Last week, I made some cocktails using Campari. I had never actually had Campari before; it’s a bitter, sweet drink that has a very distinctive red color.
The first thing most people think of when they hear Campari is probably the Negroni.
Negroni
1 oz gin
1 oz sweet vermouth
1 oz Campari
orange peel
This was actually sweeter than I had expected it would be. But it was a little too bitter for me. I know, Campari is supposed to be bitter, but I just wished there were some other things in the drink so that the bitterness wasn’t so noticeable.
Next, I went for a simple drink with orange juice, the Garibaldi.
Garibaldi
2 oz Campari
5 oz orange juice
orange slice
This drink was actually quite sweet because of the Campari, while at the same time being bitter. It tasted kind of like sweetened grapefruit juice, which I like, but also with a different, stronger bitterness. There was this herbal taste from the Campari, which I wasn’t really used to, but then again, I only started drinking Campari last week.
The Negroni was apparently the result of someone requesting a stronger version of this next cocktail, the Americano.
Americano
1 oz Campari
1 oz sweet vermouth
soda water
orange peel
lemon peel
You’re supposed to use twists instead of just peels, but I was lazy, so I just took some of the peels off. The club soda cut some of the bitterness, but I think this drink had this strange mixture of bitterness and sweetness that I didn’t particularly care for. I think the conclusion is that I’m not a fan of Campari with vermouth.
This last cocktail is from the Campari website.
Campari Collins
1.5 oz Campari
0.5 oz Grand Marnier
0.5 oz lemon juice
0.5 oz simple syrup
1 oz soda water
orange slice
I actually really liked this drink. The lemon juice and sugar balance out the bitterness of the Campari, and the Grand Marnier adds a hint of citrus. The soda water gives it that final fizz, and it just all worked really well together.
After making all these cocktails with it, now I feel like maybe I should just try drinking Campari straight…