Campari

[edemuth]

if you invite me to your next dinner party, I'll bring it myself

Anytime you're in the DC area, Jim, you're welcome for dinner...  

[Jim Dixon]

Thanks....it may be awhile.

We are headed east in May for a college graduation (one of our boys at Vassar), but we can only stay a few days because we have to get back for a couple of high school commencements (the two youngest...out of four in our blended family).

But by next fall, all of the guys will (hopefully) be out of the house, so we should have more time to travel.

But the description of your cooking made me hungry, so one of these days...

Jim

[Roger McShane]

Hey

Let's keep going with these Campari discussions. I am sitting in Hobart, Tasmania looking out over the beautiful Derwent River, the temperature is perfect, it is 6:00pm and my Campari and soda is about as perfect here as it would be in Italy.  

So many drinks do not translate to other countries (Ouzo?) but Campari seems to be perfect everywhere.

[Wilfrid]

You just wanted to tell us that, didn't you? ;)

I am grateful, though, because I have made a note to buy some grapefruit juice and at long last try Christopher Russell's recipe above.  I'm thirsty now.

[yvonne johnson]

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve experimented with the following:

Campari and orange juice: I rather liked this. It’s not something I’d have often as it is on the sweet side for me.

Campari and (ruby red) grapefruit juice: This was delicious. It looks tropical, lovely color and the tartness of the g. juice does it for me. Thanks for the tip, Christopher. I did buy some chartreuse this weekend, but have not tried your other recipe using the Campari.

Negroni: I found this too sweet for me. Also, the viscosity I found a little cloying.

So far then, my favorite Campari drinks are the simple Campari & soda, and Campari & grapefruit juice.

[yvonne johnson]

The other day I came across Blue Moon Grapefruit-Campari Sorbet in Balducci's (NY, Village--this store is pretty sordid now, but if you treat it as a warehouse of packaged goods, there are some finds). Anyway, after all this talk about Campari and juices I had to get it. Turns out, it's pretty good, it has real Campari in it, and for good measure I've been pouring some extra on top.

[Malawry]

So, last night, I tried Campari and Ting soda. (How's that for combining threads?) It was deliciously tart and refreshing, with just enough sweet to cut the bitter. Very very good. I see myself guzzling these during the sweltering days of August, perhaps between taking turns at the barbeque.

I like Campari and Wink a little better, but it's sweeter than Ting and therefore not quite as refreshing. Plus, Ting just sounds cooler than Wink.  :p

[Wilfrid]

Ting?  Wink?  Should I know these beverages?   :o

[Malawry]

Ting and Wink are both citrus sodas. Ting is a Jamaican grapefruit soda, which comes in a cool dark green bottle. It's not very sweet. We found it at the nifty Jamaican market near my house; I've not seen it elsewhere. Wink is a sweeter soda, and is mostly grapefruit flavored but also has a little bit of lemon and orange taste. Wink is bottled by Canada Dry, and can often be found in the "mixer" section of liquor stores. It's usually only available in 1-liter bottles.

I think Ting and Wink are also rejected Teletubbies, but I'm not sure about that.  :)

[Jim Dixon]

We had a nice day of spring sun (and extra daylight) out here in Portland, so after a bit of garden puttering I made this:

2 parts Campari

1 part limoncello (my own, made with Meyer lemons)

2 parts soda (fizzy mineral water actually)

over crushed ice

I like the bitter flavor of Campari just fine, but the limoncello cut it just a bit and added an extra kick (it's 80 proof).

Jim

[Wilfrid]

Jim, that sounds wonderful.  And thanks, Malawry.  There are some bizarrely coloured Dominican sodas which turn up in our apartment from time to time, and I only wish I could remember their names.  Probably names of Latin American teletubbies!

[edemuth]

So many drinks do not translate to other countries (Ouzo?) but Campari seems to be perfect everywhere.

Indeed.

I just got back from Europe and one of the many wonderful discoveries I made was that Campari is a common drink there (makes sense, since it's from Italy).  I didn't get any strange looks when ordering it, and in fact saw it on a few menus.

Campari-and-soda was my sole beverage exception in a week drenched in Belgian beer.  Heaven.

