Vicenza - a Ticket at Pullmanbar
When planning this trip, I had a bit of a gap in my itinerary between Bassano and Mantova which I wasn’t quite sure how to fill. In terms of making the travel easier, it came down to a choice between Vicenza and Verona for where to spend the night, and neither of them really jumped out as obvious candidates in terms of unique local drinks or historic bars. Both being in the Veneto the Spritz reigns supreme when it comes to aperitivo. In the end, largely to avoid the hordes of tourists in Verona, I decided to stay in Vicenza.
It was a rainy Tuesday in October, and many places which seemed like they might be interesting were shut. Il Grottino, which sounded like a characterful wine bar, located underneath the Palladian Basilica - shut. Pasticceria Soraru, which may or may not have actually sold any drinks, but still sounded interesting from a historical point of view - shut.
I’ve experimented myself in the past with mixing with Sanbitter (including some not very successful attempts to make a non-alcoholic Negroni - more on that another time), and, whilst I find it a pleasant enough drink by itself, I’ve never really been that satisfied with it as a cocktail ingredient. The sweetness just doesn’t seem to mix somehow, and lingers there, dominating the end result.
If you find yourself in Vicenza and looking for a comprehensive treatment of the aperitivo, from historical antiquities like the Milano e Torino, to a possible glimpse of the future in the Ticket, then I recommend you give Pullmanbar a go.
It was a rainy Tuesday in October, and many places which seemed like they might be interesting were shut. Il Grottino, which sounded like a characterful wine bar, located underneath the Palladian Basilica - shut. Pasticceria Soraru, which may or may not have actually sold any drinks, but still sounded interesting from a historical point of view - shut.
In the end, following some searching on the web, I came across a pleasant surprise - it transpires that last year there had been a competition to find the best aperitivo in Italy - sponsored by Sanbitter and the “red prawn” restaurant guide. The winner was, fortunately for me in terms of having something to write about, a bar in Vicenza.
Pullmanbar is a modern and rather trendy looking bar and restaurant, near Palladio’s Teatro Olimpico. Perhaps not really my scene, it evokes the golden age of travel in name only. Their award winning creation, the Ticket, takes pride of place at the top of the full page on their menu dedicated to aperitivi, including an impressive array of Spritz variations, along with the Negroni, its offspring the Sbagliato, and its now more rarely seen grandparent the Milano e Torino.
Pullmanbar is a modern and rather trendy looking bar and restaurant, near Palladio’s Teatro Olimpico. Perhaps not really my scene, it evokes the golden age of travel in name only. Their award winning creation, the Ticket, takes pride of place at the top of the full page on their menu dedicated to aperitivi, including an impressive array of Spritz variations, along with the Negroni, its offspring the Sbagliato, and its now more rarely seen grandparent the Milano e Torino.
I’ve experimented myself in the past with mixing with Sanbitter (including some not very successful attempts to make a non-alcoholic Negroni - more on that another time), and, whilst I find it a pleasant enough drink by itself, I’ve never really been that satisfied with it as a cocktail ingredient. The sweetness just doesn’t seem to mix somehow, and lingers there, dominating the end result.
The Ticket is not an entirely non-alcoholic cocktail, the other ingredients are Biancosarti - an aperitivo made by Campari which I haven’t encountered before and, surprisingly, tonic water. The latter being something I’ve pretty much never seen used in a cocktail, unless you count the gin and tonic as a cocktail, which I would just call a “mixed drink”.
Alas, the Ticket just didn’t really work for me, and I couldn’t help but be reminded of those unsuccessful experiments of mine to make a non-alcoholc Negroni. However, I applaud them for trying - of course, the competition having been sponsored by Sanbitter meant Sanbitter had to be an ingredient, and both Biancosarti and tonic water are pretty creative choices. I’m sure some people will like it - it’s very light, and quite refreshing, and given how Italians are, apparently, increasingly averse to strong booze, it may well catch on.
I regret now not lingering a bit longer so I could work my way through a bit more of their aperitivo menu, alas, I had an appointment with a launderess the other side of town who had very kindly agreed to same day launder my shirts, and I didn’t dare be late.
I regret now not lingering a bit longer so I could work my way through a bit more of their aperitivo menu, alas, I had an appointment with a launderess the other side of town who had very kindly agreed to same day launder my shirts, and I didn’t dare be late.
If you find yourself in Vicenza and looking for a comprehensive treatment of the aperitivo, from historical antiquities like the Milano e Torino, to a possible glimpse of the future in the Ticket, then I recommend you give Pullmanbar a go.
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