Highballs and long drinks · Amaro
Two kinds of bitter in one glass: Campari's orange and herbs, and the quinine bite of tonic water. The result is a dry, grown-up highball that wakes up the appetite rather than filling you up.
1¼ oz
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4 oz
tonic water well chilled
Garnish: Orange slice · Ice: Ice cubes
Campari Tonic
Dry and clearly bitter, with orange peel, cherry and a quinine finish. Crisp, fizzy and light in alcohol.
Campari was created by Gaspare Campari in Novara in the 1860s and later produced in Milan, where drinking it with soda water before dinner became an everyday ritual. Mixing it with tonic water is a natural step: tonic brings extra bitterness from quinine and a gentle sweetness that balances the liqueur.
The Campari Tonic has no famous inventor and no clear date of birth. It belongs to the simple Italian aperitivo highballs, next to Campari Soda and Campari Orange, and has become a popular lower-alcohol alternative to the Gin and Tonic. With the rise of premium tonic waters it gained new fans who like to pair different tonics with the bitter.
With 40 ml Campari and 120 ml tonic, the drink has around 5 to 6% ABV.
A slice of orange is classic. Grapefruit works well too if you like it even drier.
1 part Campari to 3 parts tonic is a good start; go to 1 to 2 if you like it more bitter.
The perfect sound
A bittersweet aperitivo hour in a stylish Milan bar.
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