An American (drink) in Paris

There is a cocktail called the Americano. It is on many bistro menus here in Paris. The cocktail has intrigued me since we inadvertently ordered one for Jimmy at dinner last week. We actually spoke about he coctail in class last week, it consists of:

1 oz Campari
1 oz sweet (red) vermouth
Club soda
An orange slice or lemon twist for garnish
In a Collins glass full of ice, pour in the Campari and vermouth, and top off with club soda. Garnish, stir and serve. 

 

The drink is actually surprisingly refreshing, and while pink it is not a fruity drink at all. There is a bit of history behind this drink, it is actually thefirst cocktail James Bond orders in Ian Fleming's first-ever Bond book, Casino Royal. In later books, he famously switches to martinis, and the Americano has been largely forgotten as a Bond drink.

The Americano was created in the 1860s in Italy and was originally named the Milano-Torino because it was made with the bitter red liqueur Campari, which comes from Milan, and the red vermouth (in this case, Cinzano), which comes from Turin. Bartenders noticed that the drink was particularly popular with visiting Americans, so they renamed it the Americano, and the name stuck.

Well mistakenly ordered by a few American's in Caen, this American is a fan.