ALTO Cocktail Festival 2026

From May 23 to 30, the ALTO Cocktail Festival, dedicated to contemporary mixology, will take place in Cervia.

When people hear “bar event,” many tend to imagine festivals held in cities such as London, Rome, or Athens. 

These urban-style events typically involve moving between multiple venues, hopping from bar to bar scattered across the city, and experiencing as many scenes as possible within a limited time. This format has become the current mainstream.

However, the ALTO Cocktail Festival does not fit within that framework.

The setting is Cervia, a seaside resort town along the Adriatic coast. Known as a tourist destination, the city is far removed from the hustle and bustle of urban life, offering a slow and relaxed atmosphere. 

From the ALTO Rooftop terrace, guests can take in sweeping views of the sea and sky. The changing colors of the sunset and the gentle evening breeze enrich the experience, making time itself feel more meaningful.

This is where the essence of the festival lies.

In contrast to city-based events that involve moving from place to place, ALTO is designed as a stay-in-one-place experience, allowing guests to fully immerse themselves. The format unfolds like a story, carefully structured over time.

The resort environment is not just about location, it also serves as a mechanism that brings people closer together, sparks conversations, and creates unexpected encounters. 

The ALTO Cocktail Festival is a rare event where “where it takes place” directly defines “what kind of experience it becomes.”

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A Collaborative Festival

The ALTO Cocktail Festival brings together leading chefs and bartenders from the worlds of Italian cuisine and mixology. Bartenders, chefs, and pizza makers do not operate as separate entities; instead, they collaborate on equal footing.

Rather than showcasing the skills of a single individual, the festival is built on a system where multiple professionals come together to create a unified experience. It goes beyond the typical “guest shift,” where a famous bartender serves a few cocktails. Here, the entire flow, alongside food and pizza is carefully designed, with a focus on how different elements can be combined to create a richer experience.

In such an environment, dialogue naturally emerges. Bartenders, chefs, pizza makers, and various players in hospitality exchange ideas on-site, exploring new forms of pairing together.

In this sense, the ALTO Cocktail Festival also functions as a networking hub within the bar industry.

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Experiencing the Flow of Italian Food Culture

The program is structured to follow a natural progression throughout the day, from aperitivo to dinner and into the late night.

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Aperitivo

From 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM | Garden Ground Floor

Live cooking experiences by guest chefs of the day.

Aperitivo-style cocktail pairings.

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Experience Bar

From 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM | ALTO Rooftop

A four-course experience created by bartenders, BBQ specialists, and pizza makers, paired with four cocktails.

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Experience Restaurant

From 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM | ALTO Rooftop

Two different pairing dinners each night, presented by the ALTO Cocktail Bar and Restaurant teams alongside guest pairing teams.

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After Festival

From 11:00 PM until closing | Garden Ground Floor

A live-style pizza event.

A casual setting featuring tropical and ’90s-style crushed cocktails.

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A Networking Hub for Industry Professionals

In addition to participants from across Italy, the festival attracts bartenders, chefs, pizza makers, and hospitality professionals from around the world. This year, a new element has been added: talk sessions aimed at sharing industry insights.

These talks, developed in collaboration with journalists, industry organizations, and experts, will explore key themes in contemporary hospitality and gastronomy.

For visitors, this offers an opportunity not only to enjoy food and cocktails but also to engage with the ideas and processes behind them.

Three talk sessions are scheduled. One will focus on service and front-of-house operations, featuring participation from INTRECCI, an Italian professional education institution. Another session, centered on the relationship between pizza and cocktails, will feature Claudia Orlandi from Identità Golose. All sessions are closely tied to real-world practice.

The festival opens with an Opening Party on May 23. Focused on the hospitality industry, the event will include the editorial team of Milan-based mixology media “Coqtail – for fine drinkers”, bringing together chefs, bartenders, brands, and partners for the first networking opportunity.

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The Vision of Founder Niccolò Amadori

Central to the ALTO Cocktail Festival is its founder, Niccolò Amadori, who also serves as bar manager of ALTO Rooftop. Having gained experience in Milan, Australia, and the United States, he has always viewed cocktails not as standalone creations, but as something deeply connected to cuisine and ingredients.

His philosophy is to connect cocktails, food, and pizza not as separate domains, but through a shared language. By aligning their approach to ingredients, techniques, and flavor construction, each field becomes part of a single, cohesive experience. The ALTO Cocktail Festival is a physical manifestation of this idea.

