John Steinbeck visited Positano and wrote an article about his time there in a piece published by Harper’s Bazaar in 1953. At the time, the world knew little about the Amalfi Coast and this gem which lay hidden within its fold. 

Steinbeck believed Positano was safe from tourists for a number of reasons, one of them being the stairs one must take, or rather the near vertical climb one must make, to get anywhere. Envisioning a woman dressed to the nines for a night out on the town, he wrote “I dare any dame to dress like this and climb the Positano stairs for a cocktail. She will arrive looking like a washcloth at a boys’ camp.”

While we may have arrived “glistening” and out of breath, my sister Lila and I insisted on dressing up every night in Positano, braving the stairs – our calves, quads and butts be damned – and making each evening a special one in this very special place. 

Steinbeck was wrong. Dames couldn’t be deterred and neither could the swells of tourists that swarm Positano’s pedestrian zone, pack its seaside restaurants, and crowd its black pebble beaches. The scenery is just too dramatic, too mesmerizing, too captivating. I offer the Positano stairs as proof.  

During his stay, Steinbeck took a room at Le Sireneuse. It was at Franco’s, the hotel’s open air bar, that Lila ordered a Hugo Spritz. It was the best kind of drink to have while waiting for the late sun to set on that warm June evening. I’ve done my best to recreate that cocktail here.   

Hugo Spritz
Serves one

Prosecco
Elderflower liqueur
Club soda
Mint

In a cocktail shaker, mix 1 ounce elderflower liqueur, such as St. Germain, with 3-4 fresh mint leaves. Give it a rigorous shake for 45 seconds and strain into a glass. Add prosecco and top with a splash of soda and few mint leaves so you can get a whiff of the herb as you sip your lovely cocktail.