If you’re unfamiliar with it, Campari is a bitter Italian liqueur known for its bright red color and bittersweet, memorable flavor. This historic liqueur has its roots in Milan, Italy in 1860. This was when this bittersweet spirit was first created by a man named Gaspare Campari.
A popular aperitif, it’s made by infusing alcohol with various herbs, and fruits. They are believed to include rhubarb, ginseng, chinotto, and cascarilla. But the true recipe isn’t revealed to the general public with only a few people having the privilege of knowing it.
Regardless of whether or not the recipe is secret, drinkers are treated to complex, bittersweet flavors of herbs and orange peels. This herbal citrus base makes it a great choice for mixing into cocktails.
The best Campari cocktails
As we briefly mentioned, Campari is known for its complex, memorable, bittersweet, orange, and herbal flavor profile. This makes it a perfect complementary flavor for cocktails like the Negroni, Americano, Boulevardier, Old Pal, and more. Below, you’ll find these and more of the best Campari cocktails. Keep scrolling to see them all and learn the ingredients and step-by-step instructions to make them.
Old Pal
While many believe the Old Pal has its origins in the early 1920s, it first appeared in print in 1927, and it is believed to have been created by renowned bartender Harry MacElhone at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris. This surprisingly easy, yet complex cocktail is made with equal parts rye whiskey, dry vermouth, and Campari. The result is a dry, lightly spicy, bittersweet cocktail that you’ll want to drink all year long.
What you need to make the Old Pal
- 1 ounce of rye whiskey
- 1 ounce of dry vermouth
- 1 ounce of Campari
The Old Pal recipe steps
1. Add ice to a mixing glass.
2. Pour in the rye whiskey, dry vermouth, and Campari.
3. Stir gently to combine.
4. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
5. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Left Hand
While we love a great classic cocktail as much as the next person, we also enjoy a well-made contemporary cocktail. A great Campari-based drink, the Left Hand, was created by well-known bartender Sam Ross at New York City’s Milk & Honey. Similar to a Boulevardier, this drink is made with bourbon whiskey, sweet vermouth, Campari, and a few dashes of chocolate bitters. The result is a semisweet, boozy drink with an added kick of spicy, bitter chocolate throughout.
What you need to make a Left Hand cocktail
- 1.5 ounces of bourbon whiskey
- .75 ounces of sweet vermouth
- .75 ounces of Campari
- 2-3 dashes of chocolate bitters
The Left Hand recipe steps
1. Add ice to a mixing glass.
2. Pour in the bourbon whiskey, sweet vermouth, Campari, and chocolate bitters.
3. Stir gently to combine.
4. Strain into a chilled coupe glass.
5. Garnish with a cocktail cherry.
Negroni
When it comes to Campari cocktails, there are none more well-known than the iconic Negroni. The popular drink that features gin, Campari, and sweet red vermouth was first created more than 100 years ago. It’s believed that the drink was created in 1919 at Caffè Casoni in Florence, Italy. This is when a man named Count Camillo Negroni strolled in and asked bartender Fosco Scarselli to make him an Americano. But, since he wanted a boozier version, he asked for him to swap out the refreshing soda water for herbal, piney gin.
What you need to make the Negroni
- 1 ounce of London dry gin
- 1 ounce of Campari
- 1 ounce of sweet red vermouth
The Negroni recipe steps
1. Add ice to a mixing glass.
2. Pour in the London dry gin, Campari, and sweet red vermouth.
3. Stir gently to combine.
4. Strain into an ice-filled rocks or old fashioned glass.
5. Garnish with an orange twist.
Boulevardier
The Boulevardier is like a Negroni for drinkers who prefer whiskey to gin (especially spicier whiskey or sweet whiskey). This is because, instead of London dry gin, the Boulevardier is made with rye whiskey, sweet red vermouth, and Campari. Like many classic drinks, it’s believed that famed bartender Harry MacElhone created the drink at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris. It was first mixed up in 1927 for Erskine Gwynne, an American-born literary magazine writer (who published a magazine called ‘Boulevardier’) who lived in the city.
What you need to make a Boulevardier
- 1 ounce of rye or bourbon whiskey
- 1 ounce of sweet red vermouth
- 1 ounce of Campari
The Boulevardier recipe steps
1. Add ice to a mixing glass.
2. Pour in the rye or bourbon whiskey, sweet red vermouth, and Campari into the glass.
3. Stir gently to combine.
4. Strain into an ice-filled rocks or old fashioned glass.
5. Garnish with an orange peel.
