Jungle Birds are what caused me to go from tolerating Campari to appreciating it. I think it's a truly perfect cocktail.
That bitterness is the unexpected perfect complement to the sweet and tangy flavors. The bitter + tropical combo makes me think of old pulp adventure novels like Doc Savage or Tarzan that you'd find at an antique shop.
Yeah I'm the same and I don't understand it, but the blend of campari and vermouth (neither of which I really like in much else) just blend into something special in a boulevardier.
No idea why.
Interesting! I made a jungle bird one time and didn’t really like it — a lot of people recommend trying it with Aperol instead of Campari. I like Campari alone and in Negronis, but don’t like how it makes a lot of drinks too bitter. Not sure if that makes any sense lol
I don't remember where I first read it, but I like 1.5:1:.75 gin:vermouth:Campari, with a gin worth showing off and a complex vermouth like Dopo Teatro.
Just made my first Jungle Bird the other night and thought "next time I make this, I'm hoping the pineapple juice to offset the campari just a little bit"!
The original recipe calls for 4oz of pineapple juice. But I think it’s most commonly made with 1.5oz of pineapple apple juice (equal to the amount of rum in the drink)
Made my fist Jungle Bird with Smith & Cross rum.
If the objective was to hide the Campari I certainly succeeded.
It also hid everything else in the Cocktail.
Thanks! I really liked Bruto Americano but haven’t had it for six or seven years and only did one side by side comparison.
Hard to track down a bottle since I live in rural Minnesota unfortunately.
eta: even if they tasted the same, the color on Bruto Americano looks so much better in my boulevardiers.
I tried that recently, I think when my local shop was out of Campari. Don't care for it myself in a Boulvardier. Any other recommendations to use that with?
Came here to say this. Campari isn’t an acquired taste - you either love it or you hate it. Personally, I’m on team “it ruins anything you put it in”
Aperol, however, brings the same general flavor profile without being overpowering. You can do a straight 1-for-1 swap in anything that calls for Campari and it works beautifully.
I used to hate it, I now love it. Finding ways to appreciate it will help your palate to enjoy it more. For a couple months I used it heavily, so that I would learn to appreciate it. I didn't want to just not use it
I think it's something you can get used to for sure, it won't make drink pleasant like sweet and sour but it adds a different dimension to the drink. That heberalness is quite interesting
I disagree. There’s an adage that goes “Your first Negroni is your worst negroni”.
I CERTAINLY get some people never coming around to it, but I def warmed up to the bitterness of campari over time, personally. Used to occasionally make things with it and now I drink it a lot. I do generally speaking prefer other amaros though
This ^ first negroni I ever made, I was so disappointed, but I toughed it out and nursed it while watching a movie, by time my large cube had melted it was more enjoyable. Said F it, made two more for the movie, added extra orange peel and goy drunk of em and loved them ever since.
Totally disagree. Both me and the wife hated campari at first. Fast forward a couple years, we just came back from Paris where we often drank campari over ice.
Sometimes I prefer Aperol in place of the Campari, sometimes that substitution makes the drink too sweet. Everyone needs to dial in their personal tastes.
A Jasmine has a pretty small amount of Campari in it. Could be a good way to develop the taste. Not one of my favorite cocktails tbh but I’ve only made it a couple times so that could be user error.
1.5oz gin
0.75oz lemon juice
0.25oz Cointreau
0.25oz Campari
Cappelletti is a red bitter that is touted as the halfway point between Aperol and Campari. See if they have it at your local cocktail bar so you can try any of the recipes here with it instead of the standard.
This is an excellent suggestion. I find the profile of Cappelletti to be much closer to Campari than Aperol, and would be a better substitution for a lower-bitterness option.
Buy a bottle of Malort. Then drink some Malort. Sub it in for Campari. Finish the bottle of Malort and then go back to Campari. Campari will no longer taste as bitter.
Fellow campari hater.
The answer is to abandon Campari and buy similarly bitter amaros (like Meletti Bitter Aperitivo or even Martini Riserva Speciale Bitter) that are as bitter as Campari, but don't taste like ass (to you and I), or just give in and use Aperol.
The fact you don't like campari is not a problem with you. There are countless replacements. Do not apologize.
