Americano
Prep time:
Campari and sweet vermouth in equal parts, lengthened with soda over plenty of ice. It was born in Gaspare Campari’s bar in Milan in the nineteenth century as the Milano-Torino, after where its two ingredients came from; the name Americano comes, by the most common account, from how often American tourists ordered it.
Ingredients
- 30 ml Campari
- 30 ml sweet vermouth
- 60 ml well-chilled soda water
- Ice cubes
- Half an orange wheel
Preparation
- Fill the glass to the top with ice.
- Add the Campari and vermouth, and stir for a few seconds to chill them.
- Top with the soda and give it a single turn of the spoon, so as not to knock out the fizz.
- Finish with the half orange wheel.
Bartender’s notes
Is this the one James Bond drinks?
It is the first thing he orders. In Casino Royale, the first novel, Bond’s first drink is an Americano, which he has at the hotel bar long before he invents the Vesper. It is an afternoon drink: long, bitter and low in alcohol, the opposite of what you would expect from him.
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