Americano Cocktail

Just like it's caffeinated cousin, the Caffè Americano, the Americano cocktail was born in Italy. Originally though, it was known as the Milano-Torino, as Campari came from Milan and Punt e Mes came from Turin. Legend has it that when Italian bar-goers noticed a surge of Americans imbibing this particular concoction, they dubbed in the Americano, and the name stuck. In Ian Fleming's Casino Royale series, the Americano is the first drink ordered by the infamous James Bond himself. Gaspare Campari, for whom Campari liqueur is named, first served it at his famous Caffè Campari in Milan in 1860. Like so many Italian cocktails, it is an impeccable balance of sweet and bitter enhanced by refreshing herbal notes. Perfect with antipasti or just as a before-dinner drink.