experimental cocktail club venice photos

Eat. Drink. Live.

Experimental Cocktail Club Venice Review

We visit the newest Experimental Cocktail Club, housed within Hotel Il Palazzo Experimental in Venice , days after its launch.

Read our full review of Hotel Il Palazzo Experimental here.

As their name might suggest,  Experimental Group  isn’t shy about shaking things up. From 2007 when it launched the first  Experimental Cocktail Club   bar in Paris, which aided the snowballing of the city’s innovative cocktail culture, to the recent opening of its dramatically contemporary  Il Palazzo Experimental , we’ve learnt that when the team sets its mind to a challenge, it’s best to except nothing short of greatness.

We enter Experimental Cocktail Club Venice through a side door by the hotel lobby and are immediately struck by the coordinated difference from the rest of the hotel. Whilst there is certainly similarities in style, this is very much a space with its own offering.

The bar is as intimate as the hotel’s Ristorante Adriatica is vast, with delicious snacks available from that same kitchen. Designer Cristina Celestino’s contemporary take on the ornate interiors Venice is famed for combines traditional crafts with modern aesthetics in a manner inspired by Carlo Scarpa. The glass frontage looking out towards the canal evokes serliana archways and glitzy half-crescent mirrors recall windows in neighbouring palazzos. Striking pink walls are offset by plush teal, silver and brass carpet, whilst a polyphony of marble is met with delicate pearl pendant lighting and nods at the city’s colourfully striped “pali da casada” poles. On closing the mirrored door to the hotel, the jewellery box interiors are completed and the atmosphere created is that of Venice’s newest and funkiest members’ club.

Marta is working solo behind the bar. A familiar figure once known to work at London’s Original Sin , Marta is known for her relaxed congeniality, vast knowledge and impeccable set of skills.

She left Original Sin back in 2016 as she “needed a break from London, and [she] decided to go travelling for a while.” She speaks fondly of her time at the bar, stating that she’d never have left if she didn’t need a break from the city: “ The women I was working with there were definitely one of the best team I have ever worked with.”

Marta and ECC ’s paths kept crossing around the world but they had previously never worked together. “I’d just got back from travelling (again) when I heard about their new openings in Venice and Menorca”, she recalls.

“This time I wanted to work in my own country but still with an international crowd and I was ready for a new challenge. I always admire Experimental Group and Venice looked as a great chance for me and a crazy idea at the same time.”

Fast-forward a few months and here we are in her gorgeous bar that is already becoming a firm favourite with locals and international visitors. Her menu comprises nine drinks: ECC Signature Serves that are also present in the Paris and London venues, as well as a selection of five cocktails based on Italian spirits, like Amaros, Grappa and Vermouth. The final drink is “ a Negroni del Palazzo, our twist on a Negroni that will keep changing through the seasons .”

Mouth watering, our eyes roam the list before alighting on Marta’s current favourite – Ponte Lungo (Yaguara Cachaça, Cocchi Americano, Fennel and Lime; €12). This unsurprisingly proves to be outstanding: somewhat comparable to a gently viscous, higher mouthfeel and more complex Caipirinha .

As we sip at the bar, our eyes follow the incredible line-up gracing the back-bar including unexpected gems such as Habitation Velier Forsyths WP , Fortaleza tequila, and Vida mezcal. Marta chats freely about her selection, announcing that “this is only the start” , before making us variations of classic cocktails such as a perfectly rounded and smoky Ultima Palabre (a mezcal version of the Last Word , with green chartreuse and lime), and a sweet, herbaceous Red Hook . Each drink comes with off-the-cuff backstory and anecdotes that we lap up and which make us feel very much at home in the buzzing bar.

Hours go by and what was meant to be a quick after-dinner drink turns into a full-blown session, with fantastic drinks had by all and a growing group of drinking companions including Alessandro, the hotel’s new resident DJ, hotel guests from Germany, and local Venetian revellers. Marta welcomes all with easy hospitality and it’s no wonder that, even though the bar has been open for less than a week, people are already coming back for more.

Marta and the ECC team have managed to quickly create the feeling of a quirky neighbourhood bar within this stunning hotel within just a few short days. With on-point drinks, a sumptuous décor and fantastic atmosphere, this is a bar we will be returning to time and time again.

Il Palazzo Experimental Hotel,  Fondamenta Zattere Al Ponte Lungo, 1411, 30123 Venezia VE, Italy

www.palazzoexperimental.com

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Il Palazzo Experimental is a crossroads for visitors and locals. The Palazzo is near to such cultural attractions as the Guggenheim Collection and the Galleria dell’Accademia, but slightly off the main tourist path, with a secret back garden that lets out onto a quiet canal served by the hotel’s own pontoon.

Thirty two comfortable rooms and suites are bathed in natural light with views of the Canal della Giudecca from the Palazzo’s front, or a secret garden in the back.