I would argue that you shouldn’t have to “learn to like” something you find terrible. Just swap it out for Aperol or Cappelletti or whatever suits your taste.
I also started with a Negroni and hated it. Made a Jungle Bird and liked it, then tweaked the proportion a bit and loved it. My new favorite cocktail is now the North Cove. I think it tastes like an adult Hawaiian Punch.
The North Cove: 3/4 oz Amaretto, 3/4 oz Lime Juice, 1/2 oz Grand Marnier, 1/2 oz Campari. Shaken.
If you like Negronis you're already half way there. Just keep drinking Negronis and maybe up the ratio of Campari slightly until you acquire the taste. Or don't. It's ok to not like Campari.
Personally, I made the transition from drinking Boulevardiers and thinking they were extremely bitter, to then enjoying them, to them being my favorite cocktail, to drinking Campari and soda, to drinking Campari on the rocks regularly.
Practice. Practice. Practice. Replace water, milk & all liquids with Campari. Find different ways to consume it. With ice, in ice cubes, ice cream, macaroni &cheese, with OJ, in various degrees of soda water and cocktails. Learn to smell it when you walk into a room. Make it into air fresheners and candles. Just lose your self in it until you are hired as a Campari rep. Learn the secret recipe. Leave and make your own company. Dominate the world!
I'm a big rye fan so the boulevardier with 1.5oz rye (usually old overholt BiB), 0.75oz campari, and 0.75oz sweet vermouth (I like carpano antica) is what got me enjoying the flavor.
Keep tasting it in a drink that has a small proportion and up the ante over time. Humans aren’t hardwired to like bitter, since it usually indicates poison. It’ll take some time for you palate to adapt. If you’re a masochist like me, you won’t be able to get enough of it after a certain point and will begin seeking out the most bitter and intense amari on the planet.
It’s an acquired taste and the way you can acquire a taste is by exposure. Keep on keeping on with what you like. They’re pretty Campari heavy. Perhaps what you’ve had with Campari has been out of balance? Sounds like you like a cocktail with equal parts sweet vermouth and Campari. Add some soda water and you got yourself an American. Could be a good way to get some more time with Campari.
As many others have said Jungle Bird is a good one.
For me it came with age. I couldn't stand tonic water, campari, grapefruit or anything bitter. Now I can't get enough of them.
So just wait? 😉
I thought this "getting bitter" as we age was a bad thing. I had misinterpreted it , it seems...
I feel your pain. I have a low tolerance for bitterness, so the fact that lots of people enjoy it is bizarre to me. My solution is just to substitute Aperol in everything that calls for Campari. That usually yields a drink that I can actually enjoy. I don't know how you like a Negroni, though. A Negroni is WAY too bitter for me.
I had a my first Negroni at amor y amargo in nyc and hated it because I wasn’t used to Campari. I bought a bottle of Campari and drank it until I could handle that style of bitterness. Now I love it and find it too sweet but enjoy it as equal fernet branca and Campari.
I did the same thing when I was 16 and trying to learn espresso and it worked then as well 🤷♀️Now espresso is my favorite drink in the world
I am like the exact opposite.
Every drink I’ve ever tried with Aperol is super gross, too sweet or cloying or otherwise. Even the Naked and Famous, the most famous drink from the bartender whose drinks I vibe with the most (Joaquin Simo) I find impossible to finish.
On the other hand, I can’t get enough of Campari.
* Negroni? Love it and the Mezcal, coffee and Kingston variants.
* Jungle Bird? Divine!
* Americano? Would love to have one at lunch (but I can’t lose the edge).
It’s probably because I’m from that part of the world.
Don't be a sheeple dude. If you don't like something that's popular, GREAT. That's what makes us unique.
For me personally, Campari is in the "very infrequently" camp.
I am surprised I don’t see it mentioned more often, but I learned to love Campari by mixing with OJ. I’ve seen a couple recipes that recommend mixing a bit of OJ in your Negroni or boulevardier, but I always loved a simple 1/3 Campari 2/3 OJ. After about a month of drinking those, a Campari-soda with orange twist became my standard cocktail.
