Campari Primer

Last night was going swimmingly, until I realized I didn't have an ingredient for last night's drink.  Normally, that isn't a problem.  A quick run to the store solves the issue in a heartbeat.  But, it was late.  Quite late actually.  And, I made the executive decision to push off today's Campari drink onto tomorrow.  Tomorrow, we'll be doing 2 Campari cocktails - it will be a Campari cocktail party!

Lest you leave without anything gained, let's preview tomorrow's drinks by examining Campari, the liqueur, a bit further.

Campari is an Italian liqueur, invented in 1860 (this year is its 150th anniversary), originally invented by Mr. Campari himself, Gaspare Campari.  Gaspare was a drink maker.  Legend has it that he was an expert by the age of 14, working at Bass Bar in Turin.  He invented what we know as Campari using 60 different ingredients, the contents of which are known to only one individual at a time.  Campari's recipe makes the Coca-Cola secret recipe look trivial and small.  One person knows it?!?  If that guy gets into an accident, we're all screwed!

Mr. Campari

You can read more about the man, the myth, the legend, here.

Campari is considered an aperitif (a drink served before a meal to stimulate one's appetite), though, it's also often classified as a bitter (an herbal concoction made with alcohol that contains a bittersweet flavor profile).  Campari is extremely popular, and is exported to close to 200 countries.

Tomorrow, we're going to try a couple of Campari cocktails.  I highly recommend checking out the Campari website, available here, for their recipes and nice video accompaniments.

Until tomorrow, cheers!