Americano
The Americano is the quintessential Italian aperitivo. When it was first created at Gaspare Campari’s bar in Milan in the 1860s, it was named Milano-Torino for its two main ingredients: Campari from Milan and Cinzano from Turin. The drink quickly became popular as an afternoon quencher at outdoor caffès in the Italian piazzas. The name changed during Prohibition due to the mass of thirsty American tourists who fell in love with it. Some fifty years later, this drink would inspire one of the most fantastic aperitifs ever: the Negroni (page 42). It is little noted that the Americano is the first cocktail that James Bond orders in Ian Fleming’s first novel Casino Royale, long before he orders a Martini.