Mixing With: Campari
Herbaceous, audacious, and divisive by design, Campari is the bittersweet backbone of many a cocktail. We task Liverpool’s Buyers Club with mixing up a few Campari classics
Bittersweet Symphony
Campari belongs to a family of bitter Italian liqueurs known as apéritifs (or aperitivi, if we’re sticking with the Italian). First created by Gaspare Campari back in 1860, the aperitivo boasts a singularly dry, orange bitterness every bit as distinctive as its copper-red hue. As intense as it is inimitable, Campari is a blend of chinotto, cascarilla and a proprietary mix of herbs that can be enjoyed on the rocks, long, or as part of a cocktail. What cocktails exactly? We’re so glad you asked.
Negroni
The Negroni is both a benchmark in the rich canon of the classic cocktail and a liquid embodiment of simplicity done perfectly. Equal parts Campari, gin and sweet vermouth, it’s a bold and bracing little number that puts the bittersweet bite of the Campari front and centre. Not a big fan of gin? No problem. Subbing it out for a little bourbon, scotch, or rye offers the same florality of the Italian classic but with an added, American edge.
1 oz Gin
1 oz Campari
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
Old Pal
More aggressive and all together a little rougher around the edges than the classic Negroni, the Old Pal subs gin for rye and swaps out the sweet vermouth for a dry (and typically French) variant. The final mix is also served up as opposed to over ice. It’s the perfect option for those who like their cocktails on the stiffer side.
1½ oz Rye Whiskey
¾ oz Campari
¾ oz Dry Vermouth
Negroni Sbagliato
Italy’s most famous happy accident, the Negroni Sbagliato is a most fabled back bar foul up. The Sbagliato drink is rumoured to have been invented at Milan’s Bar Basso by accident, when a bartender accidentally used sparkling wine instead of gin in their Negroni. Italian for ‘mistake’, the Sbagliato adds an accidental dose of buoyancy to the Negroni’s world-renowned bitterness. Mistake or not, it’s certainly worth a sip-it-and-see.
1 oz Campari
1 oz Sweet Vermouth
Top with Prosecco
Garibaldi
Named after Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi – who was a central figure in the unification of Italy – this cocktail calls on just two ingredients: Campari (obviously) and fresh orange juice. Legend has it that the Campari acts as a nod to the red shirts worn by Garibaldi’s freedom fighters, while the orange harks back to Sicily. We can’t honestly say we’re too fussed on the heritage or the provenance, but we can confirm the Garibaldi makes for one hell of a breakfast cocktail.
1½ oz Campari
Freshly-squeezed orange juice
