Venice Cocktail Week 2026

For Aman Venice, hosting the Venice Cocktail Week means continuing a dialogue that places emphasis on the culture of conscious drinking, understood as an experience of sharing, research and innovation.” This sentiment, offered by Aman Venice’s Director Licinio Garavaglia, anchors the return of Venice Cocktail Week (VCW) for its landmark fifth edition where the Serenissima will once again transform its most illustrious Hotel Bars and intimate Cocktail Bars into a discursive celebration of contemporary mixology.

Conceived and directed by Paola Mencarelli, under the patronage of the Municipality of Venice, in collaboration with Venezia Unica and Vela, l’anima (the soul) of Venice Cocktail Week will be found in a liquid pilgrimage across the city.  “VCW is an independent project,” explains Mencarelli, “conceived as a meeting point and forum for discussion on current and future trends in the world of mixology, aimed at newcomers, enthusiasts and industry professionals alike.” For her, this is an event that “reimagines the bar in a contemporary way,” returning each year with ever more exciting features that grow the city’s mixology scene while placing conscious and quality drinking culture at its heart.

Tailored for the curious, the seasoned, and the discerning enthusiast alike, Mencarelli and her team have created a liquid itinerary conceived with an unwavering attention to quality, sustainability, and responsible consumption. Expect exclusive cocktail lists, ephemeral Guest Shifts, intimate Masterclasses, the cherished Midday Aperitivo, roving Pop-Up Bars, and cultural experiences to capture the city’s ancient fabric.

Each Selected Cocktail Bar will present a dedicated VCW26 Drink List comprising three exclusive creations: A Signature Cocktail VCW26 – an unfettered expression of the resident bartender’s creative signature, conceived without constraint. An Aperitivo di Mezzogiorno – a luminous, low-ABV or entirely alcohol-free elixir, light and refreshing in accordance with great Venetian tradition. 

Perfectly suited for the city’s sacrosanct midday pause (and, ideally, accompanied by the obligatory cicchetto), this is a drink for all hours—an ode to  the Venetian art of assapora il momento (savouring the moment). A Classic Cocktail VCW26 – a masterful re-reading of a timeless icon, re-envisioned through a contemporary lens. Together, these compositions form a liquid narrative that interprets the very evolution of contemporary drinking culture, championing uncompromising quality, ecological sustainability, and an ethos of mindful consumption.

The confluence of mixology and gastronomy goes even deeper.in 2026. Dining with the Spirits and Pastry with the Spirits return to blur the boundaries between disciplines, inviting Venetian chefs and pastry chefs to wield premium spirits as a primary ingredient—elevating menu offerings and anchoring dedicated evenings that tantalize both the palate and the imagination.

Simultaneously, the Barkeeper initiative places the city’s resident talent centre stage, inviting the public to discover their stories and visions directly from behind the bar. Adding to the dialogue, Pop-Up Bars from sister events—Florence Cocktail Week, Amalfi Coast Cocktail Week, and Cortina Cocktail Weekend—will dock in the Serenissima, fostering a rare and wonderful exchange of styles and territories.  

This year’s edition pares the programme down to five focused days—a strategic tightening that concentrates the creative energy, making the festival less scattered for both international visitors and local connoisseurs. It is a choice that reflects the event’s maturity and its deepening relationship with the city it calls home. As Mayor of Venice Simone Venturini reflects, the fifth edition marks “an important and significant milestone for an event that, year after year, has grown, established itself and gained an increasingly recognised international standing.”

For him, VCW is not merely a flagship event but the result of a journey that has “progressively strengthened the bond between the city, quality hospitality, excellence in mixology and the local territory.” He emphasises that the festival “does not ‘consume’ Venice, but tells its story through credibility and care”—a sentiment echoed by Fabrizio D’Oria, General Manager of Vela spa, who describes VCW as “a virtuous example of how Venice can attract initiatives capable of generating value for the hospitality supply chain and the urban fabric.” Over five editions, D’Oria notes, the event has “built a solid professional ecosystem, connecting expertise, high-level venues and an engaged audience,” demonstrating how a credible project can grow without placing a burden on the city.  

SELECTED BARS Venice Cocktail Week 2026

^{HOTEL BARS} 

^{Alchemia Bar, Ca’ di Dio}

^{Arts Bar, The St.Regis Venice} 

^{Bar Biblioteca, Nolinski Venezia}

^{Bar Dandolo, Danieli, Venezia, A Four Seasons Hotel}

^{Blue Bar, Excelsior Hotel Resort Lido di Venezia}

^{Boutique Lounge, Santa Croce Boutique Hotel}

^{Experimental Cocktail Club, Il Palazzo Experimental}

^{Herbarium, NH Collection Venezia Grand Hotel Palazzo dei Dogi}

^{Heureka Chic Bar, Hotel Heureka}

^{Il Caravellino, Hotel Saturnia & International}

^{Il Piccolo Bar, Violino d’Oro} 

^{K Lounge Bar / Terrazza Gabrielli, Hotel Gabrielli Venezia – Starhotels Collezione}

^{Lord Byron, Palazzo Keller}

^{Orientalbar & Bistrot, Hotel Metropole Venezia}

^{Palladio Bar, Airelles Palladio Venice} 

^{Skyline Rooftop Bar, Hilton Molino Stucky Venice}

^{The Bar at Aman Venice, Aman Venice} 

^{The “G” Lounge & Garden Bar, Hotel Nani Mocenigo Palace}

^{Venice Collection: Il Porto Lounge Bar, Palazzo Veneziano / The Mask Lounge & Garden, Carnival Palace}

^{Venixino Lounge & Garden, Donà Palace} 

^{Wagon Bar, Orient Express Venezia}

^{COCKTAIL BARS}

^{Blue Drop Venice}

^{Caffè Florian} 

^{Grancaffé Quadri}

^{Il Mercante} 

^Marciano

^Rétro 

^Rivoire

^{Santa Cocktail Club – Venezia}

^{Tarnowska’s American Bar} 

^{Time Social Bar} 

_{Credits: Photography by Michele Tamasco}