Cocktail recipe
Americano
Italian bitters and vermouth lengthened with soda into an effortless aperitivo.
Ingredients
- 45 ml (1½ oz) red bitter aperitivo (Campari-style)
- 45 ml (1½ oz) sweet red vermouth
- 90 ml (3 oz) chilled soda water
- Garnish: 1 orange slice
Preparation
Add Campari and sweet vermouth to a glass with ice. Top with soda water and stir gently. Garnish with an orange slice and lemon zest.
Glassware
Highball glass, cubed ice
History
The Americano evolved from northern Italian vermouth-and-bitters drinks rather than appearing fully formed from a single inventor. The Milano–Torino, associated with Milanese bitter aperitivo and Turin vermouth, is an important predecessor. Ferruccio Mazzon's *Il Barista* (1920) prints Americano recipes using vermouth, bitters and even small additions of Cognac, showing that the name once covered a broader family than today's equal-parts red bitter and vermouth topped with soda. Stories that American tourists simply requested soda in a Milano–Torino may describe part of its evolution, but are not conclusive proof of the name's origin.
Mixology View
The Americano's restraint is its charm: bitterness, aromatized wine and sparkle, with no need for a base spirit. Our red-bitter equal-parts version is a contemporary standard, not the only historical Americano.