CuCù sits in a historic palazzo in Bassano del Grappa, overlooking Piazza Libertà, in a space that once housed a watchmaker’s workshop. The room spans fifteen square metres, with leather seating handcrafted by artisan Mark Inglis, wallpaper from the Klaush collection, and an illuminated display cabinet housing the tasting bottles alongside the working back bar. A custom signature scent diffuses through the space. Tables and seats appear and disappear as needed from the walls and fittings – a solution that allows the room to remain harmonious whether hosting two guests or twelve. A second station faces the square outside, with cocktails served through a small window to guests on the piazza.

The current menu was developed in collaboration with Urbani, a historic perfumery in Bassano, and is presented as a black chest containing eight fragrance vials, each numbered and matched to a cocktail. Guests open the chest, smell each vial, and choose their drink guided by scent alone – they can apply the fragrance to their wrist before ordering, making the selection an intimate, personal gesture. Each cocktail translates the olfactory signature of a niche perfume into liquid form. Cocktail No.4 draws on Santa Teresa 1796, sherry, tonka bean, kola nut, and a Bowmore 12 YO salt to evoke Velvet Tonka by BDK – soft, spicy, and woody. Every drink can be made in a fully alcohol-free version, built to the same aromatic standard using laboratory extractions, controlled fermentations, and tailored preparations.

The bar operates from a 170 square metre central laboratory shared across the group, producing house-made sodas, foams, cordials, lacto-ferments, infusions, clarifications, and freshly pressed juices daily. Equipment includes sous-vide cookers, ultrasonic homogenizers, centrifuges, and blast chillers. The bathroom sink is fashioned from a vintage copper still – a deliberate reference to the world of distillation that runs through everything at CuCù.

In winter, warm stones – disinfected between each use – are offered on arrival alongside an infused welcome water selected in collaboration with a trusted local herbalist.

The bar places great importance on their staff, and even offers Italian lessons to foreign staff members in order to foster a diverse team. Cucù On Air has run every Tuesday throughout summer for eighteen years, inviting international bartenders to share techniques and philosophies with the Bassano community.