Often in the late hours the hotel bar of hotel Metropole in Brussels has more waiters than patrons and they’re of the cliché snotty French type. They make you feel honored you’re getting any service at all. It’s a lovely old Grand Cafe though. An original one, not the type of bar one could see popping up in the last two decades in fashionable districts.

That bar has a nice cocktail though. It’s called the Italiano and it’s considered to be the place’s signature cocktail. I have the idea it’s a mix of Campari, Vermouth and Tonic. Add a slice of orange and some ice cubes and you’ve got an Italiano. Make sure the mix of Campari and Vermouth doesn’t make up more than half of the glass or it’ll be too strong and taste bitter.