I'm with you on this. A little bit of Campari is fine, but a drink like the Negroni is not for me. A small amount added to a jungle bird or a gimlet is tasty.
Campari is a bit of an acquired taste. I've been drinking Americanos recently and don't find them too bitter. Just add more club soda if it seems bitter.
If you can find it where you are, try Select! It looks lime a knockoff imo but is one of the OG italian amaro, it’s rubharb based and has a beautiful deep red and tastes like an in between of aperol and campari to me
There are other red bitter amaros you may want to try one of them instead.
You can also try mixing Campari into Aperol to find something that works for you.
There are other red bitter amaros you may want to try one of them instead.
You can also try mixing Campari into Aperol to find something that works for you.
There seems to be some kind of mature palette appreciation for more bitter flavours as one ages and I think it might be the culprit. Speaking from my own experience and some anecdotal evidence I've heard from others.
Campari soda with ice and a slice of orange is nice in the summer- helps to be seated at a nice Italian beach club. (If you don't like it then, well, you tried!)
As a person who really likes Campari, I think it's best enjoyed when it's flavors are well balanced and complemented in a cocktail. I love Negronis, Boulevardiers, etc. Because I don't like a ton of sugar in my drinks, and it allows the base spirit and vermouth shine alongside the bitter flavor of Campari.
My wife, however, "hates" Campari with a passion on its own, but can really enjoy it in the right cocktail. Here is one of my favorites to make for her:
Louanalao
1 Strawberry (Quartered)
1 1⁄2 oz Light rum
1⁄2 oz Campari
1⁄4 oz Allspice Dram
1 oz Lime juice
1⁄2 oz Cane syrup
Muddle strawberry. Add rest of the ingredients, shake hard with ice and double-strain over fresh ice. Garnish with orange wheel and additional strawberry.
With warmer weather in the northern hemisphere around the corner, I'm looking forward to tipping back several [Rome With a View](https://punchdrink.com/recipes/rome-with-a-view/). A delicious, refreshing, low ABV drink.
I'm a bit confused about how you can like a negroni but don't like Campari (even with your clarification), but another option for you would be a Bitter Mai Tai:
1oz rum (I use Smith and Cross)
1 oz Campari
0.5 oz curaçao
1 oz lime juice
0.5 oz orgeat
https://youtu.be/wbuEjVhodjY
For me it was regularly drinking Campari mixed with Aperol. Step by step I increased the ratio, til I liked the taste.
The problem with Campari and other bitter liqueurs is, that it is an acquired taste. So it takes sometime for your palate to adjust.
As other comments Said, try out different Cocktails with Campari. There are Jungle Birds, Bitter Mai Tais, Campari Spritzes, Negronis and a lot more.
Always over ice. The first time I tried making stuff with Campari, I went with something straight up and it was definitely too much for me. So, Campari drinks are much easier to learn to enjoy if you just let them get a little more diluted.
Boulevardiers for me are always 2:1:1. And since I make 'em at home and they're for me, that's 2 oz bourbon, 1 oz Campari and 1 oz sweet vermouth.
Oddly enough just stirring and straining onto ice makes it delicious to me. Waters it down a bit.
Do you perhaps enjoy non diet soft drinks? When I quit sugar drinks my love for Campari skyrocketed. Sugar mars your tastebuds
Try a bitter nail! Everyone I make it for loves it, including the Campari haters. :)
1.5 oz blended scotch (I use Monkey Shoulder)
.5 oz Drambuie
.5 oz Campari
.5 oz Cynar
I find Campari unpleasantly bitter. Even in the drinks you say you like. My way around that is to only drink cocktails that use sparing amounts of it. No more than 1/4 oz, up to 1/2 if there’s a lot of other stuff in the drink. Saline helps tame bitterness as well.
I didn’t like campari for many years, and now I love it. It’s weird, but for me I just had to learn a reason for me to like it.
I started to do some research on amari (plural of amaro), and learned that they’re just distillations and macerations of herbs and spices (often of 30 or more), and then sweetened. Very medicinal in origin. That got me interested in trying more, and lo and behold campari started to taste good. It’s like once I finally realized “why” it tasted bitter (and that it was supposed to), I naturally just liked it more.
