Americano (cocktail)

The Americano is an IBA official cocktail[1] composed of Campari, sweet vermouth, and for the sparkling version, club soda and garnished with a slice of lemon.[2]

Americano
IBA official cocktail
TypeMixed drink
Base spirit
ServedOn the rocks: poured over ice
Standard garnishhalf an orange slice, lemon twist
Standard drinkware
Old fashioned glass
IBA specified
ingredients†
PreparationPour the Campari and vermouth over ice into an old fashioned glass, add a splash of soda water and garnish with half orange slice and a lemon twist.
Commonly servedBefore dinner
† Americano recipe at International Bartenders Association

History

The cocktail was first served in creator Gaspare Campari's bar, Caffè Campari in Milan, in the 1860s. It is the direct descendant of the "Milano-Torino" which consisted of Campari, the bitter liqueur from Milan (Milano) and Punt e Mes, the vermouth from Turin (Torino) but lacked soda water. This drink was itself a descendant of the "Torino-Milano", a concoction consisting of equal parts Campari and Amaro Cora.

It is the first drink ordered by James Bond in the first novel in Ian Fleming's series, Casino Royale. In From Russia With Love, Bond drinks "two excellent Americanos" in Rome during his flight to Istanbul. In the short story "From a View to a Kill", Bond chooses an Americano as an appropriate drink for a mere café; suggesting that "in cafés you have to drink the least offensive of the musical comedy drinks that go with them."[3] Bond always stipulates Perrier, for, in his opinion, expensive soda water was the cheapest way to improve a poor drink. In The Tourist, Elise and Fred each had an Americano (or two) before their fancy dinner at a Venetian restaurant, and resumed drinking that post-dinner back in their hotel room. In The Talented Mr. Ripley, Tom and Dickie drink americanos on the Via Veneto in Rome.

See also

 Drink portal icon Liquor portal

References
  1. "The Unforgettables". International Bartenders Association. Archived from the original on 9 March 2017. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  2. "2-Ingredient Cocktails You'll Want to Memorize".
  3. Fleming, Ian. "From a View to a Kill" in The Complete James Bond Short Stories. New York, 2004.
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