Happy Birthday Campari

I recently found out that Campari is celebrating it’s 150th anniversary this year. The bitter, bright red liqueur is one of my favorites, and one of those indispensable products that every bar and home should stock.

Just about everyone remembers their first taste of Campari. For a lot of folks, the first taste also winds up being the last taste… The bitter flavor of Campari is too big of a hurdle for them to clear. These folks are making a mistake, and missing out on a great product which features in some delicious cocktails. Yes, Campari is, for most people, an acquired taste, but I think you’ll find it’s one worth acquiring.

The Negroni
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1 oz. gin

Build over ice in a rocks glass and garnish with an orange wheel or a twist. A dash or two of orange bitters makes for a pleasant variation.

The Negroni is arguably the most popular Campari cocktail out there (disregarding for the moment such simple preparations as Campari & Soda or Campari & Orange), and for good reason. It’s a perfect drink, balanced, adult and delicious, as well as being easily adjusted to suit one’s taste. For me, the classic equal proportions work best.

The Americano
1 ½ oz. Campari
1 ½ oz. sweet vermouth
3 oz. soda water

Build over ice and top with soda water. Garnish with an orange wheel.

This is the drink the Negroni was based on – Count Oliver Pascal Negroni preferred gin to soda in his Americano, and thus a cocktail was born.

The Boulevardier
1 oz. bourbon
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. sweet vermouth

Stir with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

The Boulevardier, interestingly enough, actually predates the Negroni by a couple of decades. The drink was first published in Barflies and Cocktails in 1927, and resurrected by Ted “Dr. Cocktail” Haigh in his Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails.

The Jasmine
1 ½ oz. gin
1 oz. Cointreau
¾ oz. Campari
½ oz. freshly-squeezed lemon juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

The Jasmine is a great drink to introduce people to Campari. The sweetness of the Cointreau and the tartness of the lemon juice help to temper the Campari’s bitterness, and the botanicals in the gin combine with the other ingredients to produce a pretty good imitation of grapefruit juice.

The Bitter Elder
1 ½ oz. gin
½ oz. Campari
½ oz. freshly-squeezed lemon juice
¾ oz. St. Germain

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist, or with a cherry blossom or other edible flower.

This is a recent concoction pairing Campari with the ubiquitous St. Germain elderflower liqueur. It’s light and floral, which I like to accentuate by using a flower garnish.

Now go out and buy yourself a bottle of Campari, and raise a few glasses tonight in honor of 150 years of excellence.