You may have a hard time finding the best Campari cocktails. But let me take care of it because there are many fantastic cocktail delights in this post. Are you ready to try some Campari cocktails right in your home? If yes, let’s follow me through this wonderful trip.
Campari comes with various styles of cocktails. Every Campari cocktail has a special taste and flavor. Plus, it’s not difficult to make all of them so you can easily make them by yourself. Do you want to know how? Read this article now!
The Overview Of Campari
Campari is a red Italian liqueur created by infusing fruit and herbs (chinotto and cascarilla) in alcohol and water.
Chinotto is a bitter and sour fruit from the myrtle-leaved orange tree and Cascarilla bark from the croton gelateria tree provides a strong aroma flavor for the drink.
In 1860, Gaspare Campari invented a liquid and named it Campari in Italy. This liquid used to have a vivid crimson color dyed come from crushed cochineal insects. In 2006, Campari returned to its original dark red color without using the carmine dye.
In the United States and many countries, people produce Campari with artificial colors. In Italian markets, the locals serve Campari with soda in a bottle. And this Campari soda is popular in these markets with a low alcohol volume of 10%.
How Does Campari Taste?
The main flavor profile of Campari is bitter. You can also sense a light sweetness and herbaceous flavor along with its bitterness.
The longer it stays in your mouth, the sweeter it lasts. So if you think Campari is hard to drink, it is not. That’s why this alcohol is popular in many countries.
On the other hand, people use it to make delicious cocktails like Campari Spritz and Negroni. It also goes well with the other drinks and creates many amazing flavors.
These Top Campari Cocktails Will Knock You Out!
In this section, I will take you flying through the sea of Campari cocktails. Hold on tight! Because this list of cocktails will blow you away from your seat. Have a look at it!
1. Campari Spritz
Total time: 5 minutes
It would be better to start with the most classical cocktail with Campari. Indeed, Campari Spritz is the best example, and it’s a simple yet gorgeous red cocktail. You can go through the bitter, the sweet, and the refreshing moment with just 1 sip of this drink.
Campari Spritz has 3 main ingredients. You need to pour ice cubes into your glass first, then pour Campari, sparkling water, and Prosecco into the glass. Garnish with some strawberries and fruits of your choice and your perfect cocktail is done.
If you feel it is too bitter, you can cut the Campari in half and replace the half with other liquid like Aperon, sweet fruit juices, or Prosecco.
2. Sorrentino
Total time: 2 minutes
The next drink is another perfect cocktail mix. The Sorrentino is the classic cocktail of Italy, especially in the south. You can feel a symphony from the mixture of bitterness and sweetness in this drink.
Start by pouring ice cubes into your glass, and add limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur with sweet lemon flavor, to create a fruity taste. After that, you can add vermouth, a slightly strong Italian wine, and Campari, then stir them up.
Finally, pour a soda on the top and decorate it with a thyme sprig. Why should you use thyme spring in this recipe? It’s simple; the thyme sprig will enhance the grassy and floral flavor of your drink and add the missing symphony for your song.
3. Classic Negroni
Total time: 3 minutes
Negroni is a popular Campari cocktail because it has a long history. This wonderful mixture was mixed in Italy in 1919 when General Pascal Olivier de Negroni asked a bartender to upgrade his favorite Americano by replacing the soda water with gin.
The bartender also replaced the lemon with an orange garnish. The new drink came out with a different yet mesmerizing flavor. Since then, the Negroni cocktail has become widely known.
One more thing that makes the Negroni famous is its straightforward make. You only need 3 ingredients. Simply mix gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth together then you will have the classic Negroni cocktail.
Everything from Classic Negroni is basic and easy.
4. Shirley Temple Black
Total time: 5 minutes
If you are tired of a long working day and you need something to relax, do not miss this cocktail recipe. Indeed, this Shirley Temple Black can help you refresh your mind and forget the stress. It has a bittersweet flavor and refreshing taste.
This drink is also a light cocktail, you can serve it with heavy foods. You can make this simple drink in your home with Grenadine, Campari, and some basic ingredients. Now, you can sit on the sofa, hold your delicious cocktail and enjoy your day.
5. Mezcal Negroni
Total time: 5 minutes
When drinking this cocktail, you can feel a smoky flavor, it is the flavor from Mezcal. Mezcal is a type of alcohol from 11 types of agave plants. The agave plant is cooked to create a smoky flavor for this alcohol.
The difference between this Mezcal-based cocktail and the classic Negroni is replacing gin with mezcal. It has a simple recipe. All you need to do is combine Mezcal, Campari, and Vermouth into a glass with ice. That’s it!
