The Americano Cocktail

Bitter and refreshing The Americano Cocktail is the perfect pre-dinner apertif to enjoy before sitting down to dinner at home or with friends. 

Americano Cocktail from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen

“I’ll have an Americano please. . .” I said to bartender.

“An Americano? Isn’t that coffee? Braden said sitting next to me with a beer in hand.

Yes, yes it is but it’s also a classic Italian cocktail of Campari, sweet vermouth and club soda.  The Italians clearly like to confuse us or perhaps just name any watered down drink after Americans. ;-).  Who knows really but what I do know is this drink is light, refreshing and delicious on a hot day.

If you weren’t familiar with it before think of it as a gentler version of the Negroni.  Without the gin , it’s a simple aperitif to sip on before a meal with a low alcohol content – so it’s excellent on hot days to refresh you when you want an adult beverage.   It’s also the perfect beverage to introduce you to Campari, which can be quite bitter but has the healing power of settling an upset tummy.

With only three ingredients any well stocked home bar should have what is necessary to mix this up, Campari, sweet vermouth and club soda.  The orange garnish is your choice.

Americano Cocktail | girlinthelittleredkitchen.com

Let’s reach back a bit in the story though as to why this particular cocktail caught my eye that day instead of my normal order of an old fashioned, shall we?

We had just spent the last 7 days around the Pacific Northwest, we were still there but in downtown Seattle – our last full day of a very long vacation away from home.  The trip took us to day in Portland, all over the Snoqualmie Valley, to eating donuts for 4 straight days, consuming a bloody mary the size of my head, a fantastic steak dinner and breakfast at the Twin Peaks Diner. Plus there was the bubbling excitement of reading my first bit of major press in Costco Connection (did you see it?!)

To say we were stuffed was an understatement but I was also ready to get back home and back to yogurt for breakfast and *maybe* forgetting to eat lunch until I just ended up scrambling to put something together at 3pm.  Three big meals a day can get to a person and so that cocktail so called my name and the first sip was pure joy.

The Americano Cocktail
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Ingredients

  • 1 ounce Campari
  • 1 ounce Sweet Vermouth
  • Club Soda
  • Ice
  • Orange Twist (optional)

Instructions

  1. Fill a collins glass with ice and pour in the campari and sweet vermouth over. Top with club soda and garnish with orange twist.
  2. Makes 1 cocktail
Recipe Type: Cocktail
https://girlinthelittleredkitchen.com/2015/08/the-americano-cocktail/

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 Americano Cocktail | girlinthelittleredkitchen.com

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8 thoughts on “The Americano Cocktail

  1. Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons

    I’m with Braden, I’ve only heard of the coffee version of an American. But if this is a “gentler version of the Negroni,” I need to try it. I WANT to like Negronis, but I’m just not there yet. I need to ease myself in!

    Reply
  2. Faith (An Edible Mosaic)

    I did see you in Costco Connection – that is so exciting!!! Huge congrats.

    I don’t drink alcohol, but this definitely sounds like a tasty drink, plus it’s so pretty! Loved the story too – funny about the coffee! 🙂

    Reply

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