Simple & Elegant, Cocktail Secco
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La Cucina Italiana published a recipe for Simple & Elegant, a dry cocktail created by bartender Giorgio Bargiani. The single-serving drink combines gin or vodka with extra-dry vermouth, Peychaud’s bitters and lemon zest, and takes about five to eight minutes to prepare.

La Cucina Italiana published a recipe on October 18, 2026, for Simple & Elegant, a dry cocktail created by bartender Giorgio Bargiani. The one-drink recipe pairs gin or vodka with extra-dry vermouth, a small measure of Peychaud’s bitters and lemon zest; the publication gives a preparation time of five to eight minutes.

The recipe calls for 75 milliliters of Fords gin or Grey Goose vodka, 15 milliliters of Bottega Cinzano 1757 Extra Dry vermouth and one milliliter of Peychaud’s bitters. Lemon zest and ice complete the ingredient list. The recipe names particular brands, but its instructions also describe the drink by its components: a spirit, dry vermouth, bitters and a citrus garnish.

To prepare it, chill a Martini glass with ice or place it in a freezer. Put five or six ice cubes in a mixing glass, add the spirit and vermouth, and stir for about a minute. The recipe then directs the maker to empty or remove the chilled glass, coat its inside with bitters, strain in the stirred drink and finish with a twist of lemon zest.

The instructions produce one serving and do not call for shaking, juice, syrup or a sweetener. La Cucina Italiana presents the drink as a dry option for welcoming guests. That description is the publication’s characterization; the recipe does not provide a measured sweetness level or nutritional information.

At a glance
announcementWhen: Published October 18, 2026
The developmentLa Cucina Italiana published Giorgio Bargiani’s recipe for Simple & Elegant, a dry gin-or-vodka cocktail served with vermouth, bitters and lemon zest.

A Short Recipe for a Dry Martini-Style Drink

The recipe specifies a cocktail made with either gin or vodka, alongside vermouth, bitters and lemon zest. It calls for a mixing glass and strainer and gives measured quantities for a single serving. The instructions describe stirring the ingredients with ice before straining the drink into a chilled glass.

La Cucina Italiana identifies Bargiani as a bartender at London’s Connaught Bar and reports that he was named International Bartender of the Year at Tales of the Cocktail in 2023. The recipe is attributed to him and provides the publication’s stated method and ingredient amounts.

La Cucina Italiana describes Simple & Elegant as a drink for welcoming guests. The recipe yields one serving and lists alcoholic ingredients. It does not provide an alcohol-by-volume calculation or serving-size guidance beyond the ingredient measures.

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Bargiani’s Career Behind the Recipe

According to La Cucina Italiana, Bargiani was born in Pisa and started his career in Tuscany before joining the Connaught Bar in London in 2014. The magazine says he worked alongside mentor Ago Perrone and later received the International Bartender of the Year award at Tales of the Cocktail in 2023. It also reports that Bargiani recently designed his first glassware collection with Nude Glass; it gives no date or further details for that project.

The recipe is credited to Giorgio Bargiani, as told to Angela Odone. Davide Maestri is credited for the photograph, and Beatrice Prada for styling. La Cucina Italiana lists several other Bargiani recipes, including Espresso de la olla, Banana Punch and Flip Brulè, Negroni Extra, Giani Colada, Accidentally GB and Bar/Giani Bubbles. Those listings provide related recipe options, not evidence of a new product launch or a change in the cocktail industry.

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Details the Recipe Does Not Give

The source does not state whether Bargiani developed Simple & Elegant for a particular event, bar menu or product collaboration. It also does not provide a publication interview explaining the drink’s name, its history, or why the listed brands were selected. The available material is a recipe and short career profile, not a report on a new bar opening, award announcement or commercial launch.

Some practical details are also absent: there is no finished-drink volume, alcohol-by-volume estimate, nutrition information or alternative method for people without a mixing glass or strainer. The recipe gives no guidance on adjusting the amount of bitters or vermouth to personal taste. Readers should treat the named brands as the recipe’s listed ingredients rather than assume that the publication tested or endorsed substitutes.

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How Readers Can Make the Drink

The published method calls for chilling the serving glass, stirring the spirit and vermouth with ice for about a minute, adding bitters to the glass, straining in the mixture and garnishing with lemon zest. The recipe lists gin or vodka as options and does not provide separate instructions for either choice.

La Cucina Italiana’s source material does not announce a follow-up event or further reporting about the cocktail. Additional information about Bargiani’s reasoning, the drink’s development or its reception would require a later statement or publication update. The source confirms the publication of a one-serving recipe and provides its ingredients and preparation instructions.

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Key Questions

What is Simple & Elegant?

It is a dry cocktail recipe created by bartender Giorgio Bargiani and published by La Cucina Italiana. The recipe combines gin or vodka with extra-dry vermouth, Peychaud’s bitters and lemon zest.

What ingredients does the recipe use?

For one drink, it lists 75 ml gin or vodka, 15 ml extra-dry vermouth, 1 ml Peychaud’s bitters, lemon zest and ice. The source names Fords gin or Grey Goose vodka and Bottega Cinzano 1757 Extra Dry vermouth.

How long does it take to make?

La Cucina Italiana lists a preparation time of five to eight minutes. The method includes chilling the glass and stirring the spirit and vermouth with ice for about one minute.

Is the drink made with gin or vodka?

The recipe allows either gin or vodka. It does not provide separate preparation instructions or a comparison of how the two options affect the finished drink.

Who is Giorgio Bargiani?

La Cucina Italiana reports that Bargiani began his career in Tuscany, joined London’s Connaught Bar in 2014 and was named International Bartender of the Year in 2023 at Tales of the Cocktail.

Source: rss

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