Mezcal Negroni is a simple drink that you must have on your bar list.
6. Late Harvest Wine & Campari
Total time: 10 minutes, plus 2 hours of refrigerating time
Summer is coming soon, but do not let the hot weather bother you. With the Late Harvest Campari cocktail, I am sure you will overcome the heat of summer. So why don’t you make some for your friends and family to surprise them?
For your information, the Late Harvest wine is made from grapes and it is very sweet. To make this cocktail, all you need to do is refrigerate the mixture of fresh orange juice, Campari, and wine for 2 hours.
Call your friends over, throw a party and bring the cocktail out to serve.
7. Boulevardier
Total time: 5 minutes
Are you finding a special cocktail for your winter? Find no more because Boulevardier is the drink you need.
Boulevardier was the name of a famous magazine for expats in Paris in 1920. This drink started to gain more recognition worldwide in the book “Barflies and Cocktails” from 1927.
This cocktail is a twist on classic Negroni. However, they do not share the same flavor. Boulevardier is much stronger and warmer than Negroni. It is the necessary drink for your winter with bourbon, Campari, vermouth, and orange juice/slices.
8. Old Pal Cocktail
Total time: 5 minutes
This cocktail’s story is in the same timeline as Boulevardier. Old Pal was created by MacElhone in the 1920s. Compared to the classic Negroni, Old Pal chose a less-sweeter ingredient – dry vermouth.
The combination of the 3 main ingredients: Campari, rye whiskey, and dry vermouth makes this cocktail fabulous. Decorate with some orange slices to accompany the spicy rye whiskey.
You must try making this Old Pal for your friends.
9. Americano Cocktail
Total time: 2 minutes
When you hear the name Americano, you must think that this drink must come from America. But the truth is the origin of this drink comes from Italy in 1860. People believe that the name originates from American tourists.
This cocktail is popular around the world. It’s low in alcohol and easy to drink. You can make Americano with three ingredients: soda water, Campari, and sweet vermouth. I suggest using high-quality soda to increase the taste.
10. Garibaldi Cocktail
Total time: 1 minute
Once again, let us come back to Italy, the famous country of Campari cocktails. When talking about Italy, you should know about Giuseppe Garibaldi. He is a famous person, who fought for the unification of Italy in the 19th century.
The name of the Garibaldi cocktail came from him. There are only two ingredients for this drink. You need to mix Campari and orange juice to create this historical Italian drink. It is so easy, right?
You can use Valencia orange or blood orange for this drink. Blood oranges offer vibrant red color, or use Valencia oranges as a classic fruit for every cocktail.
11. Jungle Bird
Total time: 5 minutes
What do people name this cocktail with a bird name? You must think that it comes from the jungle, but you only get it half-right. This yummy rum cocktail comes from Malaysia. All of the ingredients come from tropical cocktails, except for Campari.
This cocktail is rather sweet rather than bitter, making it suitable for everyone. Everything is shaken vigorously and served in a glass. Decorate the glass with a pineapple wedge, cherry, and pineapple leaves to create a small jungle bird cocktail with a tropical atmosphere.
You can take a look at the Jungle Bird through the camera angle.
12. Gin And Campari Old Fashioned
Total time: 10 minutes
You can find this drink on the bar menu, it has a stronger and milder flavor than the classic gin cocktail. If you like the old-fashioned way, you will enjoy this twist.
To concoct this old-style cocktail: you need to pour the Campari, orange, gin, and syrup into the cocktail shaker. Shake it until everything is mixed. Finally, pour the liquid into your glass with some ice and enjoy.
13. Negroni Sbagliato
Total time: 5 minutes
If you are madly in love with the classic Negroni cocktail, you should try another twist with Negroni Sbagliato. Instead of using gin to make classic Negroni, use prosecco in this recipe. The flavor of this cocktail is milder and not so bitter.
To create this beverage, you have to add vermouth and Campari to a glass and stir them gently. After that, you can add ice and prosecco, then stir again. That’s all!
14. Siesta
Total time: 5 minutes
Get ready to say goodbye to summer because the Siesta cocktail is here. The base of this fantastic cocktail is Tequila Blanco. It has a bittersweet flavor.
This brilliant cocktail was created in New York in 2006. To concoct this cocktail, you need to combine Campari, lime juice, tequila, and grape juice in a cocktail shaker.
Shake it for 15 seconds before adding syrup. Decorate your drink with a lime wedge and bring it to your friends.
You can try to make this Siesta recipe in your kitchen.