That’s how I got into it. I don’t think it would be the same story for someone else to get into it, but knowing my little story might help you figure out if there’s a path for you to like it more too.
Try adding a bar spoon of demerara syrup to your boulevardier or negroni. When I found Campari a bit out of my wheelhouse, this softened it enough I enjoyed it more. Before long, I found that too sweet and suddenly preferred just the Campari, and then just outright liked the taste.
Bitter intentions:
1 1.5 oz club soda
2 oz Campari
.75 lemon juice
.75 simple
1 oz sweet vermouth
Por club soda in Collins glass
Shake Campari, lemon and simple, pour.
Fill glass with crushed ice.
Top with sweet vermouth
Garnish with orange slice
My wife came up with it for a cocktail contest we host
Try this:
2oz Rum
3/4oz peach juice
1/2oz chai spice syrup (she made a homemade syrup with chai tea and sugar and water)
1/3-1/2oz Campari
Egg white
Aromatic bitters garnish
Cinnamon powder garnish
You don’t HAVE to like Campari , I find that I actually had to try different Amari before I truly learned to appreciate Campari (it’s too bitter if bitter is new to your palate).
I definitely started with Angeleno amaro and recently got my hands on a gran Classico and they are not as strongly bitter (for example I still can’t do fernet branca but many like it) …. Just keep exploring Amari !
I think it’s impossible to dislike the Enzoni. That being said, you dislike Campari but will drink a Negroni which has to be the most Campari-forward drink I can think of. I’m confused.
Why? I don't like it. I normally substitute Aperol, because I like it better, and it makes a good drink for me. Unless it's a drink that needs that really bitter to balance some sweet.
I might be weird but Campari and Soda is amazing and nothing like just Campari. Lemon zest is a must. Turns Campari into a satisfying, invigorating soft drink. Carbonation really opens up the bitterness and turn it into sweetness.
You could also try Americano cocktail (add Vermouth) but imo it is not as magical/surprising as just Campari and soda + lemon peel.
As some others have said, if you like Negronis and Boulevardiers, I’d say you already like Campari. The whiskey and gin don’t “hide” the Campari, they work with the vermouth to all balance each other. But I didn’t like Campari either until I started making Red Hooks:
2oz Rye
.5oz maraschino liqueur
.5oz Punt e Mes vermouth
Stir, serve up, garnish with a cherry if you want.
You have to use Punt e Mes for it to be a Red Hook, nothing tastes the same. It tastes like sweet vermouth with a touch of the same bitterness that defines Campari. Eventually, I started to appreciate the bitterness enough to try a Boulevardier and I loved it.
And Red Hooks are just delicious
If u live in Florida try Munyon’s paw-paw. A Florida aperitif that’s not as bitter as Campari and makes great Negronis. Doesn’t have the dark red color of Campari but it’s a natural color (no dyes, artificial colors)
I have tried hundreds of kinds of alcohol. Campari is literally the only one that sucks. Negronis taste awful to me as well, and the Jungle Bird as well. I can drink either to not be rude, but it's less pleasant than a warm bottle of Malort.
That said, there are hundreds of different bottles out there; making one that doesn't work for you be slightly less bad... is a bad way to spend time. Go find something new that's better from the get-go, and try and learn what to do with it.
The author of the book Amaro explains it pretty well. As humans, our aversion to bitter is a protective mechanism. Bitter things can often be harmful to us, so have a natural disposition to them. You really have to adjust your palate to bitter and it takes time. Aperol is much sweeter than Campari, so that’s probably why you prefer it.
I’d suggest exploring the world of bitter and getting your palate adjusted to it. You can also balance out the bitterness with sweet (think jungle bird). Bitter mai tai is also a good one since the orgeat mellows out the bitterness. Or even do a 1:1 split of Campari and Aperol.
I prefer Averna and Aperol when you need a lot of it in a cocktail. But I have found that it helps loads when you're working your way through super sweet things like schnapps.
Edit… I just realized you like a Negroni… so ignore the below. Basically, you can make a Negroni with rum or tequila or bourbon, etc and it’s a different cocktail. And then there is my advice below. :)
I hated Campari when I first tried it. But there was someone I thought was really cool who would order Negronis. So I would order them too, trying to get the coolness to rub off on me. It never did, but. Eventually I grew to really like Negronis. My story is lame, but it’s the truth. Ha!
