The Americano is an

IBA official cocktail The IBA official cocktails are the cocktails selected by the International Bartenders Association (IBA) for use in the annual World Cocktail Competition (WCC) in bartending. List of cocktails IBA official cocktails are divided into three categor ...

composed of

Campari Campari () is an Italian alcoholic liqueur, considered an apéritif (20.5%, 21%, 24%, 25%, or 28.5% ABV, depending on the country where it is sold), obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit (including chinotto and cascarilla) in alcohol and ...

sweet vermouth Vermouth (, ) is an aromatized fortified wine, flavoured with various botanicals (roots, barks, flowers, seeds, herbs, and spices) and sometimes colored. The modern versions of the beverage were first produced in the mid- to late 18th cent ...

, and for the sparkling version,

club soda Club soda is a manufactured form of carbonated water, commonly used as a drink mixer. Sodium bicarbonate, potassium sulfate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium citrate, or sodium citrate is artificially added to replicate constituents commonly fo ...

and garnished with a slice of lemon.

History

The cocktail was first served in creator

Gaspare Campari Gaspare Campari (1828–1882) was an Italian drinks manufacturer. Born in Cassolnovo, Lombardy,Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, 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 Punt e Mes (from pms, pont e mes , " nepoint and a half") is an Italian vermouth. It is dark brown in color and has a bitter flavor. According to its producer, the name refers to the flavor being characterized as half a "point" of bitterness and ...

, the vermouth from

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

(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.

In popular culture

It is the first drink ordered by

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

in the

first novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., a ...

'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 ''For Your Eyes Only'' is a collection of short stories by the British author Ian Fleming, featuring the fictional British Secret Service agent Commander James Bond, the eighth book to feature the character. It was first published by Jonathan ...

", 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."Fleming, Ian. "From a View to a Kill" in ''The Complete James Bond Short Stories''. New York, 2004. Bond always stipulates

Perrier Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of natural bottled mineral water obtained at its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier is known for its carbonation and its distinctive green bottle. Perrier was part of the ...

, for, in his opinion, expensive soda water was the cheapest way to improve a poor drink. In

The Tourist (2010 film) ''The Tourist'' is a 2010 American romantic thriller film co-written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and starring Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany, and Timothy Dalton. It is a remake of the 2005 French film '' Anthony ...

, 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Americano (Cocktail) Cocktails with vermouth Cocktails with Campari Cocktails with club soda

History

In popular culture

See also

References