Bicicletta
A BevX Cocktail Recipe
The Bicicletta is a distinctly Italian answer to what to drink when the afternoon calls for something bitter, refreshing, and uncomplicated. Dating to the 1930s and associated with northern Italy, it combines Campari, dry white wine, and club soda over ice — essentially a spritz stripped down to its studs: still wine instead of sparkling, Campari for bitterness, soda for lift.
The name means ‘bicycle,’ and the story goes that older Italian gentlemen would pedal into town for an aperitivo and walk their bikes home afterward, which tells you everything you need to know about how many rounds were typically involved. Unlike its flashier cousin the Aperol Spritz, the Bicicletta earns its bubbles entirely from soda and carries Campari’s deeper, more assertive bitterness — less crowd-pleaser, more conversation starter. It’s a lighter, lower-proof member of Italy’s aperitivo tradition, built on balance rather than complexity. Ride carefully.
Ingredients
3 oz. Dry white wine (such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc)
2 oz. Campari
2 oz. Club soda
Garnish: 1 to 2 orange wheels or slices
Occasion
This is the wine lover’s aperitivo — pour it for the guest who insists they don’t like bitters, and watch them come around by the bottom of the glass. Built for a long, unhurried early evening rather than a quick one before dinner.
Method
Fill a wine glass with ice. Add the Campari and white wine, top with club soda, and stir gently. Garnish with an orange wheel or two.
Variations
Ratios here are more suggestion than rule. Equal parts Campari and dry white wine is the traditional starting point, but I lean toward a heavier pour of wine and a generous splash of soda, which keeps the drink light enough for a second round before the meal even starts. Pinot Grigio is the classic call, though any crisp, dry Italian white — Soave, Vermentino, a simple Trebbiano — earns its place in the glass.
Source: Classic