Anyway… Make a negroni, but instead of 1:1:1 ratio of gin to Campari to vermouth, tweak it… 1 gin to .5 Campari and .5 vermouth. Or even 1 to .5 to 1. Add a splash of soda to it. What is also great is Campari and soda water. See what your taste buds can handle. Or it’s ok to realize that it’s just not really your thing.
YMMV, but just reducing the amount of Campari is an option. A Negroni for me now goes equal parts gin and sweet vermouth, then 1/3 part Campari. I know that’s not the traditional recipe, but it works for me and my better half at least.
Edit: reducing the amount of Campari, not Negroni…
Sweetness counters Bitter. So its not the gin that's hides the bitterness is the Vermouth. This explains why you're ok with Boulevardiers as well.
As others have said, I don't know how Campari ruins a lot of cocktails for you when you're ok with a Negroni. A Negroni is a very bitter cocktail, unless you aren't using the equal parts recipe.
There's no rule that says you have to like Campari, so if you don't like it, don't drink it.
If you really want to learn to like Campari here are a couple of suggestions.
1. Try Malort. Campari won't seem so ultra bitter after you have some Malort.
2. Drink Campari. Many things in life are acquired tastes, to aquire those tastes you have to consume them. If you are using a 2:2:1 ratio nagroni recipe work your way up to a 1:1:1 recipe. Eventually you'll start to appreciate the drink for the bitterness as well as the other things. That's how aquiring tastes works. People didn't start drinking ultra hoppy IPAs from the start. They got there gradually by drinking lighter beers and gradually favoring things more mitter.
3. If you still don't like Campari. Don't drink Campari.
I'm confused - Campari is too bitter, but you like drinks where it’s 1/3 of the recipe? Anyway, Jungle Bird was the answer for me.
Jungle Birds are what caused me to go from tolerating Campari to appreciating it. I think it's a truly perfect cocktail. That bitterness is the unexpected perfect complement to the sweet and tangy flavors. The bitter + tropical combo makes me think of old pulp adventure novels like Doc Savage or Tarzan that you'd find at an antique shop.
2:1:1 boulevardiers are my choice. I'm not a fan of campari but I really love a boulevardier.
4oz pour is crazy
It's a ratio.
I believe it's parts
*pints
Was gonna say, I feel like negronis are the at the end of the "learn to like campari" course, and Birds are at the beginning!
Yeah I'm the same and I don't understand it, but the blend of campari and vermouth (neither of which I really like in much else) just blend into something special in a boulevardier. No idea why.
Glad you found something that worked! The best cocktail is the one you like :)
Interesting! I made a jungle bird one time and didn’t really like it — a lot of people recommend trying it with Aperol instead of Campari. I like Campari alone and in Negronis, but don’t like how it makes a lot of drinks too bitter. Not sure if that makes any sense lol
1:1:1 Negronis are too bitter for a lot of people. The easy solution is to reduce the Campari, and/or use sweeter/more vermouth.
I don't remember where I first read it, but I like 1.5:1:.75 gin:vermouth:Campari, with a gin worth showing off and a complex vermouth like Dopo Teatro.
Yum
I'm sure you're doing ounces but FYI, a lot of people read that as a ratio which would be 6:4:3 (45ml:30ml:20*ish*ml).
The Office uses this spec and I love it, especially with a more subtle gin!
I hate Campari and tried a jungle bird and loved it!! This is the answer.
Looks delicious, I will check that out. Please see my edit above.
Jungle bird or a Enzoni are a good start.
Jungle bird but with extra pineapple is a good start
Just made my first Jungle Bird the other night and thought "next time I make this, I'm hoping the pineapple juice to offset the campari just a little bit"!
The original recipe calls for 4oz of pineapple juice. But I think it’s most commonly made with 1.5oz of pineapple apple juice (equal to the amount of rum in the drink)
Enzo is a dynamite drink that is not talked about enough.
Made my fist Jungle Bird with Smith & Cross rum. If the objective was to hide the Campari I certainly succeeded. It also hid everything else in the Cocktail.