Dorothée Meilichzon’s design was inspired by signatures of the city like terrazzo floors and dramatic marble accents. Bathrooms, stocked with a curated selection of toiletries, are equally stylish, with black marble trims and hand-glazed tiles. As with all Experimental Group hotels, minibars are stocked with local specialties.

The Palazzo’s Dorsoduro neighborhood is slightly off of Venice’s main tourist path, yet hosts Galleria dell’Accademia and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, making it the perfect place to let yourself amble in its charming streets.

Venice was considered the first international center of finance. The cosmopolitan city-state used its wealth to fund the flourishing Renaissance, resulting in painting, sculpture, and architecture that changed the world. In the centuries hence, with its unsurpassable beauty and richness, Venice has remained a magnet for art and culture, a spectacular destination that should be experienced by everyone at least once.

Restaurant & Bar

The Ristorante Adriatica uses only seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients, with an in-house wine bar that emphasizes regional producers. The cocktail bar, designed by Cristina Celestino, is signed Experimental Cocktail Club.

Stay in touch? Sign up to receive news from Hotel Il Palazzo Experimental

Thank you for subscribing to our newsletters! Get ready to embark on a journey with us and save [email protected] in your address book to ensure the newsletter avoids your junk mail.

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form. Please try again later or contact us at [email protected]

INFORMATION

• italia secrets
• lombardia secrets
• veneto secrets
• friuli venezia giulia secrets
• toscana secrets
• sicilia secrets
• campania secrets
• lazio secrets

Adriatica e Bar @ Il Palazzo Experimental (VE)

Born from the alchemy among a Venetian palace that recalls a Wes Anderson’s movie , the sophisticated taste of an acclaimed French designer , and the unique vibe of Experimental Group, a true legend in the cocktail bars’ global scene, Il Palazzo Experimental has finally landed in central Venice. The project includes an Italian restaurant overlooking the Giudecca Canal, 32 rooms and suites, as well as the Experimental Cocktail Club Venice which, ça va sans dire , follows the footsteps of the legendary Parisian sister club . The result is surprising, based on a sophisticated balance made of antique elements, granite floors, carved woods and a colors palette tracing a postmodern Venice.

Located in the ancient Palazzo Molin, the building is a Renaissance jewel located in the heart of the Dorsoduro neighborhood. The Palace, which belonged to the Stucky family, hosted for many years the historic headquarters of the legendary Adriatic Naval Company . The interior décor has been designed by Dorothée Meilichzon , awarded as designer of the year at Maison & Object 2015, who wanted to celebrate the lagoon tradition with a contemporary flair. A splendid intuition by the co-founders of Experimental Group , famous for the creation of some of the most influential cocktail bars and restaurants in the world, such as the cool ones in London, Ibiza, New York, as well as the legendary Experimental Cocktail Club in Paris .

The Venetian Experimental Cocktail Club , just like a precious stone, was developed by the Italian designer Cristina Celestino who, with clever use of antique mirrors and precious marbles, made a hymn of love to the city. Here you can enjoy the world’s latest mixology techniques applied to liqueurs, infusions and local products as well as excellent wines accompanied by delicious snacks , just perfect for pre-dinner or late nights drinks, perhaps served in the intimate secret garden overlooking the Ognissanti canal.

The Compagnia Adriatica di Navigazione was established in 1932 from the merger of the shipping companies of Venice, Bari, Ancona, Fiume and Zara. Its logo was initially constituted by the union of the winged lion of San Marco on a white and red background, as these are the colors of the city of Bari. In 1936, when it was transformed into an Anonymous Navigation Company, the symbolism changed and, in addition to the winged lion, Palazzo Molin was included. The building was then purchased in 1937 by Giovanni Stucky who chose it as his residence, preferring it to Palazzo Grassi, another family property.

Useful Info

Il Palazzo Experimental Fondamenta Zattere Al Ponte Lungo 1411 30123 Venezia Tel. +39 041 0980200

Regular double room: 250 — 350 euro (breakfast included) Suite: 550 euro (breakfast included)

Entrées: 7 — 10 euro Main courses: 18 — 24 euro Cocktails: 7 — 13 euro

Discover the Secret Places closest to you

• Panoramica privacy
• Technical cookies
• Analytics cookies
• Cookies Policy

Cookies This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Technical cookies are cookies enabling you to browse on the website and to enjoy its basic features and available services. Besides, they memorise certain settings such as language selection and cookies consent.

Analytics cookies collect standard information in aggregate and anonymous form on the number of users and on how they visit the website, This site uses Google Analytics 4, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc., for the purpose of tracking and examining the use of this website and compiling reports. For further info: Cookies Policy by Google.

Attiva i cookie strettamente necessari così da poter salvare le tue preferenze!

For further comprehensive information, please refer to:  Cookies Policy .