Italian Society X San Pellegrino – Sunshine Amid Scottish Rain

As I hurried into Lupo’s to escape the torrential rain of another cold November night in St Andrews, members of the Italian Society committee greeted me warmly as they drew a sun on the back of my hand as a makeshift entry stamp. I considered this little sun to be my lucky talisman for the evening, warding off the Scottish weather as I enjoyed all that the Italian Society x San Pellegrino event had to offer.

The event was organised in order to channel the feeling of an Italian summer in the heart of St Andrews, replacing chilly walks to the library and the crush of deadlines with the feeling of a vacation by the Riviera or the Amalfi Coast for one enjoyable evening. For those looking for the perfect night out that includes a warm and relaxing atmosphere, creative cocktails, and enough delicious arancini to chase all your revision-related sorrows away, you should look no further than this event accurately advertised by the Italian Society as ‘gorgeous drinks, amazing music and wonderful people all in one night of tasteful living and fun’.

Upstairs in the main event space, the ambience was equally sunny inside as I arrived to the soundtrack of retro Italian music greeting the guests. Photographers roamed around to capture pictures of the night and its fashionable crowd, both on digital cameras and also on film, bringing a nostalgic note that paired perfectly with the classic throwbacks playing over the speakers. Although not overly busy in the first hours of the evening, the atmosphere was intimate as attendees dressed in colourful blouses, white trousers, flower-patterned or long linen dresses, and even a few sporting sunglasses chatted over drinks and finger food.

The specialty cocktails of the night were – to my personal delight – both gin-based, with the Wood Collins including aged gin, angostura bitters, lemon and orange juice topped off with San Pellegrino Tonica Oakwood and a citrus peel twist, and the Amalfi Citrus Fizz featuring sour cherry gin, lemon juice, and San Pellegrino Tonica Citrus with a lemon slice. The cocktails were like a taste of the distant summer, mixed perfectly by the Lupo’s bartenders and perfectly spotlighting the event’s impressive sponsor. They also looked to be quite popular, in addition to the classic Aperol Spritzes and Espresso Martinis enjoyed by the guests.

While drinks did cost extra on top of your ticket price (a reasonably priced £9 for Italian Society members and £12 for non-members), the Italian Society provided an abundance of complimentary nibbles from Lupo’s that were undoubtedly popular with the crowd. These included colourful Caprese skewers with fresh tomatoes, basil, and mini mozzarella balls, focaccia sandwiches with a selection of Italian cured meats, and warm arancini with both meat and vegetarian options. While I initially thought my slightly late arrival would lead me to largely empty trays of food, they were refilled constantly throughout the night, and plentiful for all the attendees to savour.

The evening also featured musical acts to entertain the guests, curating distinct moods to accompany each part of the night. The first performer was the up-and-coming Lila Dupont, a talented singer and acoustic guitarist whose set consisted mostly of her own songs, in addition to one crowd-pleasing cover of Noah Cyrus’s heartache-infused ballad ‘July’. Her music perfectly set the tone for the first part of the evening, with several of the attendees even sitting on the floor to relax with their drinks and the soft sounds of acoustic guitar drifting through the space.

As her set finished, the mood of the evening shifted slightly as Sam Robinson, the first DJ for the evening, started spinning tracks while the warm lighting of the space was suddenly replaced with colourful disco lights that cascaded across the room. He would be followed up by three more DJ sets: Alejandra de la Fuente, Thomas Bunting, and George Coleridge. A handful of people were gradually making their way over to dance the night away as I prepared to depart for the evening. It was a smart move on the part of Italian Society to divide the event in this way, offering an opportunity for thoughtful conversations and reconnecting with friends in the first half, and then turning up the energy in the second half for those guests looking for a little more of a club-like atmosphere.

As I departed the Italian Society x San Pellegrino event, more than a little regretful to be leaving behind the taste of la dolce vita inside Lupo’s to return to the wintry reality outside, I poked my head out of the doors to discover that the pouring rain had miraculously passed. Looking at my sun-marked hand with a little smile, I wondered if my talisman had really chased off the clouds for one lovely night.

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