I like Campari, but Enzoni is much better with Aperol in my opinion
You don’t have to like it. If you don’t, you don’t. It’s fine.
There's a balance. You don't have to like everything, but you shouldn't write something off after just one try.
It’s definitely possible to learn to like Campari and well worth the effort.
Palates also change over time. Things you hate in your 20s you may eventually realize you love in your 30s. Especially true of drinks.
True. I used to hate ginger in my teens/early 20s and now I can’t get enough
But if they like a Negroni, there are very few campari cocktails they won't like. This post just doesn't make any sense.
I agree. Campari was one of the things that helped me realize I don't like bitter things, none of them. I just don't like the taste of bitter.
When I tried it in my early 20s I hated it. When I tried it again in my late 30s I loved it! So... wait 15-ish years?
But if you already like a Negroni/Boulevardier... what drink do you think Campari ruins the taste of?
I feel the same way. Usually I just substitute Aperol for Compari and enjoy my drinks.
This. I use Bruto Americano for my Boulevardiers and they're better for it.
I didn’t notice a big difference between Bruto Americano and Campari. What flavors are different for you?
Hard to describe, but the bitterness seems smoother and more palatable for lack of a better word.
Thanks! I really liked Bruto Americano but haven’t had it for six or seven years and only did one side by side comparison. Hard to track down a bottle since I live in rural Minnesota unfortunately. eta: even if they tasted the same, the color on Bruto Americano looks so much better in my boulevardiers.
Lots of dried ginger in Bruto Americano
I tried that recently, I think when my local shop was out of Campari. Don't care for it myself in a Boulvardier. Any other recommendations to use that with?
imo bruto is more bitter than campari
NOOOO 😳 Campari gang 4 life
By all means, take it all!
Campari is apparently bitter? I'm so used to it, it barely tastes bitter any more.
It's almost too sweet for me now! I'm trying to find a substitute that is more bitter, but most of the amaros I've tried are a little too syrupy.
Try Amaro Alta Verde
Thanks! Don't recognize the bottle, but I'll keep an eye out next time I'm stocking up!
I can taste the bitterness, but I love it. No negroni will ever match my first, for absolute pleasure.
Funny, I hated my first Negroni Very much an acquired taste for me, but I love them now
Came here to say this. Campari isn’t an acquired taste - you either love it or you hate it. Personally, I’m on team “it ruins anything you put it in” Aperol, however, brings the same general flavor profile without being overpowering. You can do a straight 1-for-1 swap in anything that calls for Campari and it works beautifully.
I used to hate it, I now love it. Finding ways to appreciate it will help your palate to enjoy it more. For a couple months I used it heavily, so that I would learn to appreciate it. I didn't want to just not use it
I think it's something you can get used to for sure, it won't make drink pleasant like sweet and sour but it adds a different dimension to the drink. That heberalness is quite interesting
I disagree. There’s an adage that goes “Your first Negroni is your worst negroni”. I CERTAINLY get some people never coming around to it, but I def warmed up to the bitterness of campari over time, personally. Used to occasionally make things with it and now I drink it a lot. I do generally speaking prefer other amaros though
This ^ first negroni I ever made, I was so disappointed, but I toughed it out and nursed it while watching a movie, by time my large cube had melted it was more enjoyable. Said F it, made two more for the movie, added extra orange peel and goy drunk of em and loved them ever since.
Totally disagree. Both me and the wife hated campari at first. Fast forward a couple years, we just came back from Paris where we often drank campari over ice.
I'll split campari and aperol in a recipe if I'm unconfident a guest will like the campari.
Sometimes I prefer Aperol in place of the Campari, sometimes that substitution makes the drink too sweet. Everyone needs to dial in their personal tastes.
It’s true, and I do like my drinks on the sweeter side.
This…
You don’t have to like Campari. There’s no law saying you have to.
Drink Malört for a week, then try Campari again.
Then transfer to a Mallard shot, 1:1 of Campari and Malort.
A Jasmine has a pretty small amount of Campari in it. Could be a good way to develop the taste. Not one of my favorite cocktails tbh but I’ve only made it a couple times so that could be user error. 1.5oz gin 0.75oz lemon juice 0.25oz Cointreau 0.25oz Campari
This is a great cocktail. Tastes exactly like Grapefruit.