As Niccolò explains,

“ALTO Cocktail Festival was created to present a new vision of modern hospitality. Cocktails, cuisine, and pizza are no longer separate worlds, they are connected through ingredient research, technique, and gastronomic sensibility. This festival was conceived as a place where these perspectives intersect and generate new experiences.”

By recognizing cocktail pairing early on as an essential element of fine dining and putting it into practice, the ALTO Cocktail Festival can be seen as a pioneering initiative.

What began from the perspective of a single bar manager has grown into a platform that influences the entire industry. At its core lies a clear answer to the question, “How should cocktails be positioned?” It is something best experienced firsthand.

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ACF 2026 Program

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Opening Party

May 23, 2026 (Sat)

An opening event for the hospitality industry hosted by the editorial team of Coqtail – for fine drinkers.

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Talk Program

INTRECCI: A talk dedicated to the world of restaurant service

Claudia Orlandi (Identità Golose): The Relationship Between Pizza and Cocktails

New Trends in Modern Hospitality and Pairing

May 24 (Sun)

Aperitivo｜ 19:00–21:00｜Garden Ground Floor

RUGGINE (Bologna) 

Experience Bar｜21:00–23:00｜ALTO Rooftop

AGUARDIENTE (Marina di Ravenna) 

Experience Restaurant｜21:00–23:00｜ALTO Rooftop

MOEBIUS (Milano) + LUBNA (Milano)

After Festival｜23:00–Closing｜Garden Ground Floor

RACINE (Rimini) 

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May 25 (Mon)

Aperitivo｜ 19:00–21:00｜Garden Ground Floor

BAR FOLIA (Lecce)

Experience Bar｜21:00–23:00｜ALTO Rooftop

IL LOCALE (Firenze)

Experience Restaurant｜21:00–23:00｜ALTO Rooftop

LA MÉNAGÈRE (Firenze)

After Festival｜23:00–Closing｜Garden Ground Floor

50 SPIRITO ITALIANO (Salerno)

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May 26 (Tue)

Aperitivo｜ 19:00–21:00｜Garden Ground Floor

SVANEN (Oslo)

Experience Bar｜21:00–23:00｜ALTO Rooftop

FRANGENTE (Milano) + HIMKOK (Oslo) 

Experience Restaurant｜21:00–23:00｜ALTO Rooftop

PIATTI ISPIRATI DA GERANIUM (Copenhagen) 

After Festival｜23:00–Closing｜Garden Ground Floor

DRY (Milano)

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May 27 (Wed)

Aperitivo｜ 19:00–21:00｜Garden Ground Floor

SALI (Milano) 

Experience Bar｜21:00–23:00｜ALTO Rooftop

RUBY (Copenhagen) + LIPEN

Experience Restaurant｜21:00–23:00｜ALTO Rooftop

GUCCI GIARDINO (Firenze) + HAZAMA

After Festival｜23:00–Closing｜Garden Ground Floor

 SENTAKU (Bologna)

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May 28 (Thu)

Aperitivo｜ 19:00–21:00｜Garden Ground Floor

BARRIER (Bergamo) + DIALOGUE (Brescia) 

Experience Bar｜21:00–23:00｜ALTO Rooftop

BOB THE OTHER SIDE (Milano)

Experience Restaurant｜21:00–23:00｜ALTO Rooftop

PIANO 35 (Torino) 

After Festival｜23:00–Closing｜Garden Ground Floor

RITA TIKI (Milano) + SOGNI (Milano) 

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May 29 (Fri)

Aperitivo｜ 19:00–21:00｜Garden Ground Floor

CLUB DERRIER (Roma)

Experience Bar｜21:00–23:00｜ALTO Rooftop

BAR 1930 (Milano)

Experience Restaurant｜21:00–23:00｜ALTO Rooftop

ATRIUM BAR (Firenze)

After Festival｜23:00–Closing｜Garden Ground Floor

NUCLEO (Roma) + VESPER BAR (London)

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For more details, please visit the official ALTO Cocktail Festival website.

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ALTO Cocktail Festival 2026

Location: ALTO Rooftop, Cervia, Italy

Dates: May 23 (Sat) – May 30 (Sat), 2026

Organizer & Creative Direction: Niccolò Amadori 

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