Campari cocktails benefit first from the liqueur's bright orange color and then its bittersweet flavor, making visually appealing and balanced. Campari is a popular Italian cocktail ingredient that's a classic apéritif (aperitivo in Italian). Along with its characteristically bitter yet slightly sweet taste and signature bright orange ruby hue, Campari has flavors and aromas of orange peel, clove, cherry, cinnamon, and rhubarb. These Campari recipes balance the bitterness of Campari to make delicious and complex mixed drinks; try any of these delightful and pretty Campari drink recipes.
Campari Spritz
The Campari spritz is a simple, refreshing cocktail that's perfect for summer. It uses the classic Italian sparkling wine, prosecco, Campari, and soda water for a light and fizzy bittersweet beverage.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Campari
- 2 ounces dry prosecco
- Club soda or sparkling water
- Ice
- Lemon wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a wine glass, add ice and Campari
- Stir to mix.
- Add prosecco.
- Top off with club soda.
- Garnish with lemon wedge.
Bittersweet Campari Spritz
This simple variation on the basic Campari spritz replaces prosecco with another fizzy Italian wine from the Piedmont region, moscato d'Asti. This wine is sweeter than prosecco and has flavors of apricots, so it adds sweetness to balance the bitterness of the Campari.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Campari
- 2 ounces moscato d'Asti wine
- Ice
- Club soda or sparkling water
- Orange wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a wine glass, add ice and Campari.
- Stir to mix.
- Add moscato d'Asti.
- Top off with sparkling water.
- Garnish with an orange wedge.
Negroni
The Negroni is a classic cocktail with Campari, gin, and sweet vermouth. The result is a deep red-orange cocktail with a beautiful bitter, sweet, and aromatic balance.
Ingredients
- ¾ ounce gin
- ¾ ounce Campari
- ¾ ounce sweet vermouth
- Ice
- Orange peel for garnish
Instructions
- In a mixing glass, add ice, gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with orange peel.
Campari Soda
If you love the aroma and bitterness of Campari, then you can't get much simpler than a Campari and soda. This mixed drink allows Campari's bittersweet flavor to shine because there aren't any other ingredients masking its flavors.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces Campari
- 4 ounces club soda or sparkling water
- Ice
Instructions
- In a collins glass, add ice, Campari, and soda water.
- Stir to chill.
Campari-Gin Old-Fashioned
Old-fashioned cocktails balance bitter, sweet, and strong in a simple but tasty drink. The classic old-fashioned uses whiskey, bourbon, Scotch, or rye, but the basic formula lends itself well to other combinations as well. Choose an aromatic gin with a flavor profile you particularly enjoy for this cocktail.
Ingredients
- 1 sugar cube
- 1 tablespoon Campari
- 1 orange peel
- 2 ounces dry gin
- Splash of water
- Ice
Instructions
- In a rocks glass, muddle sugar cube, Campari, and orange peel.
- Add ice, gin, and water.
- Stir to chill.
Ginger-Campari Gin and Tonic
Ginger brings a hint of heat that blends well in a tasty, peach-colored gin and tonic. The Campari enhances the bitterness of the tonic water, so the drink is balanced and refreshing.
Ingredients
- 1 slice ginger root, peeled
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ¼ ounce Campari
- 3 ounces London dry gin
- Ice
- 3 ounces tonic water
- Lime wheel for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle ginger root, lemon juice, and Campari.
- Add ice and gin.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Top off with tonic water.
- Stir to mix.
- Garnish with lime wheel.
Campari Lemonade
Adding Campari to lemonade brings aromatic bitterness to a refreshing beverage.
Ingredients
- ½ ounce Campari
- ¼ ounce grenadine
- 6 ounces freshly made lemonade
- Ice
- Lemon wedge and fresh mint leaf for garnish
Instructions
- In a Collins glass, add ice, Campari, grenadine, and lemonade.
- Stir to mix.
- Garnish with lemon wedge and mint leaf.
Boulevardier
The Boulevardier is a variation of the classic Negroni but has bourbon or rye instead of gin.
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a rocks glass, add ice, Campari, bourbon, and sweet vermouth.
- Stir to mix.
- Garnish with orange peel.
Old Pal
The old pal is like the best of both worlds, with a combination of a martini and a negroni: it uses dry vermouth, Campari, and rye whiskey.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce rye
- 1 ounce Campari
- 1 ounce dry vermouth
- Ice
- Lemon peel for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a mixing glass, add ice, rye, Campari, and vermouth.
- Stir rapidly to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
- Garnish with lemon peel.
