Campari

Campari is a liqueur considered an aperitif (20.5%, 21%, 24%, 25% or 28.5%, depending on the country in which it is sold), obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruits. It is a bitter (bitter alcohol), known for its dark red colour.

Campari was invented in 1860 by Gaspare Campari in Novara, Italy. In 1904, the first factory to produce this liqueur was opened in Sesto San Giovanni, near Milan, Italy. The company required bars that purchased Campari to display the Campari Bitters sign. Under the management of Davide Campari, Gaspare's son, the company began to export the drink first to Nice, in the heart of the French Riviera, and then beyond its limits. The 'Campari' brand is now distributed in more than 190 countries.

The exact recipe of the drink is a secret of the manufacturer. According to various estimates, the recipe includes from 40 to 68 ingredients, including bitter orange, angelica, yellow gentian, cascarilla. Initially, the liqueur was coloured with carmine dye, obtained from crushed cochineal insects, which gave the drink a distinctive red colour. In 2006, Gruppo Campari stopped using carmine in its production. Now cochineal is replaced by artificial dye.

On the Italian market, Campari, mixed with carbonated water, is sold in individual bottles under the name Campari Soda (10% alcohol). Campari Soda is packed in a distinctive bottle, which was designed by Fortunato Depero in 1932.