Italian lemonade from Piedmont and the Adriatic
Italian lemonade is the quintessential bar soda, served in small glass bottles sized for a single pour. Gazzosa stands for lemon, Aranciata for orange, and Chinotto for dark bitter orange. Here, they come from Lurisia in Piedmont and Galvanina from Rimini; both producers bottle from their own springs, with one house using Presidio Chinotto and the other offering organic quality.
Italian lemonade bears Italian names because each variety is a distinct drink in Italy. "Limonata" refers to the lemon, "Aranciata" to the orange, "Gazzosa" to the clear citrus soda, and "Chinotto" to the dark drink made from bitter oranges. The bottles are small because they are intended to be served by the glass in a bar, and the flavor depends on the water, as both houses in this selection bottle from their own private springs. Whatever else we carry from France can be found in our full lemonade selection.
A glass before dinner
In Italy, the "aperitivo hour" is the time between work and dinner, and at the bar, you will always find something non-alcoholic alongside the spritz.
Chinotto is the classic choice there—dark and herbal, a staple in every bar since the 1950s—followed by Aranciata with its high fruit content and Gazzosa, whose name comes simply from the gas (carbonation) in the bottle. Since the 19th century, this has been the name for any clear citrus soda in Italy.
It is drunk from the small bottle, chilled, with a slice of orange or lemon and a bowl of olives on the side. Anyone who stirs Gazzosa with lemon sorbet and a splash of sparkling wine has a Sgroppino in their glass, the Venetian dessert.
Lurisia and the water from Monte Pigna
In Roccaforte Mondovì in the province of Cuneo, Lurisia has been bottling spring water that emerges from the rock high up on Monte Pigna since 1940.
With around 36 milligrams of minerals per liter, it is one of the lightest waters in Italy, and that is precisely what makes it the foundation for lemonade: it has almost no flavor of its own, allowing the fruit to take center stage. The location is in Piedmont, a good seventy kilometers south of Turin, even though the mountain range above it is called the Ligurian Alps.
The varieties come in 275-milliliter bottles. The Gazzosa is made from the juice and an infusion of whole Sfusato lemons grown on the terraces of the Amalfi Coast, following a recipe from the 1950s. The Aranciata Rossa features the juice of Sicilian blood oranges of the Moro, Tarocco, and Sanguinello varieties, while the Aranciata contains orange juice and an extract of Apulian oranges.
Finally, the Chinotto thrives on an infusion of Chinotto di Savona, a myrtle-leaved citrus fruit from the Ligurian coast that Slow Food designated as a "Presidio" protected product in 2004. It is harvested by hand between mid-September and the end of November, as the thin skin cannot withstand mechanical harvesting.
Galvanina and the spring at Colle Paradiso
Above Rimini, where the Romans once operated their thermal baths, flows the spring from which Galvanina takes its name—a brand registered in the Italian historical companies registry since 1910.
The house has transitioned its beverages to ingredients from certified organic farming, allowing the fruit to retain its true origins. The organic lemon comes from Sicily, the bergamot from the Ionian coast of Calabria (where the fruit is otherwise harvested almost exclusively for the peel oil used in Earl Grey tea), and the pink grapefruit ripens on the tree in the Mediterranean region.
The Chinotto from Galvanina relies on the aroma of Calabrian bitter oranges and extracts of aromatic herbs; caramelized cane sugar gives it its dark color. Gambero Rosso named it one of the best in Italy in 2022. Every bottle features the embossed crest of the noble family that owned the spring in the 16th century, a design that won the Good Design Award in Tokyo in 2011.
Peach iced tea made from a genuine Darjeeling infusion from the same house is also available here as soon as it hits the shelves.
Bright, herbal, or dark
Italian lemonade sorts itself by color in the glass, as that already reveals the direction of the flavor.
Gazzosa and the organic lemon are bright and clear, acidic and with little sweetness—the perfect lemonades for fish, fried dishes, and hot afternoons. Aranciata and Aranciata Rossa glow orange, juicy and round; at the table, they are also the top choice for children.
Pink grapefruit and bergamot appear rosé and yellow in the glass, herbal and floral, with a bitterness derived from the fruit itself. The Chinotto is dark as amber; it makes you hesitate on the first sip but usually wins you over on the second.
Two Chinottos are presented here side by side, and they are constructed differently: at Lurisia, the character comes from an infusion of the fruit, while at Galvanina, it comes from its aroma and herbal extracts. Once you have tried both, you will quickly find your favorite.
At the bar and at the table
It belongs in a glass when cold, with ice and a slice of citrus fruit; in the bar, it takes on roles usually filled by bitter lemon or tonic.
Gazzosa lengthens gin and vodka while keeping the lemon flavor authentic, Chinotto pairs well with dark rum or an amaro, bergamot carries the botanicals of a gin further, and pink grapefruit makes for a Paloma when paired with tequila and a salted rim. They are just as good without alcohol, served over plenty of ice with olives or salted almonds on the side.
At the table, the bright lemon accompanies fried fish and fritto misto, the Aranciata pairs with pizza and pasta, and the Chinotto suits antipasti and sun-dried tomatoes. The small bottle is exactly one serving, finished before the carbonation fades.
You can find the French counterpart in a swing-top bottle at La Mortuacienne, other products from the country under our Italian specialties, and everything non-alcoholic in our non-alcoholic beverages category. And then, it is time for an aperitivo.
