Of their relentless pursuit to drink like Italians, American bartenders have left few stones unturned. Every little thing from unsung aperitivo cocktails to once-disgraced disco drinks have been reproduced, reimagined or riffed on advert infinitum stateside. However even a rustic whose traditions are as pored-over as Italy’s nonetheless holds surprises. Take, for instance, L’Albertissimo, a cocktail from Positano with legions of on-line followers, but no recognized recipe. It seems to be the town’s most guarded secret.
The drink identify pops up repeatedly in case you spend sufficient time Googling trip prospects in Positano, “The Instagram Capital of the World” situated on Italy’s eternally fashionable Amalfi Coast. “Positano can be highly regarded for Limoncello and ‘L’Albertissimo’, an alcoholic tipple that may solely be discovered at a small stall on the most important harbor,” reads the town’s Wikipedia web page.
That sentence, each weirdly particular and frustratingly obscure, has led me down a rabbit gap. What is L’Albertissimo, this thriller drink that apparently deserves high billing alongside a liqueur as well-known as limoncello? The Italian-language model of Positano’s Wikipedia entry is not any assist, because it doesn’t reference L’Albertissimo in any respect—nor limoncello or every other drinks, for that matter. As a search time period, “L’Albertissimo” will get 1000’s of hits on Google, however most websites supply no extra info, typically merely repeating the road verbatim, proper all the way down to the stilted phrasing of “alcoholic tipple.”
One exception to the obvious sworn secrecy across the drink is a TripAdvisor dialogue from 2011. In keeping with a consumer named posigirl, L’Albertissimo is “a tremendous alcoholic drink that consists of lemon granita and another particular elements,” accessible at “the blue snack bar on the pier.” A consumer referred to as RosaPositano helps and elaborates on posigirl’s remark: “The drink is scrumptious and has no limoncello however has granita di limone.” RosaPositano even mentions somebody named Alberto, who runs the bar and goes by Albertissimo, noting that he was “happy” to see this dialogue.
Some extra web sleuthing reveals that Alberto is the truth is Alberto Russo, the co-owner of stated blue snack bar on the pier, aka L’Alternativa, and is the namesake creator of L’Albertissimo. Russo guards his secret recipe carefully and can solely share a single ingredient: lemon granita, an icy Sicilian specialty that goes nice with booze. Whereas Russo confirms the beverage accommodates no limoncello, he declines to verify or deny any extra speculations, together with RosaPositano’s claims that “among the many secret elements within the drink, it has a double vodka (strawberry and peach?), lemon soda, and perhaps a melon syrup.” It’s true, nevertheless, that L’Albertissimo is a refreshing frozen cocktail that includes notes of strawberry and “simply the correct quantity of sweetness, excellent for the daytime and likewise for heat evenings,” as Russo places it. Like all of L’Alternativa’s drinks, it is available in a plastic cup so guests can take pleasure in one whereas wandering the close by seashore or sitting on the pier, taking within the panorama for the modest worth of seven euros.
In reality, reasonably priced luxurious is L’Alternativa’s M.O. When Russo’s father and uncle opened the snack bar in 1994, they positioned it as a chill, accessible various to Positano’s high-end restaurant scene. The easy counter-service stall with a darkish blue awning and teal siding operates from April to October, and may survive on location alone—it’s the very first thing you’ll encounter upon disembarking the ferry from neighboring locations like Amalfi. It’s nestled on the base of the town’s stunning pastel buildings, which shortly rise excessive above the ocean, giving Positano its nickname of Città Verticale (Vertical Metropolis). One other of L’Alternativa’s fashionable refreshments is an Instagram-friendly lemon sorbet packed inside a hollowed-out lemon. But the snack bar doesn’t attempt to be a vacationer lure. “L’Alternativa is particular for its enjoyable environment and its cheap worth, the place many locals and vacationers alike select to spend their evenings creating new friendships,” Russo says.
Russo, who grew up in Positano, has bartended for twenty-four years. He additionally runs a well-liked fishing constitution firm referred to as Positano Fishing Excursions. Since 2003, when he and his cousin took over L’Alternativa, they’ve bolstered the collection of snacks, comfortable drinks and beer with cocktails, together with classics like Americanos and Lengthy Island Iced Teas alongside originals such because the Cocchissimo, a frozen coconut stuffed with Malibu rum, amongst different elements. A couple of years in, L’Albertissimo was born, and its recipe hasn’t modified since. Whereas Russo can’t pinpoint when or how his creation took on a lifetime of its personal, he says it grew to become well-known amongst locals earlier than spreading to the web and far-flung renown. Maybe the cocktail’s attract isn’t simply its mystique, however its accessibility for locals in addition to vacationers. Even in case you can’t keep at any of the town’s legendary motels or constitution a non-public sundown boat experience, L’Albertissimo and the blue snack bar on the pier are there for you.
As Russo says, “L’Alternativa has turn out to be an emblem for Positano.”
