Name: Bocce Ball Cocktail
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1.5 oz Vodka; 0.5 oz Amaretto; 5 oz Orange Juice; Splash Soda Water; Orange Wheel (garnish)

This refreshing Bocce Ball drink recipe is a quick & easy 4-ingredient cocktail.

The simple mixed drink is a popular craft cocktail to serve at brunch or breakfast in a highball glass. It features Italian Disaronno Amaretto, vodka, freshly squeezed orange juice, splash of sparkling water and an orange slice garnish.

We suggest preparing this sweet Bocce Ball Cocktail recipe at brunch with a stack of pancakes or waffles, or as a day drink slowly sipped on a hot summer day.

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What Is A Bocce Ball Drink?

The Bocce drink is a refreshing, fruity, highball mixed drink similar to a classic Screwdriver.

It’s an easy vodka cocktail that features a muddling of freshly squeezed orange juice and Disaronno. The almond notes in amaretto pair very well with citrus, creating a fun twist on the average OJ highball.

The cocktails use of freshly squeezed orange juice makes it the perfect sipper for brunch or daytime drinking on a hot day.

Traditional Bocce Ball Drink recipe ingredients.

What Is Disaronno Amaretto?

Disaronno Originale is a type of amaretto, an amber-coloured liqueur featuring a unique almond aroma and taste. It is produced in Saronno in Italy’s Lombardy region. It is the world’s best known amaretto brand.

While the Italian aperitif smells and tastes like almonds, the liqueur is actually an infusion of apricot kernel oil with alcohol, burnt sugar, and the pure essence of 17 secretly selected herbs and fruits. Disaronno is a nut-free alcoholic product.

It was originally called Amaretto di Saronno until 2001, when it was rebranded as Disaronno Originale. The liqueur is sold in an oblong glass decanter designed by a craftsman from Murano.

For a long time the Italian company has promoted a legend surrounding the origins of amaretto, “In 1525, a Saronno church commissioned artist Bernardino Luini, one of Leonardo da Vinci’s pupils, to paint its sanctuary with frescoes. As the church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Luini needed to depict the Madonna, but was in need of a model. He found his inspiration in a young widowed innkeeper. As a gift for him, the woman steeped apricot kernels in brandy, producing the first amaretto liqueur.”

Disaronno can be served straight up as a aperitif or digestif, on the rocks, or as part of a cocktail mixed with other alcoholic beverages, Coca-Cola, ginger ale, or fresh fruit juice. It may also be added to hot chocolate and is an ingredient in the Italian version of a boozy Irish coffee. Amaretto liqueur is also famously used in the Italian dessert Tiramisu.

While the Disaronno Sour is the most famous cocktail using amaretto, our favourite is this Bocce Ball drink recipe.

Garnish this easy Bocce Ball drink with an orange slice.

Travel to Italy to Sip A Bocce Ball Drink

There’s no better way to familiarize yourself with an authentic Bocce Ball drink then by planning a vacation to visit Italy.

While Disaronno was originally served as an aperitif in the north, Italy’s most popular liqueur is now enjoyed in drinks across the country and throughout Europe and North America.

If you’ve traveled to Italy before you’ll probably have developed a fondness for aperitivo hour. Aperitivo comes from the Latin word aperire, meaning “to open.” Historically, an aperitivo was an alcoholic beverage consumed before dinner to whet your appetite. Today, it’s a daily ritual that embodies la dolce vita.

True to form, this daily routine exudes Italy’s quintessential style of slowing down, socializing, drinking, and, of course, eating. In Italy aperitivo hour starts every night from around 6-9 PM at local cafes, bars, hotels, and restaurants. Italians and tourists alike take part in drinks and snacks while they unwind and catch up with friends before their evening meal filled with polenta, pasta, short rib ragu, pici, gnocchi, pizza and gelato.

Classic Italian aperitifs like Campari, Aperol and Disaronno are served at aperitivo hour with a complimentary selection of snacks like olives, crackers, cured meat and cheese.

We suggest ordering a Bocce Ball cocktail after sailing through the canals in Venice, luxury car hopping in Modena, tanning on the beach in Amalfi, visiting the Pantheon in Rome, exploring Italian Renaissance treasures in The Vatican, Armani and contemporary art shopping in Milan, touring the tower in Pisa, and enjoying a Honeymoon in Tuscany with stops in Siena, Sorano, Pitigliano, Saturnia, Volterra and Florence.

The classic Bocce Ball cocktail features Italian Disaronno Amaretto and Vodka.

Bocce Ball Cocktail Recipe Ingredients

Our Bocce Ball drink recipe is easy to make in under 10 minutes!

Vodka: we suggest using a premium vodka such as Absolut, Smirnoff or Grey Goose.

Disaronno: use Italy’s favourite amaretto liqueur.
Orange Juice: only use freshly squeezed orange juice. You really can taste the difference!
Sparkling Water: add a splash of sparkling water or soda before serving.
Orange: garnish the glass with an orange wheel, wedge or slice.

Bocce Ball Drink Recipe Tips

This refreshing Bocce Ball drink recipe is easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 10 minutes!

We love serving the classic Disaronno cocktail in the summer on a hot day as the muddling of fresh orange juice and amaretto is really refreshing.