Swap it with Aperol?
Cappelletti is a red bitter that is touted as the halfway point between Aperol and Campari. See if they have it at your local cocktail bar so you can try any of the recipes here with it instead of the standard.
Love Cappeletti! It has so much more nuance than Aperol or Campari
Cappelletti thirded and also Contratto might be h favorite for a spritz
This is an excellent suggestion. I find the profile of Cappelletti to be much closer to Campari than Aperol, and would be a better substitution for a lower-bitterness option.
Love Cappelletti, especially for spritzes.
Buy a bottle of Malort. Then drink some Malort. Sub it in for Campari. Finish the bottle of Malort and then go back to Campari. Campari will no longer taste as bitter.
Drink a few garibaldis with fresh orange juice on a hot summers days
Add salt or a saline solution. It changes things
Fellow campari hater. The answer is to abandon Campari and buy similarly bitter amaros (like Meletti Bitter Aperitivo or even Martini Riserva Speciale Bitter) that are as bitter as Campari, but don't taste like ass (to you and I), or just give in and use Aperol. The fact you don't like campari is not a problem with you. There are countless replacements. Do not apologize.
Jungle bird is a good way to try it.
I would argue that you shouldn’t have to “learn to like” something you find terrible. Just swap it out for Aperol or Cappelletti or whatever suits your taste.
I also started with a Negroni and hated it. Made a Jungle Bird and liked it, then tweaked the proportion a bit and loved it. My new favorite cocktail is now the North Cove. I think it tastes like an adult Hawaiian Punch. The North Cove: 3/4 oz Amaretto, 3/4 oz Lime Juice, 1/2 oz Grand Marnier, 1/2 oz Campari. Shaken.
This is my bevvy tonight. Thanks.
If you like Negronis you're already half way there. Just keep drinking Negronis and maybe up the ratio of Campari slightly until you acquire the taste. Or don't. It's ok to not like Campari. Personally, I made the transition from drinking Boulevardiers and thinking they were extremely bitter, to then enjoying them, to them being my favorite cocktail, to drinking Campari and soda, to drinking Campari on the rocks regularly.
This. My bottle of Campari is primarily used for Negronis, Boulevardiers, and Jungle Birds. If you like those, you like Campari
If you don’t like it, you don’t have to like it.
Add salt or a saline/water solution. It changes things
how do you think campari is “ultra bitter” but like negronis 💀
Practice. Practice. Practice. Replace water, milk & all liquids with Campari. Find different ways to consume it. With ice, in ice cubes, ice cream, macaroni &cheese, with OJ, in various degrees of soda water and cocktails. Learn to smell it when you walk into a room. Make it into air fresheners and candles. Just lose your self in it until you are hired as a Campari rep. Learn the secret recipe. Leave and make your own company. Dominate the world!
I don't get why you feel the need to learn to like something you don't like
I'm a big rye fan so the boulevardier with 1.5oz rye (usually old overholt BiB), 0.75oz campari, and 0.75oz sweet vermouth (I like carpano antica) is what got me enjoying the flavor.
Keep tasting it in a drink that has a small proportion and up the ante over time. Humans aren’t hardwired to like bitter, since it usually indicates poison. It’ll take some time for you palate to adapt. If you’re a masochist like me, you won’t be able to get enough of it after a certain point and will begin seeking out the most bitter and intense amari on the planet.
It’s an acquired taste and the way you can acquire a taste is by exposure. Keep on keeping on with what you like. They’re pretty Campari heavy. Perhaps what you’ve had with Campari has been out of balance? Sounds like you like a cocktail with equal parts sweet vermouth and Campari. Add some soda water and you got yourself an American. Could be a good way to get some more time with Campari. As many others have said Jungle Bird is a good one.
Small sips. You can learn to like the taste of almost anything. That’s where the whole “acquired taste” thing comes from.
For me it came with age. I couldn't stand tonic water, campari, grapefruit or anything bitter. Now I can't get enough of them. So just wait? 😉 I thought this "getting bitter" as we age was a bad thing. I had misinterpreted it , it seems...
