Experimental Cocktail Club

In the Dorsoduro district of Venice, tucked behind a discreet entrance from the lobby of Il Palazzo Experimental, you’ll find Experimental Cocktail Club Venice — a bar that feels equal parts secret salon and modern alchemy lab. As evening falls, ECC transforms. The lighting deepens, the palette hums with jewel and terracotta tones, and the bar comes alive with curated cocktails that draw from Venetian ingredients, classic foundations, and forward thinking technique. The interior design, by Cristina Celestino, couples Venetian references (marble, soft arches, local stone) with a surreal sensibility: terrazzo floors, layered marble counters evoking San Marco’s stone, and lacquered wood back-bar elements. The drink menu is in constant motion. Seasonal menus, bespoke recipes, local spirit influence, and creative signatures (“Tales of Taste – A Venetian Journey”) define their approach. Expect both reimaginings of classics and daring experiments — mezcal, amaro, liqueurs, brines, herbs, local botanicals all have space on the list. During warmer months, ECC’s ambiance shifts: the bar opens up to garden areas or canal-adjacent seating, allowing drinks by the water and a lighter social air. In winter, the magic is more hidden, more intimate — a speakeasy buried in Venice’s rhythms. The staff is helmed by Lorenzo Di Cola (Bar Manager), who speaks of a philosophy that blurs line between cuisine and drinks — seasonal, local, poetic. He has shared that one signature cocktail, “Melting Pot”, combines Amaretto, Nardini Chinato, vermouth, and a Lapsang Souchong + olive brine cordial. Though the space is inside a hotel, ECC Venice stands on its own: many locals, travelers, and cocktail aficionados make a point to come for the distinct style, ambiance, and drink craft. In short: ECC Venice is a stylish hideaway in Venice’s cocktail renaissance. It rewards the curious, the night wanderer, and anyone with an appetite for drinks that tell stories.