A cocktail tour of Rome's fountains at Charlie's Rooftop

There's a thread of water connecting the Trevi Fountain to a 2,000-year-old Roman aqueduct, and starting September, you can also drink that thread. That's the idea behind "I Racconti dell'Acqua," the new drinks menu at Charlie's Rooftop, the rooftop terrace of the InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace on Via Veneto: 11 cocktails crafted following the path of the city's historic fountains and springs, from the Naiads in Piazza della Repubblica to the Barcaccia in Piazza di Spagna.

The menu is divided into two sections, "The Fountains" and "The Sources," plus a final cocktail to round out the experience. The water that has traversed Rome for centuries, from ancient aqueducts to baroque fountains, thus becomes the underlying theme of the entire drinks list.

From Piazza della Repubblica to Trevi

The tour begins at Le Naiadi, dedicated to the fountain in Piazza della Repubblica sculpted by Mario Rutelli in the early 20th century: in the glass, Altamura Vodka, Apricot Brandy, butter and honey.

A few blocks further on you reach Le Tartarughe, named after the 16th-century fountain in Piazza Mattei: Urka Goldy, Bitter Bianco Luxardo, Carpano Bianco, green apple, basil, St. Germain and soda.

La Pigna instead recalls the district that takes its name from the large bronze pine cone now in the courtyard of the Vatican Museums, once kept according to tradition near the Pantheon: Fusetti Messico, Santa Spina Fumigata, yellow pepper and soda.

The route then reaches Trevi, the fountain designed by Nicola Salvi and fed by the Acqua Vergine, the Roman aqueduct in operation for over 2,000 years: No.3 Gin, rose liqueur, lemon and hibiscus.

Bernini, the Janiculum and the Barcaccia

After passing Trevi, the menu moves on to two fountains designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The Four Rivers, inspired by the fountain in Piazza Navona representing the Nile, Ganges, Danube, and Rio de la Plata, combines Santa Spina Cruda, Falernum, mango, and passion fruit.

The Barcaccia takes its name from the fountain in the shape of a half-sunken boat in Piazza di Spagna, built by Pietro Bernini and his son Gian Lorenzo and fed by the same Acqua Vergine that supplies Trevi: Sorbole Bitter with Lemon, eucalyptus and soda.

The section closes with La Palla di Cannone, which recalls the tradition of the midday shot from the Janiculum: Flor de Caña 12, banana, tonka bean liqueur and bitter orange.

The Springs, the water that cannot be seen

The second part of the menu leaves the monumental fountains to tell the story of the springs and aqueducts that feed them, and also includes two alcohol-free options. Felix recalls Acqua Felice, the aqueduct commissioned in the 16th century by Pope Sixtus V, born Felice Peretti, hence the name of the aqueduct and the cocktail: Tanqueray 0%, green apple, basil, lemon, and soda water.

Virgo returns to the Acqua Vergine, whose Latin name is Virgo, and which has fed both Trevi and Barcaccia since 19 BC: Limonzero, pomegranate, and soda water. Apollinaris closes the section with a reference from Rome: not a city fountain, but a mineral water that became famous in the 19th century in Europe's great hotels: Tanqueray 0%, mango, passion fruit, and lemon.

The cocktail that closes the journey

Completing the menu is Charlie's Reviver, the terrace's signature cocktail: Flor de Caña 12, Dry Curaçao, pomegranate, and lemon juice. It arrives after ten stops among ancient springs and baroque fountains and is intended to close the journey, rather than the eleventh chapter of the map.

Charlie's Rooftop is located on the sixth floor of the InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace, and is open year-round from aperitif time to after-dinner drinks.