According to the Wikipedia entry, the history of Campari began in Novara, Italy, in 1860, with the invention by Gaspare Campari of the recipe that is still in use today... Among the ingredients are quinine and other bitter herbs, rhubarb, spices, ginseng, bergamot oil, and orange peel. It is known that the colour came from natural Carmine Cochineal E20. Cochineal is actually an insect(!) from which carmine, a purified dye, is made.When Julie and I were in Italy visiting our friends Trisha and Davide, it was common practice for friends to order an Americano (or two) as an aperitif. This is one of several of my favorite Campari cocktails.
Campari is somewhat of an acquired taste in that it is quite bitter. It is also fairly sweet with an orange zest element to it. It is very complex in flavor and therefore works well on its own, but also marries well in the drinks mentioned below.
Here are five of my favorite things to do with Campari in no particular order:
#1 Campari on the rocks
2 oz Campari
1 lemon slice, zest or orange slice
pour Campari into a double old fashioned glass half filled with ice cubes. Garnish with citrus of choice.
#2 Campari and Soda
2 oz. Campari
3-4 oz. Soda to taste
Pour Campari into a double old fashioned glass half filled with ice cubes. Top with soda and stir. Citrus garnish optional.
#3 Campari and OJ
2 oz. Campari
2-4 oz. Orange Juice, Tangerine Juice or Blood Orange/Orange/Grapefruit Juice (fresh squeezed is best)
Pour Campari into a double old fashioned glass half filled with ice cubes. Top with OJ and stir.
#4 Americano
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. Martini & Rossi (lighter) or Carpano Punt e Mes (stronger) sweet vermouth
2-3 oz. Soda (in Italy, Schweppes club soda in little glass bottles)
Pour Campari into a double old fashioned glass half filled with ice cubes. Add sweet vermouth. Top with soda and stir. Garnish with orange slice.
#5 Negroni
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. Martini & Rossi (lighter) or Carpano Punt e Mes (stronger) sweet vermouth
1 oz. Gin (Beefeater)
Pour Campari, vermouth and gin into a cocktail shaker filled with ice cubes. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon zest.
These are all great aperitifs with the possible exception being the Campari & OJ which may be a little heavy before a meal. It's more of a mid-late afternoon refresher.
While I am genuinely delighted to learn that it is colored with Cochineal, Campari has always been a bit of a hard sell for me, I have to admit. Until, that is, I was introduced to #3Campari and OJ...and #2soda. Though the bitterness is still overt, there is something about the combination that is really refreshing and helps me appreciate all the flavors going on in the Campari without the repulsion.
ReplyDeleteConversely, I am *not* delighted to learn it is colored with dead insects. Coupled with what I recently learned about bloody marys, I have the start of an unfortunate list of non-vegetarian cocktails that I can't enjoy.
ReplyDeleteRachel, I'm glad you're enjoying #2 and 3. That's definitely more than I remember you liking.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - you'll be happy to know that Campari has recently changed their formula and now use artificial coloring. How do you know which is which? - The labe will say includes natural carmine or artificially colored. I've heard the artificially colored new version is not as good as the old one but have not done a blind comparison. What did you learn about bloody marys?
Hmmm...not sure artificial flavoring is a better bet. As for the bloody marys, it turns out that Worcestershire sauce totally has anchovies in it. All the time. And the TJ's bloody mary mix has clams. Minor, I know, but if one is being strict about veg things, one has to get creative in making up a bloody mary. Rachel does it well, though...
ReplyDelete