Any suggestions for a non-alcoholic pre-dinner drink in Italy?
 

My DH and I depart for Italy (Rome, Florence and Venice!) in 3 weeks! This may seem like a silly question but I'm wondering so I thought I'd ask.

I know my DH will enjoy tasting many of the wines of Italy and we'll both love sitting outdoors in various piazza's relaxing and taking in "La Dolce Vita." but I don't drink alcohol and am wondering if any of you have any suggestions for something different I might enjoy drinking while relaxing in a cafe or enoteca. In Mexico, I'd order a virgin pina-colada and at home in the States, I usually just have club soda with lemon and ice. I suppose I could just do aqua frizzante(?)but that gets a bit boring as a before dinner drink when it's all I'll be drinking with my meals. By the way, is asking for ice and lemon with water as frowned on in Italy as it was in France?

Any ideas?

I ask for ice and lemon virtually every time I order acqua frizzante in Italy, so no, that is nothing out of the ordinary. As far as non-alcoholic, I think you're pretty limited to Cola and sparkling water-unless there is something on the cocktail menu that mentions "virgin"-but you can always ask.

You're not limited to anything of the sort! There are dozens and dozens of non-alcoholic choices on just about any Italian menu.

And it won't say "virgin," either.

Sheesh, where do you get this information, or should I say misinformation, Girlspytravel?

ooh - how about a bellini without the alcohol? Peach juice and club soda, something like that. Also when I don't want alcohol I enjoy lemon or limeade & mineral with gas, I had that in Mexico, very refreshing.

San Pelligrino bitters and club soda -- or just a bitter San Pelligrino.

But StCirq is right. A typical bar menu in Italy (ask for it) offers many non-alcoholic choices, including cocktails senza alcohol.

Sheesh! What more did you list, St. Cirq, or did I miss something, here, other than water? (smile)

On menus, look out for 'Aperitivi Analcolico', which means non-alcoholic aperitifs, for a list of suitable drinks.

Very popular is something they call a 'Spremute' (pronounced spre-moo-ter, stressing the 'moo' bit), which is basically freshly squeezed fruit juice. You can have all kinds (orange, lemon, peach etc).

hi, plafield,

my DS has the same trouble - dislikes most drinks even coke so drinks a lot of water.

in Rome he was hooked on the freshly squeezed blood-orange juice, but there should be lots of others.

AS a change from wine, your DH might like to order a "campari soda" - they come ready mixed in little cone shaped bottles.

Have a great trip,

regards, ann

IIRC, "Campari Soda" is non alcoholic.

Not true, Campari Soda contains alcohol (not loads, but still, it's there).

Here's a list of popular italian brand name soft drinks:
http://www.nifeislife.com/default.php?cPath=125_169

Thanks so much everyone, especially Kate! My Italian is almost non-existant, although I've been trying to leran enough to be polite, so the cue to what to look for on the drinks menu as well as the pronunciation of the fresh squeezed juice is quite helpful. Thanks too for the list. I don't generally enjoy sugar sweetened soft drinks but a spremute sounds delicious. If I wanted fresh juice mixed with club soda would it be a spremute gassata?



Girlspy, I'm glad to hear ice and lemon for water is not unuaual. I think I might have this one down: Acqua frizzante con ghiaccio a limone, por favore.

ira, campari is 41 proof and like my favorite Paris apertif, SUZE, it is a gention based drink srved with soda or orange juice or as a cocktail.

I often drink spremuta di limone....fresh lemon juice with carbonated water or seltzer. I love it!

Campari is certainly alcoholic!

"If I wanted fresh juice mixed with club soda would it be a spremute gassata?"

Not sure if 'gassata' is an italian word (I await to be corrected). You could say 'una spremuta con acqua frizzante'. Then you just need to brush up on your italian fruit names, as most places will have a list of different juices they do.

Bars serving cocktails will also generally have a list of non-alcoholic cocktails, so you may yet be able to get your pina-colada! Plenty of italians don't drink.

plafeld,

"Please" in Italian is "per favore" , not "por"

Thanks for the help with the Italian! I imagine I'll be answered in English every time, but would like to try. I speak a decent amount of Spanish and it's challenging to not mix them up! Hence the "por" as opposed to "per"
I hope I don't offend anyone, but I still think it's better to try than just expect and assume folks will speak English!

Eks, it sounds like, from your post, that spremute isn't just the fresh fruit juice, but is the juice mixed with seltzer. Is that correct? If I ordered spremute di pesca would that be peach juice and acqua frizzante/ selzer?

Spremuta is the singular

Spremute is the plural.

Dont order spremute unless you want several :)

Plafield, the only two "spremute" that I have seen in Venice (and this is an excellent non-alcoholic drink, btw, forgot about that!) is orange and grapefruit (arancia e pompelmo). It's very refreshing on a hot day or evening. It is usually made with acqua frizzante.

The word "spremuta" comes from the Italian verb spremere-to squeeze, hence "squeezed orange" -I prefer grapefruit myself.

The Venice train station buffet makes a very good grapefruit spremuta, btw.

This isn't necessarily a pre-dinner drink, but Orangina and even Fanta Orange are great in Italy. I don't touch Fanta Orange in the US, but in Europe is is MUCH less sweet...it is truly refreshing.

Are spremute usually served on ice? Sounds like this will be my drink in Italy. Grapefruit sounds very refreshing although I know I'll enjoy it with almost any kind of fresh juice!