Cocktail of the Month: The Americano
By • February 10, 2026 0 407
While digging out of the DMV’s late-January blizzard may have felt like an Olympic sport, the true Winter Games kicked off with opening ceremonies last Friday.
Unfortunately, Caps fans were unable to watch D.C.’s adopted local hero Alex Ovechkin march in the Parade of Nations. Despite the NHL’s return to the Olympics, Russia has been barred from competing in team sports due to ongoing international sanctions, preventing the Great 8 from participating.
Another controversy is Trump sending his ICE goons across the Atlantic to provide security, a move that caused Milan’s mayor, Giuseppe Sala, to say the agents were not welcome in the city. “This is a militia that kills,” he said. “We don’t need ICE.”
Many Americans feel the same way. The only ice needed at the Winter Games is at the venues … and in your cocktails.
There is one tipple that is a perfect match for these Games, co-hosted in northern Italy by Milan and Cortina. Simply by its name, the Americano cocktail shows your support for Team USA, while offering a tribute to the host country via its Italian origin and ingredients.
Invented in the 1860s by Gaspare Campari in his Milan café, the drink was originally named the Milano-Torino (or Mi-To) because it blended Campari liqueur from Milan with sweet vermouth from Turin, which coincidently hosted the Winter Games 20 years ago, in 2006.
The Yankee moniker stems from its popularity with American tourists during Prohibition. However, the 50/50 formula was altered with the addition of soda water, creating a lighter, less bitter drink, more in tune with American tastebuds. It’s also been said that U.S. soldiers stationed in Italy during World War I and II favored the diluted drink.
As a cocktail aficionado with a god-like reverence for Campari, I highly recommend making a patriotic toast with this concoction. An acquired taste, bright-red Campari boasts a thick, bitter, sharp and herbaceous profile. While the exact formula is top secret, its 70-plus ingredients include chinotto (bitter orange), cascarilla bark, rhubarb and gentian root. A bit heavy when taken neat, it makes a nice slow-sipper on the rocks.
More commonly, Campari is a building block for other cocktails. It’s often described as a precursor to my all-time favorite drink, the Negroni, which got its name from Count Camillo Negroni, who requested his Americano cocktail to be made stronger by replacing soda water with gin.
In the Americano, sweet vermouth, a fortified wine infused with botanicals, adds sweetness and complexity, while club soda brings a light and bubbly aspect to the drink, making it crisp and refreshing. For those accustomed to sweet drinks, the Americano can be considered a gentle introduction to the unique smack of Campari.
The Americano has also found its spot in pop culture. James Bond got in on the action before he was known for martinis. The Americano was the very first cocktail 007 ordered in Ian Fleming’s debut novel, “Casino Royale.” In the 1999 psychological thriller “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” Tom and Dickie drink Americanos in Rome.
Like the Negroni, the Americano is traditionally garnished with an orange slice to complement its bittersweet elements, though it is sometimes finished with a lemon twist, adding a fresh, zesty note.
If you’re imbibing while watching the international snowy sports competition, you can add a red, white and blue swizzle stick or a cute, cocktail-size American flag as an adornment.
The Americano
1.5 oz. Campari
1.5 oz. Sweet red vermouth (such as Cinzano or Martini & Rossi)
1 to 2 oz. Chilled club soda or sparkling water
Fill a glass — rocks, old-fashioned or highball — with large ice cubes. Add Campari and vermouth. Top with soda to taste. Gently stir the ingredients. Garnish with an orange slice or a lemon twist.
