Venice may be known for its centuries-old charm and glittering canals, but this fall, it was the drinks—both spirited and spirit-free—that took the spotlight. Venice Cocktail Week returned, drawing travelers and locals to some of the finest bars in the city for a celebration of mixology. This time, however, not all the glasses clinked with alcohol. Violino d’Oro, a long-standing hotel just steps away from Piazza San Marco, decided that the midsize and young explorers deserved their own seat at the bar.
At the center of this idea was Il Piccolo Bar, a cozy space tucked inside the hotel. It was an elegant, somewhat understated room, glowing with brass and warm wood, that suddenly hosted a different kind of guest: children. The hotel introduced "Mocktail Week," a new program that gave kids and teens the chance to roll up their sleeves and learn the basics of crafting a proper aperitivo, without any of the usual adult ingredients.
The classes were led by Francesco Adragna, the bar’s head mixologist. He didn’t approach teaching like a novelty act. Instead, he brought much of the exact same care and language used in a standard workshop for adults. Kids quickly learned that a good drink (even a zero-proof one) was built on balance. Not too sweet. Not too sour. Something herbal or aromatic in just the right proportion. And just like that, they muddled mint and twisted orange peels, taking it as seriously as if they were behind a real bar on a busy night.
What was surprising was how quickly they got into it. One moment, a group of 8- to 12-year-olds was watching Adragna explain why ice mattered, and the next, they were debating which citrus paired best with basil. They shook metal tins. They strained. Some tested fresh rosemary, wrinkled their noses, then tried again. Even the instructions on how to pour without splashing became a kind of challenge: part focus, part fun.
The mocktail menu that came out of all this wasn’t a list of cutesy names and sugar bombs. It was varied enough to feel like something you’d find in a proper bar program; fresh fruit creations, sparkling treat drinks with a bit of fizz, and more experimental flavors that used herbs or spice to add depth. A quiet nod to the idea that kids’ palates could be mature too.
Each drink was paired with a small snack, chosen to complement—not overshadow—the drink. Something like crostini or a puff pastry bite. Nothing too heavy. Just enough to mimic what adults might experience during aperitivo hour in Italy, a time of day when food and drink work together.
Venice Cocktail Week had always drawn the kind of crowd that loved a good Negroni variation or a well-balanced spritz. The city’s debate this year became: could a mocktail belong in that world? Violino d’Oro answered that firmly with a yes, and in doing so, made the week-long festival open to everyone, from the cocktail connoisseur to the kid swirling crushed blackberries in a glass.
It was part of a noticeable shift happening in travel and hospitality. More hotels woke up to the idea that luxury didn’t have to mean exclusion. For families visiting Venice, especially during such a lively festival, this kind of programming meant fewer compromises and more shared memories. A small touch, maybe, but one that changed the memories of a trip.
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