The Concept Behind The Venice Biennale’s First-Ever Official Cocktail, The Reflection

Served at select venues throughout Venice, Italy, as well as within La Biennale Arte 2026, where it holds the title of first-ever official cocktail, The Reflection is, according to Quattro Gatti Gin’s Mattia Cilia, “something that you could drink easily on a warm Italian summer day.” Composed of a fresh lemon juice, hibiscus syrup, and pink grapefruit soda recipe, the bright, flavorful cocktail centers Quattro Gatti Gin’s savory Olive Grove expression. The mixed drink was developed by Cilia, alongside Ludwig Negri and Facundo Gallegos of the Arts Bar at The St. Regis Venice.

Cilia, an alum of London’s Milk & Honey and the founder of Sicily’s Bartenders LAB Academy (which trains roughly 100 bartenders each year), worked with Quattro Gatti Gin’s founders—Simon, Catriona, Angus, and Brielle Mordant—The Reflection’s ideation. It needed to align with the aesthetic and experiential might of the Biennale. “The concept behind the cocktail is to understand what Venice is,” Cilia tells Surface. “First of all, there is the reflection of the water. A reflection is a piece of art. Even when we look into a mirror, we ourselves are a piece of art. Second, there is the idea of cocktails as a piece of art. When you sip The Reflection, you must understand this.”

Originally, the cocktail was set to feature Quattro Gatti Gin’s Classico release. “When I was in Rome, I replaced Classico with Olive Grove. It was an accident—but it tasted amazing. Some of the best pieces of art come from mistakes.” Cilia says that the inclusion of fresh citrus is in reference to Italy. Hibiscus was incorporated for its floral taste, but also its aromatic profile. And the grapefruit soda not only lent effervescence but also a color evocative of a Venetian sunset. Altogether, served in a highball glass over ice, there’s complexity to keep it engaging, but the exact ease Cilia referenced.