Visit the New Home of Select Aperitivo, Where the Venetian Spritz Reigns Supreme

Let this be your excuse to book a trip to Venice ASAP.

Each year Venice, Italy welcomes millions of tourists from across the globe. They come to see San Marco, marvel at the Doge’s Palace, be spirited away on a gondola ride, and get lost in a serpentine series of canals along the way. Now they can add another cultural experience to the to-do list. Select, one of the world’s most popular aperitif brands, has just cut the ribbon on a new 7,500-square-foot production facility and visitors center. Although the company was born here back in 1920, Ca’ Select is its first-ever consumer-facing outpost. The multi-use space also marks a first-of-its-kind operation for the city. And we’ve got your sneak peek inside, just in time for spritz season.

The new home of Select Aperitivo was reclaimed from a former industrial laboratory in Venice’s quaint and relatively quiet Cannareggio district.

“We chose Cannareggio because it’s one of the few neighborhoods in Venice that is still deeply linked to the more authentic side of Venice and its traditions,” explains Rudi Carraro, global brand ambassador for Gruppo Montenegro, Select’s parent company.

Related: 100 Hours of Solitude in Venice

Ca’ Select is a two-level space divided into four areas. Italian design studio Marcante-Testa spent four years transforming the interior into a largely modish space, carefully preserving threads of the past, including wooden rafters and patches of exposed brick. At its heart is a massive ovular bar reserved for tipple tastings and mixology classes. Yes, most of the cocktails crafted here will be of the Venetian Spritz variety. The classic combination of Select, Prosecco, and soda water was born near this very neighborhood a century ago. But there will be much more on pour — and on the plate, promises Carraro.

“In true Venetian tradition, we will always serve our Original Venetian Spritz accompanied by cicchetti, small savory bites that will accompany the Aperitivo moment in the beautiful settings of Ca’ Select,” he says. “At the same time, we will have other expressions of Select available, including the Americano and the Negroni, thanks to the large premium portfolio of Gruppo Montenegro brands.”

It’s a stable that includes Amaro Montenegro, Edgar Sopper London Dry Gin, Rosso Antico Vermouth, multiple brandies, and grappas. Just don’t ask for anything Aperol; the more ubiquitous aperitif is a direct competitor. Spritzes crafted with Select, by comparison, tend to be more complex, less sweet, and a whole lot less orange (Select is fashioned using rhubarb, resulting in its trademark red hue). The Venetian Spritz is also typically garnished with olives as opposed to fruit.

You’ll learn all of this and more as you make your way upstairs to the educational section of Ca’ Select. Interactive displays and placards chronicle a century of liquid legacy, beginning with the Pilla Brothers, who founded the liqueur here in 1920. The balconied second level overlooks an events area adjacent to the bar, offering “one of the largest spaces in Venice dedicated to culture and socializing,” according to Carraro. A floor-to-ceiling glass partition at its periphery provides a glimpse of the active production on the opposing side. “That’s where the maceration of the herbs and spices that characterize the product recipe takes place.”

And all of it sits beside the banks of the serene Rio Madonna dell’Orto canal. So if you want to boat here directly from Marco Polo Airport, you can. Though you might have to wait just a little longer before you can make that dream a reality: the space won’t fully open to the public until early next year. 

“Currently, we are dedicated to private rentals and Select Aperitivo-powered experiences,” Carraro explains. Should you find yourself in the Floating City this summer, get your mitts on a spritz, by any means necessary. Then keep a close eye on the Ca’ Select website for a calendar of upcoming events.

For more Food & Wine news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on Food & Wine.