By DCist Contributor Nathan Wilkinson

Summer would be unbearable without the flavorful and low alcohol content of Italian spirits. The citrus zip of Aperol, the bitter bite of amari, and the soft sugar notes of vermouth just lend themselves to all-day sipping on the patio. As D.C. drinkers are broadening their spirits horizons every year, it should be no surprise that bars are beginning to stock these tasty and sometimes hard-to-find liqueurs. Nor is it a surprise that Urbana (2121 P Street NW), the Palomar Hotel’s Italian-influenced restaurant and bar, has an entire cocktail menu—from light summer coolers, to strong fortified nightcaps—devoted to the use of Italian spirits.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to taste Urbana’s summer cocktail menu and talk to its creator, head bartender Andrea “Drea” Tateosian. Formerly a bartender at The Gibson, Tateosian has recently returned from Europe, bringing with her all she gleaned from the hottest cocktail trends.

“My goal for this menu is to incorporate as many Italian ingredients as possible without driving people away with too many amari,” she says.

Tateosian began my tour with the Estate Cooler, a mildly alcoholic bubbly drink with Cocchi Americano, cucumber infused #3 gin, Campari, and grapefruit tonic. She tells me that the drink’s name has a double meaning: “Estate means summer in Italian, but it is also a drink I would enjoy on the veranda of an estate home if I had one.”

Another sweeter sipper, You Tuacan’ To Me, will have you practicing your Italian-American accent when you order it. It’s a strawberry-infused Espolon blanco tequila drink with lemon and, of course, the vanilla and spice of Tuaca. Tateosian hopes this gentle cocktail can change the minds of guests who have had bad experiences with tequila in the past.

From there we moved on to stronger stuff. The Spionaggio, made with Ketel One, Bianco sweet white vermouth, rosewater and cardamom seed garnish, is an attempt to imagine “what James Bond would drink if he was Italian,” says Tateosian. It has the floral notes of a classic Vesper with the Bianco substituting for Lillet blanc, but with the cardamom floating under the drinker’s nose, it acquires a Mediterranean exoticism.

Then there’s the Dei Fiori (field of flowers), which was similar to a gentler Last Word. “This is a drink that, if you like lemon drops, you will not notice there is one ounce of Italian fortified wine sneaking into the flavor palette,” says Tateosian. It is a bright yellow cocktail with Cocchi Americano, gin, yellow Chartreuse, lemon juice and lavender bitters that lend more complexity to the nose for those who do pay attention to it.

Finally I tried Tateosian’s favorite drink and a sure winner for Manhattan lovers, the Nonna’s Manhattan. That’s because “Woodford Reserve is a popular bourbon, and the Manhattan has been having its moment for the last four years,” she says. “But I wanted to highlight the amaro, I wanted it to be more earthy.” And it is.

With Del Professore vermouth and Amaro Zucca, there’s a deeper rhubarb bite underneath the soft Woodford veneer of this Italian riff on the Manhattan. Most unusually, Tateosian also uses Amaro Zucca in a banana daiquiri called You Say Banana. Along with egg white, Five Island rum, and the outstanding Giffard Banane Du Bresil, the rubarbaro makes for a rich and rewarding dessert cocktail for the most adventurous drinkers.

Tateosian’s menu is quite an accomplishment. Not only are the cocktails varied, attractively presented and interesting to drink; they do all of this in a seemingly effortless—but clearly painstaking—approach to introduce drinkers to the sometimes standoffish flavors of Italian spirits.

My DIY cocktail this week also uses an Italian liqueur (the friendlier Aperol) with mescal. Naked And Famous might be my favorite cocktail name. You’re not naked and alone; you’re famous—but still naked. Here’s how to pull it off with style.

• 3/4 oz. mescal
• 3/4 oz. Aperol
• 3/4 lime juice
• 3/4 yellow chartreuse
• lime slice

Combine all ingredients except lime slice in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lime slice.