The laboratory conceit is literal: bartenders work with house-made bitters, syrups distilled from foraged botanicals, tinctures aged in miniature barrels, and the occasional molecular technique that belongs more to a chemistry department than a cocktail bar. The name is the address, the approach is scientific, and the results are drinks that taste like nothing you have had before — not because they are strange but because they are precise in a way that reveals how imprecise most cocktails actually are. The space is small and focused, stripped of decorative excess to keep the attention on the glass. Bologna's university tradition of empirical inquiry, applied to gin and citrus.
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Insider Intel
The house signatures built on their own bitters and infusions — these are the drinks you cannot get anywhere else and the reason Lab 16 exists. Describe your flavour preferences and the bartenders will select from the rotating menu or build something bespoke. The molecular presentations are not gimmicky; they serve the flavour. An amaro flight from their collection closes the evening with authority.
From 9pm onward when the bar shifts from aperitivo mode to full cocktail service and the bartenders have time to explain what goes into each creation. Weeknights are best for the educational dimension — the staff enjoy talking through their process when the pace allows. Friday and Saturday are busier and the energy shifts from laboratory to bar.
Via Testoni is a quiet street near the centre, easy to walk past without noticing. The bar is small — perhaps twenty seats — and fills on weekends. No reservations. The laboratory approach means drinks take slightly longer to prepare than standard cocktails; patience is rewarded. Prices are moderate given the craft involved. The bartenders are genuinely passionate about the science of flavour and will explain any technique if you ask. Card accepted.