Americano Cocktail: the easy cocktail recipe to make at home

The Americano is a cocktail that is made up of Campari bitter, red vermouth and soda. It is prepared directly in the old fashioned glass and it is an IBA cocktail. As you could have noticed, all ingredients are Italian, but the drink is named in homage to the Italian boxer Primo Carnera who was very active in the United States and deserved the name "the Americano". Its flavor is slightly bitterish with a light citrus note and it is perfect to be served with quick dishes. Its alcohol by volume is about 16%.

The history of the Americano has its origin in the second half of the 19th century in Gaspare Campari's bar in Milan. Over the years the cocktail became famous thanks to some tributes from the world of cinema, among them James Bond whose favorite cocktail was the Americano, of course.

How to make Americano Cocktail

Fill a glass with ice and add bitter Campari and red vermouth. Add the soda to top and stir gently.

Add a lemon slice to the cocktail and garnish with an orange slice.

Americano Variations

A little variation of the Americano is the addition of two drops of Tabasco and 3 drops of Angostura in order to give a greater aromatic touch to the drink. The important thing is to serve it immediately in order to avoid watering down. Moreover, a famous variant is the Americano Sbagliato (or Wrong Americano), a cocktail born in Milan and prepared with sparkling wine, bitter Campari and Martini.

Americano History and Curiosities

Americano was included in IBA codifications only in 1987 but, actually, it is a cocktail which spread in Italy in the 1930's because it was imposed by the fascist regime. Its ingredients are vermouth, which is from Turin, and bitter, from Milan. The name "Americano" was born when Primo Carnera became world heavy weight champion at Madison Square Garden in New York. When Carnera came back to Italy with the title, he was welcomed with this very Italian cocktail which was called "Americano" for the occasion.