Americano: a great aperitif classic

The great aperitif classic and father of the Negroni, the Americano is a cocktail 100% made in Italy. Bitter Campari, red Vermouth and soda: these are the three ingredients that make it up.

As is often the case with cocktails, the origins of the Americano are also controversial: one theory holds that it was a variant of the famous Milan-Turin drink, which was popular with American tourists travelling to Italy in the early decades of the 20th century. The term 'American' could also refer to the way of drinking in vogue in the United States at the time, i.e. 'on the rocks', in old-fashioned glasses.
Another version traces it back to the 1930s and the legendary figure of boxer Primo Carnera, who became heavyweight champion at Madison Square Garden in New York in 1933. Italian then naturalised American, Carnera was called 'the American', and the drink would be an homage.

The American also enjoys an illustrious citation: it was in fact the first cocktail to be requested by James Bond in Casino Royale, Ian Fleming's first novel dedicated to the immortal 007.