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The Americano cocktail: How to make this classic drink

You'll want to add this classic drink to your cocktail rotation

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Americano
istock/Ivan Cheremisin

Do you enjoy the bittersweet, refreshing flavors of a well-made Negroni? Maybe you’d like it even more if it didn’t have the piney, herbal flavors of gin. If so, you’ll love the original version of this drink: The Americano.

Not to be confused with the espresso-driven Americano coffee drink, the Americano is a classic cocktail that you immediately need to add to your cocktail rotation. It’s a great cocktail to try if you enjoy a Negroni. Both cocktails are bittersweet, effortlessly refreshing, and contain almost the same ingredients. That is, except one ingredient is swapped out for another to create a completely different flavor experience.

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What is the American cocktail?

Americano
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While the Negroni is made with Campari, sweet vermouth, and gin, the Americano (which was created first) opts for Campari, sweet vermouth, and soda water. The result is a refreshing, effervescent, bittersweet cocktail perfect for summer (and all year long). It was created in the mid-1800s at Gaspare Campari’s (the creator of Campari) bar in Milan, Italy. while it’s not as popular today as the Negroni, it’s just as easy to make and possibly even easier to drink.

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What does the Americano taste like?

Campari
Campari

As we mentioned earlier, if you enjoy a classic Negroni, you’ll love an Americano cocktail. It has the bittersweet, citrus flavor of the Campari, the sweet, fruity, wine-like flavor of the sweet vermouth, and the crisp, effervescence of the soda water. There are very few warm-weather cocktails as refreshing and balanced as the Americano.

One sip of this sweet, bitter, complex cocktail, and you’ll be hooked. We guarantee (especially if you already enjoy Negronis) that you’ll add this classic cocktail to your repertoire.

What you need to make the Americano cocktail

  • 1 ounce of Campari
  • 1 ounce of sweet red vermouth
  • Topper of soda water

The Americano recipe steps

1. Add ice to an old fashioned glass.
2. Pour in the Campari and sweet red vermouth.
3. Top with soda water.
4. Stir gently to combine.
5. Garnish with an orange slice,

Bottom line

Americano
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As we briefly discussed, the Americano cocktail came before the Negroni. While the Americano has been imbibed since around 1860, the Negroni didn’t come onto the scene until 1919. This was when a man named Count Camillo Negroni visited Caffè Casoni in Florence, Italy. He didn’t want the soda water usually found in the Americano. He asked bartender Fosco Scarselli to exchange it for floral, piney, herbal gin instead. Thus, the Negroni was created.

Those two drinks will always be intertwined because of this subtle difference. To enjoy both drinks, we implore to make an Americano and Negroni side by side and compare the flavor profiles. Both are bittersweet and refreshing and only subtly different. It’s the best way to find out which drink you prefer more.

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Christopher Osburn
Christopher Osburn
Writer
Christopher Osburn is a food and drinks writer located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. He's been writing professional
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