Name: Italian Cocchi and Prosecco Cocktail
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon sugar; 2 ounces chilled Cocchi Aperitivo Americano (Italian aperitif wine); 2 ounces chilled Prosecco; Orange twist to garnish

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Prep Time:
5 mins
Cook Time:
0 mins
Total Time:
5 mins

This Italian inspired drink is a fun cocktail made with Cocchi Apertivo Americano, an Italian aperitif wine, and Prosecco.

Prosecco being poured into a coupe glass with several champagne glasses in the background.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or, in my case, when life gives you aperitif wine, make cocktails.

Bottles of Italian Cocchi and prosecco next to a coupe glass.

You see, I had bought a bottle of Cocchi Aperitivo Americano, an Italian aperitif wine, for a recipe that ended up being less than stellar. I had only used a 1/4 cup and had no idea what to do with the rest of the bottle. So, I went in search of another recipe that might use that wine. It turns out there are very few recipes that do.

However, I did find one promising one for a Cocchi and Prosecco cocktail. As luck would have it, soon after finding the recipe, a group of moms I get together with occasionally was having another get together. I offered to make cocktails. They were extremely easy to make and everyone loved them.

Overhead view showing the making of an orange twist.

How to make an orange twist

Although the orange twist seems like a small addition, I think it does contribute to the overall flavor of the drink. I recommend not skipping it. Making orange twists is not as complicated as you may think. And you don’t have to have any special tools to do it. I just used a very sharp vegetable peeler, knife and a skewer to make mine.

First, thoroughly wash and dry your oranges. Then, use the vegetable peeler to remove a wide strip of zest from the center of the orange with as little of the pith as possible. I find that resting my thumb on the orange and using a small sawing motion while moving the peeler towards me (rather than away from me) helps.

You want a strip that is about 1 inch wide and 4-5 inches long. It is OK if the strip is longer since you can trim any excess if you want.

Lay the wide strip of zest on a cutting board, then use a knife to trim away the rough edges. Cut the strip into several thin strips about 1/8 inch wide.

Take one thin strip and wrap it tightly around a skewer. Hold the strip of zest on the skewer for a few seconds then drop the twist into your drink.

Cheers!