Amaro

Ah, Waterloo—the monarch of Employees Only long drinks. Seasonal to the core and perfect from mid-June until early September when watermelons are in their prime. This cocktail combines fresh, ripe watermelon; gin; and Campari in a taste explosion. The most important ingredient is the watermelon, as the flavor directly corresponds to the sweetness of the cocktail. Therefore we advise you to use organic watermelon with seeds rather than the genetically engineered seedless varietals. The seeds also provide a nice visual touch when the cocktail is served. This cocktail is also a great exercise in mixing and building flavors. You start with fresh fruit, add sugar to open up the natural flavors, then add sour to balance it out. Altogether, this mixture creates a pumped-up watermelon bomb with the body to stand up to even gin. The gin and Campari bring out the savoriness of the melon to make this cocktail a modern classic.

This cocktail is an Employees Only variation on the Champagne Cocktail (page 56). In champagne production, when the pinot noir skins are left to touch the juice, they add color and a soft touch of tannins. The result is some of the best aperitif wine available: rosé champagne. Other sparkling wine producers emulate this with rosé varietals, most notably the Spanish with Cava. These wines are truly magnificent, and their affordability makes them very suitable for mixed drinks. Cava rosé has a body and level of dryness ideal for adding sugar, bitters, and Campari to create a sultry variation on the classic Champagne Cocktail. This cocktail is very sexy and inviting and makes a superb aperitif, as well as a great choice for pairing with antipasti, mezes, tapas, or seafood appetizers.

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.

The term “tifozi” is slang used to describe hardcore Italian soccer fans, and there is nothing more hardcore Italian than this aperitivo. The Tifozi (see photo) is an EO original based on the Americano cocktail (opposite), intended to be a humorous salute to its namesake. It is bitter, sweet, sour, and fizzy with the addition of San Pellegrino Aranciata, a natural orange-flavored soda. The lime wheels add freshness and life to the cocktail.

This EO original aperitif (see photo) was inspired by the Negroni cocktail (page 42). It is a great example of how elegant and complex three liquids blended in a cocktail can be. Its rich flavors come from amaro, which we use in place of Campari, and Punt e Mes, in place of traditional sweet vermouth. Amaro is a bitter Italian digestif made from herbs and plants; for the Nerina, we prefer Meletti amaro, which has a beautiful spice profile with lingering notes of cinnamon, but is light on caramel compared to other amaros. Punt e Mes is a highly bittersweet aromatized wine, considered by some to be the original of Italian vermouth. Combined and blended with gin, the ingredients create a cocktail of simple sophistication. The name is a nod to the classic Negroni cocktail. Being a dark-hued drink, Nerina comes from nera, the feminine Italian word for black.

The Campari Spritz is the predecessor of the Aperol Spritz. Whereas the Aperol version is soft, the Campari version is bold and assertive, so it is served in a smaller rocks glass and garnished with one large green olive. With its robust nature, the Campari Spritz is a very popular aperitivo alongside various antipasti containing olive oil, spices, fresh mozzarella, and seafood such as octopus, calamari, and clams.

When we're not drinking Manhattans, we'll take an Old Pal. Usually made with rye, we prefer it with bourbon (the higher the proof, the better).

Campari and soda is one of my favorite aperitifs. Not only is Campari a brilliant vermilion that looks stunning in the glass, but also the liquor’s bitter edge whets the appetite for the dishes to come. Transformed into a gorgeous, not-too-sweet sorbet, Campari is equally at home finishing a meal. (Although this sorbet would also make a nice refresher between courses if you were feeling fancy.) The addition of sweet, ruby-hued blood orange juice makes this a perfect dessert for midwinter when summer’s fruits are still months away. Before you freeze your sorbet, I recommend you pour a little into a highball glass and add some ice and gin. It makes the wait so much more enjoyable.

This drink transforms a standard Champagne cocktail into something a bit more zesty and floral. Bright orange in color, Aperol is a light aperitif with a unique bittersweet taste that blends beautifully with fruit and bubbly. Making watermelon juice is a snap; simply pop a wedge of seedless watermelon (without rind) into a blender, turn it on for two seconds, turn it off, and you’re done.

The classic Campari-based cocktail, the Negroni, is equal parts Campari, gin, and sweet vermouth. Starting with the classic formula but then deviating from it, I replace the piney flavor of gin with the naturally acidic apple and pear, boosted by the warmth of Calvados apple brandy. The orange bitters give the drink a dry finish so it’s not overly sweet.

The combination of bitter Campari and sweet tangerine couldn’t be more refreshing.

The key to this drink is fresh pineapple juice.

The Italian aperitif Campari brings balance to these sweet orange pops.

Ciao Bella has made this classic Italian flavor since the beginning, and it's the favorite of our president, Charlie Apt. Campari, invented in the 1860s by Gaspare Campari, is an alcoholic beverage made with a secret mixture of herbs and bark that gives it its characteristic bitter edge. Here that bitterness is intensified by the sharpness of the grapefruit, which makes this the quintessential palate cleanser; if you want to serve it as a dessert, increase the sugar to 2 cups. Campari's distinctive red color lends a beautiful gentle pink tone to the sorbetto. For a nonalcoholic grapefruit sorbetto, simply omit the Campari.

A combination of fresh grapefruit juice and Campari (the bitter Italian aperitif) gives the granita a refreshing bite. A dollop of whipped cream brings everything into balance.

Clementines provide the orange flavoring in this update of a classic cocktail. Chill the Martini glasses in the freezer for a few hours beforehand. Hendrick’s Gin, a smooth Scottish gin infused with cucumber and rose petals, is worth seeking out: It is the perfect choice for this drink.

This Italian spin on the Mimosa gets its unique flavor from Aperol, a bright-orange Italian liqueur made from bitter oranges, rhubarb, and herbs. It’s similar to Campari, but less bitter and more floral. In Italy, Aperol is served on the rocks mixed with Prosecco and a splash of club soda. In this recipe, the club soda has been replaced with a little fresh orange juice.

Blood oranges are small, sweet, nearly seedless oranges with vivid bright red flesh. They have a slightly floral flavor with berry undertones. Blood oranges are in season from December to June and are available at some supermarkets, at specialty foods stores and farmers’ markets, and from melissas.com.