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Americano Cocktail

American cocktail in a highball glass.
Photo by John Lee

  • Active Time

    2 minutes

  • Total Time

    2 minutes

The Americano cocktail is a classic Italian drink that dates back to Milan’s Caffè Camparino in the 1860s, where it was known as the Milano-Torino (the Campari came from Milan, the sweet vermouth from Turin). Yet its popularity with American expats soon gave rise to a new nickname for the drink: the Americano.

Editor's note: This easy cocktail is somewhere between an aperol spritz and a negroni in intensity—it’s the perfect predinner drink to serve alongside a bowl of olives or potato chips. It requires just three ingredients to whip up and is mixed right in the glass. Just stir together equal parts bittersweet Campari and sweet vermouth, then add enough club soda to fill the glass and make the drink fizzy and refreshing. A lemon twist boosts the aperitivo’s aroma, but if you don’t have one, life goes on. You can also consider this Americano recipe to be flexible—the drink has long been served with other bitter liqueurs in the mix. Be sure to chill your soda before you begin stirring up drinks—warmer soda will lose its bubble quicker.

Ingredients

Makes 1 drink

1½ oz (45 ml) Campari
1½ oz (45 ml) sweet vermouth
Soda water to top
Lemon twist for garnish

  1. In an ice-filled rocks glass or highball glass, combine the Campari and vermouth. Stir well, top with soda water, and garnish with the lemon twist before serving.

Image may contain: Glass, Drink, Beer, Alcohol, Beverage, and Liquor
Reprinted from Shake. Stir. Sip. by Kara Newman with permission from Chronicle Books, 2016. Photographs © John Lee and Luke Abiol. Buy the full book from Chronicle Books or Amazon.
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Back to TopTriangle

  • I’ve loved the Americano since first having it in probably 1983! I wouldn’t use a highball glass (and that much soda), though— I generally like it with a bit over a splash, i.e. just replacing the gin, if you were (properly) using 1 : 1 : 1.

    • Maria J

    • Minneapolis

    • 3/3/2023

TagsCocktailAlcoholBeveragesCampariAmaroLiqueurVermouthItalianEuropeanDairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreeQuickEasy5 Ingredients or Fewer30 Minutes or LessCookbooks

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