🥃 Americano
Americano is a cocktail of 30 ml Campari, 30 ml sweet red vermouth and a splash of soda water, built in an old fashioned glass over ice; the IBA lists it in The Unforgettables.
Americano is a cocktail of Campari, sweet red vermouth and soda water, built directly in an old fashioned glass over ice. The International Bartenders Association (IBA) lists it among its official cocktails in the category “The Unforgettables”.
Ingredients. The IBA recipe calls for 30 ml Bitter Campari, 30 ml sweet red vermouth and a splash of soda water. Campari is a red bitter and sweet red vermouth is an aromatised fortified wine; together they give the drink its bittersweet character.
Method. Mix the ingredients directly in an old fashioned glass filled with ice cubes. Add a splash of soda water and stir gently.
Glass and garnish. Old fashioned glass filled with ice cubes; garnish with half an orange slice and a lemon zest.
Strength. The IBA page gives no alcohol figure, so the strength depends on the brands used and on how much soda is added. Campari and vermouth both contain alcohol, and the soda only dilutes the drink.
Why it matters to you: the recipe has three components and no shaking, so it is easy to repeat at home exactly as the IBA describes it. The WHO states that no level of alcohol consumption is safe for health.
Facts
| Raw material | Campari, sweet red vermouth, soda water; orange slice, lemon zest 1 |
|---|
How it connects to Spirits
🥃 Americano → kind of → 🌿 Bitters and bitter spirits → kind of → 🥃 Spirits
Links
- Made from
- 🥃 Campari, 🍷 Sweet red vermouth
- What it affects
- 🍷 Alcohol and health, 🍷 Drunk driving
- Related to
- 🥃 Aperitif
- Images and sayings
- 🥃 Bartender
- Traditions
- 🧑🤝🧑 Italians
- Part of
- 🌿 Bitters and bitter spirits
- Similar and different
- 🍷 Americano (aromatised wine), 🥃 Campari Soda, 🥃 Campari Negroni, 🍷 Spritz, 🥃 Boulevardier, 🥃 Garibaldi
Frequently asked questions
What are the IBA ingredients for an Americano?
30 ml Bitter Campari, 30 ml sweet red vermouth and a splash of soda water.
How is an Americano served according to the IBA?
In an old fashioned glass filled with ice cubes, stirred gently and garnished with half an orange slice and a lemon zest.
In which IBA category is the Americano?
The Unforgettables.
What to read next
- 🍷 Alcohol and health — Alcohol in any drink is harmful in large amounts, and the risks grow with the quantity.
- 🧑🤝🧑 Italians — The people of Italy; their cuisine rests on wine, olive oil and cheese, and in 2025 the country made 44.4 million hectolitres of wine, the most in the world.
- 🥃 Campari Negroni — A ready-to-drink Negroni from Campari: Campari, sweet red vermouth and dry gin in equal parts, 26% vol.
- 🥃 Aperitif — A light dry or bittersweet drink before a meal: vermouth, dry sherry, red bitters; from Latin aperire, “to open”. A custom rather than an EU category.
- 🥃 Bartender — A bar worker who mixes and serves drinks behind the counter; Jerry Thomas described the profession in a 1862 book, and the IBA has united bartenders since 1951.
Similar
🥃 Garibaldi · 🍝 Carbonara · 🥃 Boulevardier · 🥃 Casino · 🥃 Dry Martini · 🥃 Dark 'n' Stormy
Sources
- IBA — International Bartenders Association: Americano (The Unforgettables; 30 ml Bitter Campari, 30 ml Sweet Red Vermouth, splash of Soda Water; old fashioned glass; half orange slice, lemon zest)
- WHO/Europe: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (04.01.2023)