Choice Cocktail Bar
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Choice is a small cocktail bar at Borgo della Cavallerizza 7/A, a lane a short walk from the Palazzo della Pilotta. Mattia Schiaretti and Luca Redolfini opened it on July 1, 2020, and it is listed in the Identità Golose guide to Italy's pizzerias and cocktail bars, which calls it one of the few serious research bars in the city.
It is dark and very small: the Parma magazine Made in Parma counted 14 seats, arranged around the counter. The bar describes itself as a pure cocktail bar with a focus on whisky. Identità Golose gives a typical cocktail price of €12.
At a glance
- Price
- Cocktails about €12, per the Identità Golose guide.
- Hours
- Sunday to Thursday 6 p.m.–2 a.m.; Friday and Saturday 6 p.m.–4 a.m., per its gift-experience listing.
- Size
- About 14 seats, most of them at or near the counter.
- Style
- Classics, twists and signatures, built on homemade infusions, fermentations and cordials; strong on whisky.
- Address
- Borgo della Cavallerizza 7/A, a short walk from the Pilotta.
In this guide
The drinks
The list has three parts: IBA classics, twists on them, and house signatures. The bartenders make their own infusions, fermentations, extractions and cordials, with local and seasonal ingredients. The drink list changes twice a year, with limited editions on a digital menu in between, so any named drink may have rotated off.
Two that a January 2025 review named: the Booty Swing (Tanqueray Ten, Vermouth del Professore, dry curaçao, Angostura and 16-year-old Lagavulin) and an Italiano built on Campari with rhubarb, china and gentian liqueurs and Mediterranean tonic. Snacks are small and pointed: wasabi balls, olives cured in vermouth brine.
For whisky drinkers
With a declared whisky focus and, according to its gift-experience listing, more than 350 labels of rum, whisky, gin, vodka and mezcal, Choice is also the best place in the center to drink a spirit neat. Ask the bartenders for a flight rather than a cocktail if that is your thing.
When to go
With only 14 seats, timing matters. Early evening, from 6 p.m., works as a serious aperitivo before dinner in the center. Weekend nights run late, to 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. The bar publishes no website; opening times above come from its partner listing, so check its social pages for closures.
Beyond the bar
Choice's bartenders also run guest cocktail nights at Antica Corte Pallavicina on the Po, according to the Castelli del Ducato events listing. For wine instead of cocktails, the natural-wine list at Ombre Rosse is the counterpart.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best cocktail bar in Parma?
Choice, on Borgo della Cavallerizza, has the strongest credentials: it is listed in the Identità Golose guide to cocktail bars (2025 edition) and won the Parma heat of the Mix Contest Italy Tour. It opened in 2020.
How much is a cocktail at Choice?
About €12, according to the Identità Golose guide.
What time does Choice close?
2 a.m. Sunday to Thursday and 4 a.m. on Friday and Saturday, per its gift-experience listing. It opens at 6 p.m.
Do I need to book at Choice?
It has about 14 seats, so arrive early at weekends. The bar has no website or online booking; message it through its social pages.
Further reading
Official sources
- Identità Golose - Choice (Guide to pizzerias and cocktail bars, 2025 edition) – Opened July 1, 2020 by Schiaretti and Redolfini, whisky focus, list changes twice a year, cocktail price €12
- Made in Parma - Choice, dark, intimate, nocturnal – 14 seats, IBA/twist/signature structure, homemade infusions and cordials
- Boscolo Gift - Choice Cocktail Bar experience – Address, hours Sun–Thu 18:00–02:00 and Fri–Sat 18:00–04:00, 350+ labels; live listing checked September 29, 2026
- Not Only Drink Lovers - Choice, Parma – Booty Swing and Italiano recipes, snacks (January 18, 2025)
- Castelli del Ducato - Cocktail Night powered by Choice – Choice bartenders' guest nights at Antica Corte Pallavicina
