The Sculaccione Cocktail

Ladies & Gents, The Sculaccione Cocktail! Cheers, Salud, Saluti! However you toast, you need a glass of this bitter, sweet and a little smoky cocktail in your hand as you celebrate this ‘spank’ of a drink.

Bitter, sweet and a little smoky - this celebration of Italy & Mexico is a burst of everything. Personally, I could drink Campari from the bottle for breakfast (goals) so anything mixed with this Italian treasure has already piqued my interest.

The Sculaccione - translated as 'the spank' is a perfect hit of Campari, tequila, simple syrup and grapefruit juice. It gives a wonderful complex blend of bitter from the Campari, smoky and boozy from the tequila and a little sweet and tart from the simply syrup and grapefruit.

I experienced a similar version of this in Nancy Silverton's fancy LA restaurant, Osteria Mozza a few years back and was hooked.

I had to recreate the magic at home did a sterling job I think - as far as I remember it's a very close match to the original, but nevertheless, a super tasty concoction that's on my cocktail rotation at home. See below for the full home-spun cocktail favourites.

Stuff You'll Need

Here's the booze you'll need to get hold of for the Sculaccione cocktail.

• Campari - Italy's (and dfare I say the World's) favourite amero bitter.
• Tequila - for a boozy and lightly smoky aroma. You can amp up the smokiness and substitute with Mezcal too if you like.
• Simple Syrup - takes a little of the edge off the tequila
• Grapefruit juice - freshly squeezed brings a sweet, tart sourness to the mix.
• Ice - this cocktail is best served over ice.

Then, all you need to do is shake everything together and pour into a highball, or tall glass over plenty of ice and enjoy!

Ready to get shaking?

I love the Sculaccione as it really hits my favourite flavours of bitter, sweet and sour - a real winner of a cocktail as it's a longer one too. I'm a bit of a guzzler, so a longer drink always goes down well as I wont just slurp it up in a couple of goes.

Hope you enjoy the recipe! Cheers!

More cocktails please!

If you enjoyed the Sculaccione, I'm sure you'll love my other favourite cocktails.

• Hugo Spritz Cocktail
• Picon Punch
• Campari Cocktail (The Pink Fizz)
• Bangkok G&T (Gin Cocktail with Thai Basil)
• Pamplemousse Cocktail
• Lucien Gaudin Cocktail

This recipe uses affiliations and may receive a commission based on your activity (link clicks). Learn more.