Drinking Traditions of Palermo: 7 Local Beverages That Define the City

Palermo’s drinking culture reflects Sicily’s crossroads identity: Arab-Norman heritage, a seafaring economy, and a Mediterranean climate that favors sun-loving grapes and citrus. Long, hot summers and sea breezes shape what locals drink—refreshing whites and bitters for the heat, fortified and sweet wines for evening rituals and pastry counters.

In markets and neighborhood bars, drinks align with food: seafood crudi near the harbor, street-grilled stigghiola, ricotta-filled pastries at night. Aperitivo leans citrus and herbal; after dinner, amari and rosoli close the meal. The result is a city where beverages are inseparable from place, season, and table.

Marsala is Sicily’s classic fortified wine, produced in the coastal town of Marsala near Trapani and poured liberally in Palermo. It is made from local white grapes—Grillo, Catarratto, and Inzolia—fortified with grape spirit and aged oxidatively, often in a solera-style “perpetuum” system inside sea-breezed warehouses. Styles range from Oro and Ambra to Rubino, and sweetness levels span secco, semisecco, and dolce. ABV typically falls between 17% and 20%, with flavors of roasted nuts, dried citrus, caramel, and saline air.

Historically exported by British merchants and later refined by houses like Florio and Pellegrino, Marsala became both a cooking staple and a sipping wine in Sicilian homes. In Palermo, it appears as an aperitivo in classic bars or as a dessert pairing in pasticcerie, where a dolce Marsala complements almond biscuits and ricotta sweets. Locals serve it slightly cool in small tulip glasses, especially in cooler months or with rich, savory dishes that benefit from its nutty depth.

Made on volcanic Pantelleria, south of Trapani, Passito di Pantelleria is a sweet wine from Zibibbo (Muscat of Alexandria) grapes dried under the sun. The island’s dry, windy climate and low bush-trained vines (alberello pantesco, recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage) favor slow dehydration that concentrates sugars and aromas. Some dried grapes are added back during fermentation, producing an intensely perfumed wine at about 14–16% ABV with notes of apricot, fig, candied orange peel, jasmine, and Mediterranean herbs.

In Palermo, Passito is a fixture in pastry shops and restaurant dessert lists. It’s served well-chilled with cassata, cannoli, or almond cookies, and also pairs beautifully with blue cheeses. While it’s celebratory year-round, many locals reserve it for special occasions and late-evening conversation when the city cools. Expect a luscious, velvety texture balanced by a surprisingly persistent, saline-acid spine that keeps the sweetness from cloying.

Bianco d’Alcamo (now the Alcamo DOC) hails from vineyards between Palermo and Trapani, with Catarratto as the leading grape alongside Grillo and Inzolia. Most producers ferment cool in stainless steel to lock in freshness. The result is a dry white at roughly 12–13% ABV with lemon zest, white peach, broom flower, and a whisper of bitter almond typical of Sicilian indigenous varieties. The finish is clean and saline, reflecting coastal soils and breezes.

In Palermo, Bianco d’Alcamo is a natural aperitivo and a go-to with seafood. You’ll find it poured near La Cala and the old port, where it matches raw prawns, fried anchovies, and pasta con le sarde (sardines, wild fennel, pine nuts). Its brightness cuts through olive oil and brine, making it a fixture at summer tables. Locals drink it young and chilled, often by the carafe in trattorie that lean into daily catch and simple, herb-driven cooking.

Nero d’Avola is Sicily’s signature red, grown widely across the island, including the hills outside Palermo. Modern versions are typically fermented in steel for purity or given moderate oak aging for spice. Expect 13.5–14.5% ABV, firm tannins, and flavors of black cherry, plum, licorice, and Mediterranean scrub. Warmer sites produce fuller, riper expressions; higher elevations around the Palermo hinterland bring fresher acidity and violet notes.

In the city, Nero d’Avola shows up with hearty fare: arancine al ragù, sfinciuni, grilled sausages, or late-night stigghiola from street grills. In cooler months, trattorie pour structured Sicilia DOC bottlings by the glass, sometimes slightly cooler than room temperature to highlight freshness. It’s not a lunchtime quaffer under the August sun; it’s a companion to savory, charred, and umami-rich dishes that call for grip and dark fruit.

Created in 1868 in Caltanissetta from a Benedictine recipe, Amaro Averna is the island’s best-known bittersweet liqueur and a staple in Palermo after dinner. Its exact blend of herbs, roots, spices, and citrus rinds remains proprietary, but the profile is unmistakable: gentle bitterness wrapped in caramel, orange peel, and Mediterranean herbs. At 29% ABV, it’s fuller and sweeter than many northern Italian amari, making it approachable for newcomers.

Palermitani typically drink Averna neat at cool room temperature or over ice with a slice of orange. In summer, a splash of soda lightens it into a low-proof refresher. You’ll find it poured in traditional trattorie as a digestivo, brought out at home for guests, and increasingly used by bartenders in riffs on the spritz or Black Manhattan. It’s the island’s handshake after a rich meal—a small glass that signals hospitality and closure.

Zammù is Palermo’s beloved anisette, produced by the Tutone family since 1813. Distilled with aniseed (often star anise components) and sugar, it sits around 40–43% ABV, intensely aromatic and sweet. Like other anise spirits, it turns milky (louches) when diluted, releasing a bouquet of licorice, fennel, and floral spice. The flavor is clean and penetrating, with a lingering coolness that suits the city’s summer heat.

The classic serve is acqua e zammù: a small measure of the liqueur topped with very cold water and ice—an instant, low-proof cooler for Palermo’s long afternoons. Locals also dash it into coffee or sip it neat in tiny glasses after meals. You’ll encounter Zammù at old-school bars and kiosks, especially in warm months when anything refreshing is prized. It’s a taste of Palermo’s daily life: simple, aromatic, and endlessly sociable.

Rosolio is a traditional Sicilian liqueur made by macerating citrus blossoms (zagara), lemon or orange peels, or rose petals in neutral alcohol, then sweetening with syrup. Home recipes vary, but most fall between 25% and 32% ABV and favor perfumed, delicate aromatics over bitterness. The result is soft, floral, and citrus-bright—an elegant counterpoint to stronger amari and grappas.

In Palermo, rosolio is tied to hospitality and celebration. Historically called the “liquore delle signore,” it appeared at engagements and holidays; today you’ll still find artisan bottles in historic pastry shops and as gifts. It’s sipped chilled as a digestivo or alongside dry pastries where its floral sweetness shines. While not as ubiquitous as Averna, rosolio endures as a distinctly Sicilian gesture—fragrant, welcoming, and steeped in domestic tradition.