Engineering a cocktail with Campari and not much else

[Fat Guy]

So let's say you're in an isolated location with someone else's eclectic liquor cabinet and you need to produce an acceptable cocktail, and it so happens there is a ton of Campari available.

Also plenty of fresh lemons.

Gin, vodka, and whiskey aplenty.

A limited amount of triple sec.

No bitters unless you consider Campari a bitter. But I've never worked with it. Not sure what it does.

Simple syrup could be produced.

There's a little tonic water and some cranberry juice.

[JAZ]

How limited is the triple sec? There's a great cocktail called a Jasmine from Paul Harrington's Cocktail that calls for gin, lemon juice, Campari and triple sec. Harrington's original cocktail is 1-1/2 oz. gin, 1/4 oz each triple sec and Campari and 3/4 oz. lemon juice. I find those proportions a little too acidic for my taste and I prefer a bit more Campari, so I use 2 oz. gin, 1/4 oz. triple sec, and 1/2 oz each lemon juice and Campari. Robert Hess's version is 1-1/2 oz. gin, 1 ounce triple sec, 3/4 oz Campari and 1/2 oz. lemon juice. In any case, it's a good combination that ends up tasting like grapefruit juice.

[slkinsey]

Is there any vermouth about? You could make a Negroni.

[weinoo]

I love the Jasmine, which I first tasted at The Pegu Club.

I'd also think about an Old-Fashioned with a Campari rinse.

[kathryn]

No vermouth, huh?

2nd the Jasmine.

CocktailDB.com also turns up the Roman Candle:

1 oz Campari

1 oz cranberry juice

1/2 oz fresh lemon juice

Shake, strain, serve on the rocks, lemon twist.

[Fat Guy]

I have to measure the triple sec to see if it's close to being able to support 2 oz. gin, 1/4 oz. triple sec, and 1/2 oz each lemon juice and Campari multiplied by 10 -- I'd like to be able to do 10 servings. I know I have enough of everything else on the list. If I don't have a full 2.5 oz of triple sec, is there something that could sub for half the triple sec? I like this idea because I'm thinking I can make it in a pitcher and pour it over ice so I'm not making individual drinks.

There is a tiny bit of vermouth at the bottom of a bottle, not enough to make more than one Negroni.

[JAZ]

If you're close on the triple sec, you could add a bit of simple syrup to get it to the right level of sweetness.

[Frederic]

Not perfect as it calls for an orange twist, but you could easily sub for a lemon one in a pinch:

Campari "Marini" from Beta Cocktails.

3 oz Campari

Heavy Pinch of Salt (or use a 3 parts water:1 part salt tincture)

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

Not perfectly fitting into your equation due to lime and cassis but:

Teresa from Gary Regan's Joy of Mixology

2 oz Campari

3/4 oz Crème de Cassis

1 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Maybe 1/2 lemon would sub here for lime:

Camparinha from the Big Bartenders Book

2 oz Campari

1 Lime

1/2 oz Sugar

Cut lime into eights. Muddle lime wedges and sugar in a rocks glass until most of the sugar is dissolved. Add Campari and stir. Fill with crushed ice and stir again. A lime wedge or wheel garnish might make a good addition.

[haresfur]

KISS. Campari, tonic water, a sliver of lemon.

[EvergreenDan]

Campari, gin, and tonic or soda/seltzer with lemon or lime is nice. It's sort of a gin-and-tonic with the bitterness of the tonic coming from the Campari. You did say that tonic water was in short supply. I'd be happy with this without the carbonated mixer, but it might be a bit bitter / intense for some.

Can you scrounge up a bottle of sweet vermouth? I mean, how isolated is this? Use it to make Negronis and Boulevardiers using the gin and whiskey.

When I travel to the hinterlands, I bring a bottle of Campari and sometimes gin. I figure I can find citrus and soda/tonic almost anywhere. Or I bring some sweet vermouth so I don't need any fresh citrus (nor a knife). And for a plane trip, I fill 3oz travel bottles with premixed Negronis. While everyone else is having crappy beer or wine or liquor, I'm have a nice cocktail.

[jrshaul]

The only simple campari cocktail I know is called a Fizzy Dar, invented by and named for an old friend of the family. It's a mixture of campari and a flavored soft drink called "Bitter orange" I haven't seen much in the USA. I haven't had one in years, but they're fantastic if the ambient temperature is above 100F.