PREP TIME 5 min
Take bitter, crimson-red Campari and sweet bourbon and you’ll get the Italian Gentleman cocktail. Campari stars in many aperitif cocktails, including the worldwide famous Negroni. Its distinctive flavour also makes it very versatile and great for experimentation.
So, if you love the idea of a Campari bourbon combo, this cocktail will become your new favourite. It is also fairly easy to prepare, making for a great aperitif to serve your guests at dinner parties. Find the classic recipe below.
Chill a coupe glass with a few ice cubes
Half fill a shaker with ice
Add all the ingredients to a cocktail shaker (or mason jar) and shake well
Discard the ice from the glass and strain the cocktail into the cold coupe
Garnish with lemon and enjoy!
The Italian Gentleman cocktail can be seen as a crossover between a Negroni and a whiskey sour, as it features the key element of Negroni, Campari, but uses bourbon instead of gin. It’s also sweeter thanks to the addition of simple syrup.
Unlike Negroni, the Italian Gentleman is of recent creation, precisely in 2014 when John McCarthy and Carey Jones featured it first in Food & Wine and later in their book Be Your Own Bartender. However, its bold character and classic feeling make it a timeless cocktail.
Many cocktails, in particular Italian Cocktails, use a small amount of Campari due to its strong flavour, but the Italian Gentleman features equal parts Campari and bourbon since the vanilla and baked spices notes of the whiskey are strong enough to stand up to a generous pour of the bitter red aperitif liqueur. The citrusy notes of Campari are also enhanced by the addition of fresh lemon juice to the recipe.
