Americano

Ingredients

Drink

• 30 mlCampari
• 30 mlred (sweet) vermouth, Italian style such as Punt e Mes or Carpano
• 60–90 mlchilled soda water, to top
• cubed ice, or one large block
• 1half-slice of orange, or a strip of orange peel
• 1green olive on a stick, optional and traditional in Milan

Glassware

• a heavy tumbler or a small highball, chilled

Directions

1. Chill the glass thoroughly, in the freezer for 10 minutes or packed with ice and water while you gather everything.
2. Fill the glass to the top with good, hard, cubed ice. A glass half full of small wet ice gives a diluted, flat drink within a minute.
3. Pour the Campari over the ice, then the red vermouth, in equal measure.
4. Stir briefly, four or five turns with a bar spoon, to combine and chill the two liquids before the soda goes in.
5. Top with chilled soda water, poured gently down the side of the glass so the bubbles survive. The classic ratio is one to one to one, though many Milanese bars pour a heavier soda.
6. Give one single lift of the bar spoon from the bottom to bring the vermouth up through the drink, and no more; over-stirring kills the carbonation.
7. Express a half-slice of orange over the surface and drop it in, or twist a strip of peel skin-side down over the drink before adding it.
8. Serve immediately as an aperitivo, before dinner, with olives, crisps and salted almonds.

Technique

• The drink began as the Milano-Torino, Campari from Milan and vermouth from Turin, at Gaspare Campari’s bar in the 1860s. Soda was added and the name changed to Americano around the turn of the century, reportedly for its popularity with American visitors.
• Replace the soda with 30 ml of gin and you have a Negroni, which was created in 1919 by a Florentine count asking for exactly that.
• Vermouth is a fortified wine and oxidises. Keep the open bottle in the refrigerator and use it within a month, or the drink will taste stewed.
• This is a long, low-alcohol aperitivo at roughly 10 percent in the glass, meant to sharpen appetite rather than to be sipped after dinner.

Substitutions

• No Campari: any red bitter aperitivo such as Select, Luxardo Bitter or Contratto works, each slightly sweeter or more herbal.
• Sweet vermouth can be swapped for a bianco vermouth for a paler, softer drink, though it is no longer strictly an Americano.
• Soda can be replaced by a dry, lightly sparkling mineral water; do not use tonic, which adds a second bitter and muddles it.

Variations

• The Milano-Torino is the same drink without soda, served over ice in a small tumbler.
• Americano sbagliato tops the Campari and vermouth with sparkling wine instead of soda.
• Some Roman bars add a splash of orange juice, which is a local habit rather than the standard.

History

Born in 1860s Milan as the Milano-Torino; soda was added and the name stuck with American visitors.

Frequently asked questions

What is Americano?

Americano is a cocktail from Italy: campari, red vermouth and soda over ice with orange; classic pre-dinner aperitivo. Born in 1860s Milan as the Milano-Torino; soda was added and the name stuck with American visitors.

How long does Americano take to make?

Americano takes 3 min of preparation and n/a of cooking. The recipe makes 1 drink. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Americano?

Yes, within limits. No Campari: any red bitter aperitivo such as Select, Luxardo Bitter or Contratto works, each slightly sweeter or more herbal. Sweet vermouth can be swapped for a bianco vermouth for a paler, softer drink, though it is no longer strictly an Americano. Soda can be replaced by a dry, lightly sparkling mineral water; do not use tonic, which adds a second bitter and muddles it.

What is the most important thing to get right in Americano?

Give one single lift of the bar spoon from the bottom to bring the vermouth up through the drink, and no more; over-stirring kills the carbonation.