Americano
Red bitter aperitivo and sweet vermouth lengthened with soda. Bittersweet, low in alcohol and made for the hour before dinner.
- MethodBuilt
- GlassHighball glass
- IceCubes
- Strengthabout 7.9% ABV
- BaseWine & aperitivo
- Tastebitter, refreshing, sweet
Recipe
| 30 ml 1 oz | Red bitter aperitivo (Milan-style, about 25%) |
| 30 ml 1 oz | Sweet (red) vermouth |
| Top up: 90 ml 3 oz | Soda water |
Garnish. A half wheel of orange tucked into the ice, or a strip of lemon peel for a drier finish.
Method
- Fill a highball glass (or a large rocks glass) with ice.
- Pour in the bitter aperitivo and the vermouth and stir briefly.
- Top up with cold soda water and give it one gentle stir.
- Add the orange slice.
About the Americano
The Americano is the Italian aperitivo in its simplest mixed form: equal parts bitter red aperitivo and sweet vermouth over ice, topped with soda. It is bitter and orangey, softened by the vermouth's wine and spice, and light enough to drink slowly before a meal without spoiling your appetite.
History
Documented
By the late 19th century sweet vermouth from Turin and bitter liqueurs from Milan were both established Italian products, and the two mixed over ice became a café order known as the Milano-Torino. Lengthened with soda it took the name Americano, and it was already a familiar drink when the Negroni, its gin-strengthened offspring, appeared in Florence around 1920.
Legend and lore
The Campari company's own history places the Milano-Torino at Gaspare Campari's café in Milan in the 1860s; that is a firm's account rather than an independent record. The name is often explained by the drink's popularity with American visitors, whether in the 1920s, during Prohibition, or later. None of the versions is documented. Another theory links the name to the Italian "amaro" (bitter); it is no better supported.
Disputed or unclear: Neither the origin of the name nor the date the soda version was first called an Americano is known; the timeline date is an approximation.
Variations
Bartender's notes
- Keep the soda very cold and add it last, so the drink stays lively.
- It is low in alcohol, so a fresh vermouth matters even more than usual; flat vermouth makes a flat Americano.
