Alois did try to find Claire. She had mentioned several times that she wanted to visit Venice so that became his next destination. It turned out to be a false lead — he didn’t find her there. However, the locals told him about the famous Harry’s Bar. Stepping into the elegant interior, Alois took a seat at the bar and watched with admiration as bartender Giuseppe Cipriani prepared cocktails effortlessly. Craving a light, refreshing drink himself, he pointed to a glass of fruit juice and asked Cipriani to top it off with sparkling wine to enhance the fruit’s flavor. Alois then refined the recipe further, adding vetiver liqueur and tea syrup — ingredients he had grown fond of during his travels in Asia — creating an early version of what would later become Cipriani’s legendary Bellini.
As he savored his drink, it finally hit him. “Happiness isn’t in Lisbon or Venice but in Prague. Only in the city where I spent my youth can I find the peace I’ve lost and build the perfect bar,” he wrote in his diary. Alois realized that the time had come to return home.
La Serenissima