"Americano": a cocktail approved by James Bond

The culture of mixing interesting drinks deeply penetrated our ranks and grew into club life. Even on family holidays, guests are often offered not wine, cognac or vodka, but a variety of cocktails. Connoisseurs managed to get themselves in long lists of compositions of favorites. And one of them was "Americano" - a cocktail that has a pronounced bitterness, medium strength and exquisite appearance. It is interesting that people attribute the authorship of the recipe to several personalities. And every version is ardently defended by its supporters.

The author of the recipe is Ernest Hemingway

The most favorite version of the "Americano" - a cocktail was invented by a famous American writer. It's no secret that Hemingway not only loved to drink, but also liked to experiment with mixing drinks. In particular, the famous "Papa Doble", made of white rum, grapefruit and lime juice, with a small dose of liquor Maraschino, exactly belongs to the "pen" of the writer. As for "Americano": the cocktail was supposedly created when Hemingway came up with the idea to combine vermouth with "Campari". Naturally, patents for such alcoholic delicacies were not issued in those days, so the legend is considered groundless. Yes, and it is unclear why the writer gave such a name to his invention. Rather, he would come up with something more "talking".

Another version of the story

More credible is the legend, in which the author of the recipe was someone Gaspar Kampari. According to the Italian origin, in the 60s of the 19th century he barmed in his establishment and dreamed of leaving for the States. Once he decided to try to mix the "Campari" from Milan and "Chinzano" from Turin. He liked the result. He gave it the name - "Milan-Torino", in honor of the cities, where "the main ingredients" came from. However, soon enough the name changed to "Americano": the cocktail was so popular with tourists from the US that the author found it necessary to note this fact in his name. At the same time partially embodied his dream of transatlantic life.

Mild variant

Although, probably, the most primitive history most accurately reflects the origin of "Americano". The cocktail, according to her, was mixed almost simultaneously by several Italian bartenders in 1917. And the name got because it became a favorite drink of American soldiers who at that time landed in Italy. Whatever it was, "Americano" - a cocktail, loved the whole world. Even the most famous of spies, James Bond, in the first of Fleming's books gives preference to him.

Americano Cocktail: Recipe and Cooking

The composition of the drink is quite simple. We need red sweet vermouth (ideally - the same "Chinzano") and bitter "Campari" in equal quantities. Usually barmen take 50 ml. The cocktail glass is filled in three quarters with ice cubes, both kinds of alcohol are poured on top. The last one is soda - one hundred milligrams. The contents of the container are stirred with a spoon for the cocktail. The edge of the glass is rubbed with citrus (orange, lemon, lime) and is decorated with its same slice or spiral of zest. Shaking in a shaker while preparing "Americano" is considered a bartender's mistake. But in our nightclubs, many are asked to make a cocktail for this technology, believing that the taste will be more pronounced.

If you like bitterness and want to emphasize it, the soda is replaced with a tonic. Get the same "Americano" - cocktail, the photo of which you see in this article, only with increased tartness. If you prefer a stronger drink, but in the same flavor range, replace the mineral water with pure gin. The cocktail at the same time will change its name to "Negroni" - the name of the general of France, who invented and highly respected this delicacy. And the French are well versed in the wine list and in all alcoholic delights!