Incomparable Campari. Ruby red - and bittersweet as romance.
By Nancy Ross Ryan
Photo by Laurie Proffitt
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Beguilingly Bittersweet
Incomparable Campari. Ruby red - and bittersweet as romance. By Nancy Ross Ryan |
Photo by Laurie Proffitt |
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Only the Italians could have invented Campari - an aperitif gorgeous to the eye, complex on the palate and yet so easy going that some classic, some ingenious, and some absurd cocktails have been created around it. To date it is the world's most popular bitters and sold in 170 nations. Bitters, by the bye, are defined by Anthony Dias Blue in The Complete Book of Mixed Drinks (Harper Perennial, 1993) as "the essences of bark, roots, fruits, plants, stems, seeds and other botanicals incorporated into an alcohol base." Bitters, he says, were originally used as a stomachic or digestive aid, in short, as medicine. But only recently, when my companion for the evening ordered a Negroni (and offered me a sip), did I ask myself: Why have I been drinking Campari only with soda all these years? Clearly I have been neglecting my beverage repertoire. Although I excuse myself by pointing out that in Italy, its place of origin, Campari premixed with soda and bottled and sells more than 400 million bottles a year. Campari was invented in 1860 by Gaspare Campari who owned an elegant café in Milan. He wanted to commemorate that particular year when Italy became unified as a nation, and he wanted to offer his stylish patrons something new and different. Campari became an immediate success, thanks not only to his son Davide's marketing efforts, but also to the aperitifs soft, sweet and beguilingly bitter taste. It owes its international success to the complexity of Gaspare's original and secret formula, still used by the company. Campari is made using herbs and fruits from four different continents and is aged in oak. In my Campari safari, I started out with two of the world's most famous cocktails, both Campari classics, the Negroni and the Americano. A Negroni is a variation on the Martini, much easier on the palate although it delivers the same punch, and it may be made, like a Martini, dry or sweet. It's made with gin, sweet red Vermouth or dry Vermouth and Campari. Instead of a lemon twist, olive, or onion (aka Gibson), the Negroni is garnished with orange. The color alone is worth toasting. An Americano, the second most famous Campari cocktail, packs less of a lethal punch. It's a mixed drink using Campari, sweet red Vermouth, and soda and garnished with an orange twist. In the literature of mixed drinks, Campari cocktails have their share of ingenious names: Alfredo, Bitter Bikini, Campobello, Dubbonet Negroni, Filby, Flipper, Genoa, Italian Stallion, The Laura, Napoli, Negroni Cooler, Rendezvous, Tivoli, and Venetian Sunset. Some drinks were created at famous restaurants or bars. For example, Venetian Sunset is credited to Felidia restaurant, New York City. But for sheer absurdity, my vote goes to Passion, a drink attributed to Luciano Pilar, bartender extraordinaire, at AMHSA Paradise Beach Club & Casino, the Dominican Republic. Joseph Scott & Donald Bain, in The World's Best Bartenders' Guide (HP Books, 1998) describe Pilar's concoction as equal parts beer and Campari combined in an old-fashioned glass and gently stirred. I shouldn't knock it. I haven't tried it. But it will have to wait until I sip my way through the Campari cocktails below. For years, whenever I have felt the need for something more challenging than a glass of wine, and more restorative than a flute of Champagne, my favorite prescription has been Campari and soda. |
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Negroni: Into a mixing glass with crushed ice stir 1 oz. gin, 1 oz. Campari, 1 oz. sweet red vermouth (can substitute sweet vermouth). Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, garnish with an orange peel. Dubonnet Negroni: In mixing glass with ice stir 1-1.2 oz. Dubbonet, 1-1/2 oz. gin, 1-1/2 oz. Campari. Strain into a chilled wine glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Negroni Cooler: In a highball glass with ice stir 1-1/2 oz. Campari, 1-1/2 oz. sweet red vermouth (substitute sweet vermouth), 1/2 oz. gin and fill with club soda to taste. Garnish with a lemon twist. Campari on the Rocks: Pour Campari over ice cubes in an old-fashioned glass. Shakerato: Add Campari and ice cubes to a cocktail shaker. Shake well, strain into a cocktail glass. Campari & Soda: Place ice cubes in a highball glass. Add 2/3 Campari and 1/3 club soda. Campari & Tonic: Same as above but a ratio of 1/4 Campari to 3/4 tonic. Campari Orange: Place ice cubes in a highball or old-fashioned glass. Add 1/3 Campari to 2/3 orange juice. Campari Grapefruit: Same as above but a ratio of 1/4 Campari to 3/4 grapefruit juice. Note: I like this with freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice. Campari & Gin: Place ice cubes in an old-fashioned glass. Add 1-1/2 oz. Campari to 1-1/2 oz. gin. Garnish with a slice of orange. Cranparie: In a mixing glass with cracked ice stir 2 oz. Campari with 2 to 2-1/2 oz. cranberry juice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Bitter Bikini: In a rocks glass with crushed ice stir 1-1/2 oz. Campari, 1 oz. dry vermouth and 1/2 oz. triple sec. Flipper, also known as Filby: In a mixing glass with crushed ice stir 2 oz. gin, 3/4 oz. amaretto, 1/2 oz. dry vermouth and 1/2 oz. Campari. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an orange peel. Genoa: In a rocks glass with ice, stir 1-1/2 oz. vodka, 3/4 oz. Campari and 2 oz. orange juice. Garnish with an orange peel or slice. Italian Stallion: In a mixing glass with ice stir 1-1/2 oz. bourbon. 1/2 oz. sweet red vermouth (substitute sweet vermouth), 1/2 oz. Campari and 1 to 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist. Rendezvous: In a cocktail shaker mix 1-1/2 oz. gin, 1/2 oz. kirsch, 1/2 oz. Campari. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a lemon twist. The Laura: In a cocktail shaker with ice shake 1-1/2 oz. bourbon, 1 oz. sweet red vermouth (substitute sweet vermouth), 1/2 oz. dry vermouth, 1/2 oz. Campari, 1/2 oz. Galliano. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with a cherry. Venetian Sunset: In a cocktail shaker filled with ice mix 1 oz. grappa, 1/4 oz. Campari, 2 oz. orange juice, 1 tsp sugar. Shake well and strain into a large chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of orange and a small sprig of mint. Recommended reading: The following books contain Campari recipes easily adaptable to the home bar. Use them as guidelines, and feel free to experiment. Also consult the Campari web site: www.Campari.com.
The Complete Bartender, by Robyn M. Feller, Berkeley Books, New York, 1990; The World's Best Bartenders' Guide, by Joseph Scott & Donald Bain, HP Books, New York, 1998; The Complete Book of Mixed Drinks, by Anthony Dias Blue, Harper Perennial, New York, 1993; The Official Mixer's Manual, by Patrick Gavin Duffy, 7th edition, Doubleday & Company, New York, 1983. |
LIQUID ASSETS - June 2000