Campari Celebrates 150th Anniversary

2010 marks the 150th anniversary of Campari, the world’s best-known bright red spirit. One hundred and fifty years ago, drink maker Gaspare Campari mixed up a batch of his eponymous passionate red creation in Milan, using a unique blend of natural ingredients, including herbs, spices and fruit peels, which remains a closely guarded secret. Today, Campari is the world’s top-selling aperitif, with sales of nearly three million cases annually, sold in over 190 countries. This year, Campari aficionados across the globe are celebrating a milestone achieved by few brands – 150 years of distinctive flavor and style.

To commemorate the brand’s 150th anniversary, Campari has enlisted three internationally renowned artists: avaf, Tobias Rehberger and Vanessa Beecroft, to reinterpret Campari’s famous bottle label and create three specially commissioned, limited-edition Campari Art Labels. The labels are three different works of art, which express the artists’ own personal interpretation of Campari’s red hue and the various milestones achieved by this internationally famous aperitif. The celebratory bottles will be available in select US markets starting July 1st.

Campari has also collaborated with some of the nation’s top mixologists to create numerous celebratory Campari cocktails in honor of this anniversary milestone. Mixologists Tony Abou-Ganim, Livio Lauro, Jacques Bezuidenhout, Marco Dionysos, Francesco Lafranconi, and Lynnette Marrero have each created a distinctive celebratory cocktail to honor the iconic Italian brand.

Experience the unique flavors of a Campari cocktail and toast this exciting anniversary.

Milano Sesquicentennial
Created by Tony Abou-Ganim

0.75 oz Campari
0.75 oz SKYY Infusions Citrus
0.5 oz Cointreau
0.5 oz fresh blood orange puree (Perfect Puree)
1 oz fresh lemon sour (2parts freshly squeezed lemon juice – 1 part simple syrup)
1 teaspoon egg white
Chilled soda water (Using the Campari isi soda siphon)

In a mixing glass of a Boston shaker set add Campari, SKYY Infusions Citrus, Cointreau, blood orange puree, fresh lemon sour & egg white; shake until well blended. Strain over fresh cubed ice into a chilled 7 oz Collins glass. Spritz with chilled soda water.

The Armada
Created by Lynnette Marrero
1.5 oz Campari
1 oz Hidalgo Cream Sherry
0.75 oz Cabo Wabo Tequila Blanco

Stir with ice and strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.

Milan Rouge
Created by Francesco Lafranconi
1 oz Campari
1.25 oz Wild Turkey Reserve Rye
0.75 Marolo Grappa alla Camomilla
Stir all of the ingredients together for a few seconds in a mixing glass filled to 2/3 with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or serve on the rocks. Garnish with Luxardo cocktail cherry served on a cocktail pick placed across the glass’ rim.

Amore Campari
Created by Jacques Bezuidenhout
1.5 oz Campari
1 oz No.3 London Dry Gin
1 oz Lillet
6 Raspberries
1 Egg White

Shake all ingredients thoroughly with ice. Double strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with 3 Raspberries on a pick.

Red Tuxedo
Created by Livio Lauro
1.5 oz Campari
0.5 oz. Bernheim American Wheat Whiskey
0.5 oz. Grand Marnier
0.25 oz. Yakami Orchards Yuzu Juice
0.5 oz. Agave Nectar
1 Orange Wedge
2 Watermelon chunks

Muddle one wedge of orange (cut in 3 chunks) and two chunks of watermelon with 5 ounces of Agave nectar in a mixing glass. Add the remaining ingredients and shake well with a scoop of ice. Pour all ingredients directly in a rocks glass and garnish.

Argonaut
Created by Marco Dionysos
1 oz Campari
1 oz Pisco
0.75 oz Pineapple Gomme Syrup
0.5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
0.5 oz Fresh Orange Juice
2 dashes of Orange Bitters

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a highball glass over fresh ice. Garnish with an orange twist and gold flakes.

Morning Soda
Created by Eric Alperin
1 oz Campari
1 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice
0.5 oz Coffee Syrup.*
Del Maguey Mezcal Chichicapa
Seltzer

Place all ingredients in a metal shaker tin and whip them (no ice shake). Pour into a Collins glass with ice and top up with seltzer. Spray four times from an atomizer spray Del Maguey Mezcal Chichicapa. Garnish with a long grapefruit peel.

* Take one pound of coffee and grind it down for what would be regular drip. Then take 9 cups of room temp water and place in a large bowl. Place the full pound of ground coffee into the water and cover. Let sit for 12 hours. After 12 hours strain out the coffee grinds. Take an equal amount of white sugar and add it to the 9 cups of cold coffee. Stir until it dissolves. The solution will be 1:1 coffee simple syrup.