Since it uses freshly squeezed orange juice it also makes for an excellent brunch beverage. Serve it alongside waffles, pancakes, French Toast and muffins.

Feel free to get creative with the cocktail by swapping out standard vodka with a flavoured vodka instead. We’d suggest using a vanilla, grapefruit or lemon flavoured vodka.

During the holiday season add a sprig of rosemary and cocktail pick skewered with fresh cranberries for a simple yet eye catching Christmas cocktail.

Our Bocce Ball cocktail recipe serves one person. If you’re hosting a large gathering feel free to multiply the ingredients by the number of guests and muddle the drink in a punch bowl or jug.

Bocce Ball Bomb Shot

The Bocce Ball’s ingredients can also be used to create a bomb shot, which is when a shot of liquor is dropped into a tall glass filled with a second beverage.

Amaretto and orange juice are all that you will need, and you will find that it is considerably less intense than the Irish slammer or Jäger bomb. You don’t have to fill the pint glass with orange juice. Instead, pour just 4 to 5 ounces, or fill the glass about 1/3 of the way full. Fill a shot glass with Disaronno, then drop the shot into the pint glass and drink!

We love serving a Bocce Ball Cocktail at brunch because it's prepared with fresh orange juice. — We love serving a Bocce Ball Cocktail at brunch because it’s prepared with fresh orange juice.

Best Selling Vodka

In the 90’s vodka was all the rage, as martini bars sprung up in cocktail-loving North American cities like Toronto and New York.

Vodka is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage. Different varieties originated in Poland, Russia, and Sweden. Vodka is composed mainly of water and ethanol but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavourings. Traditionally, it is made by distilling liquid from fermented cereal grains.

Here are some of the world’s best selling vodka brands and our local small batch favourites:

Grey Goose: the world’s top selling premium vodka has been produced in France since the 1990s.
Belvedere: is a close second for world’s favourite premium vodka brand. The Polish rye vodka is named after Belweder, the Polish presidential palace in Warsaw.
Stolichnaya: also known as Stoli, is produced in Riga, Latvia. The brand produces a wide variety of flavoured vodkas, perfect for seasonal cocktail parties.
Titos: began as a small-batch vodka brand distilled in Texas. Today, it’s recognized as the best selling vodka in America. Titos is made from corn, making it a gluten-free friendly spirit.
Ketel One: is a Dutch premium vodka brand with a flavour palette offering hints of honey and citrus.
Absolut: is an iconic Swedish distiller and was the top selling vodka brand globally for decades. The brand offers a colourful collection of flavoured vodka bottles.
Smirnoff: this Russian brand was founded in Moscow and today sells 39 different vodka flavours.
Iceberg Vodka: the top selling vodka in Canada is made from icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland.
Dillon’s Distillery: This Beamsville, Ontario producer makes 2 small batch vodkas near Niagara.

The Bocce Ball Drink is the perfect cocktail to make for vodka lovers.

Best Bartender Tools & Cocktail Equipment

Before hosting a Bocce Ball cocktail party you’ll need to ensure you have the best bartender tools and cocktail equipment.

Cocktail Kit: cocktail kits are the perfect gift for newbie mixology fans as they include basic bartender tools like a jigger, shaker and spoon.
Cocktail Shaker: a bartender’s best friend. Purchase a premium cocktail shaker to muddle or shake up your favourite pink gin cocktails.
Cocktail Glassware: make sure your bar is stocked with a selection of unique glassware to show off your favourite cocktail creations.
Hawthorne Strainer: this unique strainer features tightly wound coils and perforated holes. It keeps ice and other large ingredients like lime wedges in your cocktail shaker rather than in the glass.
Bar Spoons: slender and long bar spoons are a must-have when stirring drinks.
Bottle Opener: easily open bottles of beer or cider with the flick of your wrist or purchase a corkscrew for fine wine.
Pouring Spout: once you’ve opened a new bottle of gin insert these affordable pourers to make cocktail assembly a breeze.
Cutting Board: purchase a petite cutting board for your bar to slice garnishes or citrus wedges like lime, orange, lemon or grapefruit.
Ice Bucket: chill bottles of gin quickly in an ice bucket or keep by the bar when muddling gin mixers into cool creations.
Ice Crusher: fans of the Mint Julep love an ice crusher.
Ice Cube Kit: we suggest purchasing a selection of ice cube trays. Silicone styles are our favourite as they’re easy to clean and are available in various shapes and sizes.
Jigger: use a jigger to accurately measure spirits, juices, syrups and shrubs.
Juicer: invest in an electronic juicer or buy an affordable hand-held to easily juice fresh citrus like lemons and limes.
Muddler: fans of the Mojito love a sturdy muddler to mix mint and lime. Muddler’s are handy for any cocktail featuring ingredients that need a pounding like fresh herbs or citrus wedges.
Citrus Peeler & Zester: adorn your craft cocktails with a thick citrus peel or finer ribbons of lime or lemon zest.
Rimmer: Bloody Mary and Caesar lovers should outfit their bar with a handy rimmer for salting and sugaring glassware.

Now you're an expert on how to make the best Bocce Ball Drink recipe! — Now you’re an expert on how to make the best Bocce Ball Drink recipe!

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How To Make A Bocce Ball Cocktail Drink Recipe

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