I definitely prefer Campari mixed with soda or grapefruit juice to OJ now.  I haven't tried the chartreuse recipe yet but I did pick some up before I went to Europe, so it'll happen soon.  Jim's drink with limoncello sounds wonderful too, so now I'll have to get some of that...  or "borrow" Malawry's!

[Roger McShane]

I made this:

2 parts Campari

1 part limoncello (my own, made with Meyer lemons)

2 parts soda (fizzy mineral water actually)

Jim

I would like to explore your idea further. One of the reasons why I like Campari and soda so much is that it is not sweet.

How much sugar do you use in your limoncello? Does it make the Campari drink sweet?

It's not that I don't like limoncello having spent time on the Amalfi Coast where it is almost compulsory.

[Jim Dixon]

Roger,

I also like Campari's not-sweet quality (that is, after all, what makes it the perfect aperitif). The limoncello I make is sweet, but not enough, at least in the amount I added to that drink, to appreciably alter the basic bitter flavor of the Campari.

My limoncello starts with grain alcohol. To a fifth (about 750 ml) I add the zest of about 15 lemons (Meyers, but only because I have a good supply...plain old lemons also work fine) and let that macerate for about 2 months. After straining, I dilute with a 1:1 simple syrup to about 80 proof (half alcohol at 190 proof, half syrup). It needs to sit for another month to mellow, but I often start drinking it right away anyway. It's sweet, but there's enough alcohol so it's not cloying.

I modeled it after the Don Alfonso limoncello, the first I tasted. I keep a bottle on hand as a control.

I've got an infusion going now I made with kumquats, which I dropped into the alcohol whole. It's developing a nice orange color, and I'm anxious to see of that tart-sweet kumquat flavor comes through.

I also have some half-finished nocino, made with green walnuts last summer, whichy looks like used motor oil. I still need to the add the syrup, and I think I'll spice a portion according to the recipe in Anna Tasca Lanza's most recent book on Sicilian cooking.

But back to the limoncello and Campari. While I did like the drink, I'm tempted to stick with just Camapri and soda when I want a light aperitif, and drink the limoncello straight over crushed ice when I want more alcohol. This, however, is deceptively tasty, and it's not hard to get hammered.

Jim

[Roger McShane]

Jim

This is one of the best posts I have ever read because it just slinks into my own lifestyle so beautifully.

Like you, I remain a Campari and Soda purist.

However the limoncello stuf is fascinating.

My limoncello starts with grain alcohol. To a fifth (about 750 ml) I add the zest of about 15 lemons (Meyers, but only because I have a good supply...plain old lemons also work fine) and let that macerate for about 2 months. After straining, I dilute with a 1:1 simple syrup to about 80 proof (half alcohol at 190 proof, half syrup). It needs to sit for another month to mellow, but I often start drinking it right away anyway. It's sweet, but there's enough alcohol so it's not cloying.

What sort of grain alcohol are you using?

The rest of the recipe seems to me like the normal fermentation process. Sounds great.

The thing I am jealous about is that you seem to have reached that wonderful state where you have retired and can experiment whith all this stuff where I still have another ten years of consulting to electricity comapanies to achieve my desired goal of doing exactly what you are enjoying.

Keep up the good work!

[Jim Dixon]

Here in Oregon, where spirits are tightly controlled by the state, I can buy Everclear or another brand (I just can't remember the name). They both cost about $17/fifth.

I wish I could say I was retired. But I still have about 10 more years at my day job before I can 'relax' and concentrate on my own free-lance work (I write and import olive oil on the side).

I'm fortunate to live someplace that isn't so expensive I have to devote all my time to making a living. And I've learned (slowly, I'll admit) that taking the time to cook and make things I like to eat (or drink) is one of the things that makes me happy.

Jim

[Priscilla]

Usually it's Campari & soda for me, when Campari is indicated.

But the other evening when my Consort was having a Negroni I tried the grapefruit juice/Campari recommended and vetted previously here, and it was great!  Fresh-squeezed juice from local dark-pink grapefruit.  Convenient to get one's Vitamin C and bioflavinoids during cocktail hour.

