Happy Hour — a Low-ABV Summer Cocktail for People Who Don’t Like Campari

On the one hand, the Americano is a perfect drink, and I will hear no argument to the contrary. 

On the other hand, it’s not a perfect drink for everyone, because it involves Campari. And as we’ve discussed before, there are some people who simply don’t like the stuff, no matter what form it comes in. 

I am not one of those people. And honestly, I don’t know that I’ll ever truly understand the diehard Campari haters of the world. Deep down, I suppose, other people are always unfathomable mysteries. 

But I am aware that these people exist, and I am even quite friendly with some of them. So I try to respect their tastes. And I believe those people deserve an easy, low-ABV summer highball of their own. 

That’s why I created the following cocktail, a fresh, light, minimally boozy but still complex drink built on a base of the Cocchi Americano, an aromatized wine that drinks a little like a blanc vermouth. (Cocchi makes a variety of products, including a Di Torino vermouth I often recommend. These bottles are uniformly excellent, but do note that they are not substitutes for each other.) 

This drink does include a couple dashes of Angostura bitters. And as I’ve noted before, Cocchi Americano has a slight bitter flavor to it reminiscent of old Kina Lillet, before Lillet was reformulated. But it’s not truly a bitter liqueur like Campari or Cynar. It’s a sweet wine with some additional flavors. As a result, it should be enjoyable even to drinkers who are quite averse to bitter booze. 

That’s especially true in a cocktail like this one, which is essentially a Cocchi Americano sour transformed into a long drink with the addition of club soda. Underneath the club soda, it’s almost Daiquiri-like in structure, with just a little less sugar, since the Cocchi Americano provides some sweetness on its own.

This drink should appeal to fans of the French 75 — another cocktail that is basically just a sour with some bubbles on top. It’s sweet, light, and more than a little soda-like. And with its relatively low alcohol, it doesn’t ask too much of you, making it a great hot-weather happy hour drink. 

All the guidelines I provided for the Americano still apply. Mainly: feel free to adjust the club soda proportion, but don’t overdo it. Try to use a tall, narrow glass that isn’t too big (I use the same 10 ½ ounce Libbey Chicago glass for this drink that I do for the Americano). And regardless of what size or shape glassware you use, try to use the same glassware and the same amount of ice every time you make the drink, to ensure consistency. 

Sweet Child o’ Mine

• 2 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

• ½ ounce rich (2:1) simple syrup

• ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice

• 2 ounces Cocchi Americano

• 2-2½ ounces club soda, to top

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients except club soda in a shaker.

2. Add ice, then shake until chilled.

3. Strain into a tall glass filled with ice.  

4. Top with club soda. 

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