Italian Bombardino Cocktail Recipe

Bombardino is an Italian alcoholic cocktail which is typically prepared with egg liqueur, cream and whiskey (or rum or brandy). It is among the most popular winter cocktails in the world. 

Thanks to the warm temperature at which it is served and the alcohol content, the bombardino is a great relief on cold winter days. In fact, Bombardino has been the go-to alcoholic drink on the Italian ski slopes for years.

Over time, the recipe for Bombardino has evolved, keeping only two key elements constant: the alcohol content (up to 30% vol) and the hot zabaglione (liqueur made from egg yolk, sugar and Marsala). Milk has, in some cases, been replaced by cream and whiskey by brandy.

It’s also worth noting that bombardino is not just served as a hot drink. If you don’t want to enjoy the drink on hot summer days, you can absolutely serve it ice cold.

The egg liqueur munch with milk is served with a whipped top. For a Bombardino on the rocks, the milk is not heated, but added cold. For the perfect drinking temperature, you simply put a good amount of ice cubes in the glass. You can choose to put the cream on top or simply leave it out, depending on your taste.

There are several variations of the classic recipe. You can replace the brandy with whiskey to obtain a “Scottish” bombardino or add a cup of bitter coffee, in which case you will have prepared a “calimero” bombardino.

With our Bombardino recipe, you can bring the cozy party flair of the Alps into your own four walls.

Origin & Cultural Significance

Bombardino is often considered to be the Italian counterpart of Irish Coffee.  It is believed to have been invented in Livigno, a well-known ski resort in the province of Sondrio.

It has an interesting story that is often attributed to its name. It is believed that in the 1970s a young Genoese man arrived to manage the Mottolino refuge. He was not really used to the cold of the mountain winter and immediately tried to find survival. 

There, he came across a hot cocktail made with milk, whiskey and eggnog. The first lucky taster is said to have exclaimed: “Damn! It’s a bomb!”, An exclamation from which the current name is said to have been born.

The cocktail is indeed a real “bomb” of taste and flavor that is much loved by skiers who use it precisely to warm up during the days spent in the snow. Preparing the bombardino is very simple and you don’t need to be a skilled barman. However, be a little extra careful because the alcohol content is very high!

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