young, loud crowd that spills into the piazza outside. Go around seven, eat from the spread, and nurse a drink as the square fills. Cheap, lively, and the opposite of Harry's Bar.
L'Antiquario in the Chiaia district is Naples' answer to the speakeasy, a below-stairs room from Alex Frezza with live jazz on Wednesdays. The cocktails are ambitious and the setting intimate, a calmer corner of a loud city. Late evening is the time. One for a date or a serious nightcap rather than a quick round.
Mag Cafe on the Navigli canals opened in 2011 and remains one of Milan's better cocktail rooms, made the 2026 Winter Olympics drinks list, and stays open to 2am. It sits in the canal-side nightlife strip, so expect a crowd. The drinks are eclectic and well made. Go later in the evening, once the Navigli has filled up.
Each city has its own top-10 guide below, picked by editors who know the ground. Use them to go deeper than this national list.
Forget the Aperol Spritz cliche. The best Italian bars treat the drink with the seriousness it deserves, whether that is Bar Basso pouring its Sbagliato in a goblet or Drink Kong reinventing the whole form. The 10 above all do that. Pick the city that matches the night you want.
Tom Callahan covers pubs and pints across the UK, Ireland and beyond. Value-conscious, suspicious of anything overpriced, and always with one eye on the match.