San Pellegrino Recipe

Chill glass and bottle

Place the San Pellegrino bottle and serving glass in the refrigerator for at least 15–30 minutes ahead of time, or fill the glass with ice and let sit while you prepare the fruit to keep the drink very cold.

If using granulated sugar and you prefer a lightly sweetened drink, sprinkle the teaspoon of sugar into the bottom of the chilled glass. If using simple syrup, add the teaspoon directly to the glass. Muddle gently with a spoon or bar muddler so the sugar begins to dissolve.

Cut the fresh blood orange in half. Squeeze half of the blood orange over the glass to release about 1–1½ tablespoons (roughly 0.5–1 oz) of juice. If you prefer a more intensely fruity profile, squeeze the entire half; for a subtler note, squeeze just a few squeezes. Discard seeds. Reserve the other half to cut a thin wheel for garnish.

Fill the glass with about 1 cup of fresh ice (or enough to leave roughly 2 inches of headroom for the sparkling water).

Slowly pour 12 oz of chilled San Pellegrino (blood orange flavored if available; otherwise use plain San Pellegrino) into the glass over the back of a spoon or down the inside of the glass to preserve bubbles and reduce foaming. Pour gently to keep carbonation.

Stir very gently once with a bar spoon (3–4 slow turns) to mix the squeezed blood orange and optional sweetener with the sparkling water. Avoid vigorous stirring to retain effervescence.

Garnish with the blood orange wheel on the rim and an optional sprig of fresh mint tucked beside it. Serve immediately with a straw or long spoon.

Taste and adjust: if you want it sweeter, add an additional 1/2–1 tsp simple syrup and stir gently. For stronger blood orange flavor, squeeze a little more of the reserved half orange directly into the glass.