15. Jasmine
Total time: 4 minutes
This beautiful drink reminds me of a princess coming from fairy tales. The pink color gives you a soothing feeling. Jasmine has a grapefruit juice flavor, but there is no grapefruit contained in the recipe.
Jasmine is a gin-based cocktail, the key to making this drink is the balance between sweet and sour. If you are trying Campari for the first time, I suggest trying the Jasmine cocktail to get used to the bitter taste of Campari.
Shake the mixture of Campari and Cointreau (an orange flavor liqueur) vigorously before adding gin and lemon juice. Pour the liquid into your chilled cocktail glass and enjoy.
16. Mediterranean Pink Lady
Total: 5 minutes
Another lovely pink cocktail made with Campari that you need to try is here. How can this Mediterranean Pink Lady be pretty like that?
This cocktail also contains egg white in the recipe. This ingredient will change the texture and thicken the liquid. It also brings a soft taste.
The strong flavor of gin mixes with the fruity flavor of limoncello, lemon juice, and Cointreau to create a perfect mixture. You can also feel the herbal and bitter notes from Campari.
17. Bicicletta Spritz
Total time: 2 minutes
The country of treasure – Italy has so many cocktails. And this drink is an example. In fact, Veneziano Spritz is another name of Bicicletta Spritz. These cocktails are low in ABV and have a light flavor.
You know the Americano and Negroni, but have you ever heard of a simple cocktail like Bicicletta Spritz? It is an easy cocktail with 3 ingredients. The dry white wine is added to improve the fruity flavor and reduce the bitterness of Campari.
Add soda water and garnish with orange to create a little sweet flavor. The simple Bicicletta Spritz cocktail is done.
18. Enzoni
Total time: 5 minutes
Do you like grapes? I know you do because this fruit is healthy and tasty for everyone. In this recipe, I will introduce you to the Enzoni – a modern classic cocktail with grape flavor.
This drink is something between Negroni and Gin Sour. And Vincenzo Errico – an Italian bartender is the creator of this drink in New York.
First, you need to combine gin and Campari in the cocktail shaker. Shake it for 15 seconds before mixing it with muddled grapes and lemon juice. Don’t forget to add simple syrup for a sweeter taste. Finally, pour it into the glass and take a sip.
You can have more detailed information on this Enzoni recipe.
19. Flamingo Milanese
Total time: 5 minutes
Flamingo Milanese is a mysterious cocktail with a stunning red color. And I am pretty sure that you’ll like it very much.
Flamingo Milanese contains Galliano L’Autentico, an Italian herbal liqueur, that creates a light aroma of exotic Mediterranean herbs and plants. It also has Cachaca, a famous wine made from sugarcane juice in Brazil.
The mixture of two differences in climate creates a perfect flavor for this drink that you can hardly forget.
20. Quill
Total time: 2 minutes
People used to say that save the best for the last. And here you are – Quill cocktail. You only need to spend 2 minutes on this fabulous cocktail. It’s a higher upgrade of the Negroni cocktail with more herbal and anise flavor.
The ingredients are the same as Negroni, except for the Absinthe. This ingredient is an anise-flavored spirit from many plants. It has a high ABV from 45 to 74%. However, this spirit can help lighten the flavor of classic Negroni. You should add it to your party drink list.
What Can You Use For Substitution For Campari?
I like everything that makes my cocktails perfect, and you might have the same thought as mine. Campari can blend well in many cocktails to enhance their flavors. Overall, it makes the cocktails stronger and bitter.
But can you replace Campari if you do not have it on hand? Yes, you can replace it with Fernet Branca, which is the best replacement for Campari.
Fernet Branca is a fernet from Italy with a similar red color. It has a minty, intense, and bitter flavor and may not taste the same as Campari. However, you can still use it in place of Campari.
Let’s take a look at the attributes of these two ingredients.
What Is Your Favorite Campari Cocktail?
Every trip has a destination, I believe you have reached it. Did you find out the best Campari cocktail for your party yet? It’s hard to choose, right? The mixture of bitter and light sweet in the Campari cocktail creates strong energy to push you over a hard day.
Are you satisfied with my guidance? If the answer is yes, please share this useful article with your friends. Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions about Campari cocktails via comment. I am always here to help you. Thank you!
Nutrition Facts
1 servings per container
- Amount Per ServingCalories239
- % Daily Value *
- Sodium 6mg 1%
- Potassium 11mg 1%
- Total Carbohydrate
21.3g
8%
- Dietary Fiber 0.2g 0%
- Sugars 3.5g
- Protein 0.1g 0%
- Calcium 5%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.