Campari Paloma
Italian liqueur meets Mexico's favorite drink, the paloma, in this delicious grapefruit, Campari, and tequila cocktail.
Ingredients
- Pink grapefruit wedge and salt for rim
- ¾ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¾ ounce Campari
- 1½ ounces blanco tequila
- Ice
- Chilled grapefruit soda
Instructions
- To prepare rim, rub the rim of the Collins glass with the grapefruit wedge.
- With the salt on a saucer, dip either half or the entire rim of the glass in the salt to coat.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, lime juice, Campari, and tequila.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into prepared glass.
- Top off with grapefruit soda.
- Stir to mix
- Garnish with the grapefruit wedge.
Americano
This cocktail has been fizzing on the cocktail scene since the late 1800s but was given a boost in popularity by James Bond in the 1950s.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces Campari
- 1½ ounces sweet vermouth
- Club soda to top off
- Ice
- Lemon wedge for garnish
Instructions
- In a highball glass, add ice, Campari, and sweet vermouth.
- Top off with club soda.
- Garnish with lemon wedge.
Novara
A cousin of the Negroni, the novara adds sweet and tart juice flavors to this martini-style cocktail.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces gin
- ¾ ounce Campari
- ½ ounce passion fruit juice
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Ice
- Lemon twist for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, gin, Campari, passion fruit juice, and lemon juice.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
- Garnish with lemon twist.
Bicicletta
The bicicletta is the younger sibling of the Aperol spritz, swapping in Campari for the Aperol as the base spirit.
Ingredients
- 3½ ounces pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc
- 2 ounces Campari
- Ice
- Club soda to top off
- Orange slice
Instructions
- In a wine glass, add ice, pinot grigio, and Campari.
- Top off with club soda.
- Garnish with orange slice.
Jungle Bird
There's little to no overlap between the world of Campari and tropical drinks. The jungle bird swoops in to prove everyone wrong; these two do belong together.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces dark rum
- ¾ ounce Campari
- 1½ ounces pineapple juice
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ ounce simple syrup
- Ice
- Pineapple leaves and orange slice for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, dark rum, Campari, pineapple juice, lime juice, and simple syrup.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with pineapple leaves and orange slice.
Garibaldi
This little-known Campari cocktail takes the screwdriver and transforms the cocktail with just a flick of the wrist.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces Campari
- 5 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
- Ice
- Orange slice for garnish
Instructions
- In a highball glass, add ice, Campari, and orange juice.
- Stir to mix.
- Garnish with orange slice.
Not So Vanilla
A tropical twist on a usually bitter and herbaceous ingredient, this drink surprises the taste buds over and over again.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces silver tequila
- ¾ ounce Campari
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
- ½ ounce passion fruit juice
- Ice
- Club soda to top off
- Dehydrated orange wheel for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, tequila, Campari, lime juice, and passion fruit juice.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into highball glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with dehydrated orange wheel.
Blushing Lady
This pink-hued, gently bitter cocktail is great for a summer afternoon or by the fire when the snow is swirling outside.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces vodka
- ½ ounce Campari
- ½ ounce sweet vermouth
- ¼ ounce raspberry liqueur
- Ice
- Lemon twist for garnish
Instructions
- Chill a martini glass or coupe.
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, vodka, Campari, sweet vermouth, and raspberry liqueur.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into chilled glass.
- Garnish with lemon twist.
Red Daisy
Sweet and bitter flavors pair well, keeping the other in check. This tequila and Campari pairing seems unusual, but after one sip, you'll understand why.
Ingredients
- 1½ ounces tequila
- ¾ ounce Campari
- ½ ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ ounce grenadine
- Ice
- Club soda to top off
- Lemon slice for garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, tequila, Campari, lemon juice, and grenadine.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into rocks glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with lemon slice.
Southern Negroni
A shake-up of the classic but with a bit of tequila and blood orange flavors to add new layers of complexity.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce tequila
- 1 ounce Campari
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- ½ ounce blood orange liqueur
- Ice
- Blood orange slice or garnish
Instructions
- In a cocktail shaker, add ice, tequila, Campari, sweet vermouth, and blood orange liqueur.
- Shake to chill.
- Strain into wine glass over fresh ice.
- Garnish with blood orange slice.
Bittersweet Campari Cocktails
Campari cocktails are bittersweet and refreshing, with complex flavor profiles and aromas. If the Campari is too bitter for you, experiment with different Campari proportions or try replacing the Campari with Aperol, which is similar to Campari but slightly less bitter. Now it's time for some more Italian cocktails you'll be glad you tried.