And someone here might well know the answer to this:  Is that other Italian liqueur, Cynar, with the beautiful artichoke label, basically the same as Campari?  (Allowing for proprietary formulas, of course.)  I seem to remember it being even more bitter, in a good way, but I haven't had it for a long time.  Must investigate.  

Priscilla

[edemuth]

From a little web research, I believe Cynar is made by basically infusing alcohol with artichokes... Campari is a closely-guarded combination of herbs, bitter orange peel and other aromatics (cooking.com).  In the past, I've tried to find out exactly what's in it and had no luck.

The CIA is currently offering the following cocktails in their Al Forno restaurant...

    Campari Shakerato 5.50  

    Campari and fresh lemon juice, shaken together

   

    Cynar Cocktail 6.00  

    Cynar and vermouth bianco with a splash or fresh orange

Campari and lemon juice?  Hmmm... anyone tried this?

[Malawry]

Reading the words "Campari and lemon juice" made my mouth pucker.  :wow:

[Wilfrid]

Made a whole shaker-full of negroni the other night.  Knocked me sideways!  I find it's not too cloying if you go easy on the sweet vermouth.  

[Priscilla]

Hey, Wilfrid, the Consort follows the one-shaker-per-person rule, too!  (I suppose it's kind of a civilized-sized shaker, but still.)

Sometimes I do take a little one hopes ladylike hit off his hands, Negroni is truly a beautiful and delicious drink, but yowsa, there IS that knocking-sideways thingy, helped along by that magical alchemic easy-drinking quality that belies its 100% alcohol content.

Not that I have anything against alcohol content, mind.

What do you eat with Negronis?  We always seem to require  strong-tasting somethings, like canned smoked oysters, even.

Priscilla

[Thomas Secor]

"Is that other Italian liqueur, Cynar, with the beautiful artichoke label, basically the same as Campari?"

Sorry, I dont know how to use the quote thingy.  But in response to the Cynar query, I have found that apart from the very clear distinction in ingredients, that Cynar is not a very satisfying aperitif.  Whereas Campari seems to be one of the few liquors which genuinely stimulates appetite while not deadening taste buds, I find (and have discovered that many share my view) that Cynar is both sweeter and more bitter than Campari, thicker than Campari and leaves a heavier presence in the mouth.  The Italians I know here in London swear that they would never drink Cynar before dinner, but rather after dinner, or not associated with a meal at all.

Having said all that, I love Cynar and will drink it at any time of day with soda water and perhaps some lime.  If I recall correctly Lupa in NY made a very tasty cocktail which was Cynar based and had fresh lemon juice in it.  Fantastic.

And the Campari and grapefruit is similarly a wonderful drink, particularly here in London where you can find fresh squeezed grapefruit at every Tesco's, Waitrose and Sainsbury's.

Campari and Ting I am looking forward to trying.  I am surprised Wilfrid, that you were not familiar with Ting.  YOu can find it in various spots in London, basically anywhere that serves a west indian community or any half way authentic west indian restaurant.  Maybe I will leave work early today so that I can educate myself on the combination.

[countess]

Those of you who like Campari (I'm an "on the rocks" girl myself) might also like to try a French aperitif called Suze - this too can be drunk with tonic or on the rocks or almost any way you like to drink Campari - I'm told the similarity is down to the herb/flower(?) gentian, which is in both drinks.

The French are always stunned if a British person orders a Suze - especially on the rocks - so if you want to be seen as really in the know, try ordering one in a French bar.

It comes in a tall straight bottle and is amber coloured - I haven't done a blind taste comparison, but would imagine it compares well with Campari, but with a slightly orange hint......

[Wilfrid]

Priscilla - I tend to drink campari purely as an aperitif, before eating.

Thomas - I think in the situations you describe my vision is usually impeded by the can of Red Stripe glued to my lips.

[Gavin Jones]

I too am a campari lover.

Alway pleased by the thought of the thousands of cochineal beetles which have died for my pleasure - so inappropriate for vegetarians. And also giving its name to a film role for Noel Coward.

It is however one of those drinks that is best not drunk (quantity wise) by the bottle in my experience.

The 'bitters' element nicely mirroring the taste of bile the next day.