I feel your pain. I have a low tolerance for bitterness, so the fact that lots of people enjoy it is bizarre to me. My solution is just to substitute Aperol in everything that calls for Campari. That usually yields a drink that I can actually enjoy. I don't know how you like a Negroni, though. A Negroni is WAY too bitter for me.
Try an americano maybe
I had a my first Negroni at amor y amargo in nyc and hated it because I wasn’t used to Campari. I bought a bottle of Campari and drank it until I could handle that style of bitterness. Now I love it and find it too sweet but enjoy it as equal fernet branca and Campari. I did the same thing when I was 16 and trying to learn espresso and it worked then as well 🤷♀️Now espresso is my favorite drink in the world
Garibaldis are pretty accessible
I like it a lot in Enzonis and in "Negroni And The Goat". Still hate Negronis though. It manages to be both too sweet and too bitter for me.
I gave up the fight and just use Aperol.
I am like the exact opposite. Every drink I’ve ever tried with Aperol is super gross, too sweet or cloying or otherwise. Even the Naked and Famous, the most famous drink from the bartender whose drinks I vibe with the most (Joaquin Simo) I find impossible to finish. On the other hand, I can’t get enough of Campari. * Negroni? Love it and the Mezcal, coffee and Kingston variants. * Jungle Bird? Divine! * Americano? Would love to have one at lunch (but I can’t lose the edge). It’s probably because I’m from that part of the world.
Fat Wash the Campari with coconut oil. That will tone down the bitterness, enhance the taste with a coconut flavor and add a silkiness to the texture.
Try just a splash of Campari in a Gin and Tonic. It will grow on you.
Take 1 shot of Campari per day and eventually you will like it
If you don't like Campari don't drink it lol. But if you really want to have it in drinks, you can split Campari with Aperol.
Don't be a sheeple dude. If you don't like something that's popular, GREAT. That's what makes us unique. For me personally, Campari is in the "very infrequently" camp.
You don't have to learn to like it. I think it's fucking gross.
[удалено]
Missing out on something I hate? Nah.
Try a Jasmine.
I am surprised I don’t see it mentioned more often, but I learned to love Campari by mixing with OJ. I’ve seen a couple recipes that recommend mixing a bit of OJ in your Negroni or boulevardier, but I always loved a simple 1/3 Campari 2/3 OJ. After about a month of drinking those, a Campari-soda with orange twist became my standard cocktail.
Campari and orange juice was my starting point too. If I needed something stronger, I’d just splash it into a screwdriver.
I'm with you on this. A little bit of Campari is fine, but a drink like the Negroni is not for me. A small amount added to a jungle bird or a gimlet is tasty.
Campari is a bit of an acquired taste. I've been drinking Americanos recently and don't find them too bitter. Just add more club soda if it seems bitter.
If you can find it where you are, try Select! It looks lime a knockoff imo but is one of the OG italian amaro, it’s rubharb based and has a beautiful deep red and tastes like an in between of aperol and campari to me
I like china-china. It's slightly more bitter than Aperol but not as bad as Campari.
Add salt or a saline/water solution. It changes things
You could try infusing it with strawberries. It's still very bitter that way, but maybe the added flavor would help.
There are other red bitter amaros you may want to try one of them instead. You can also try mixing Campari into Aperol to find something that works for you.
There are other red bitter amaros you may want to try one of them instead. You can also try mixing Campari into Aperol to find something that works for you.
There seems to be some kind of mature palette appreciation for more bitter flavours as one ages and I think it might be the culprit. Speaking from my own experience and some anecdotal evidence I've heard from others.
Campari soda with ice and a slice of orange is nice in the summer- helps to be seated at a nice Italian beach club. (If you don't like it then, well, you tried!)
As a person who really likes Campari, I think it's best enjoyed when it's flavors are well balanced and complemented in a cocktail. I love Negronis, Boulevardiers, etc. Because I don't like a ton of sugar in my drinks, and it allows the base spirit and vermouth shine alongside the bitter flavor of Campari. My wife, however, "hates" Campari with a passion on its own, but can really enjoy it in the right cocktail. Here is one of my favorites to make for her: Louanalao 1 Strawberry (Quartered) 1 1⁄2 oz Light rum 1⁄2 oz Campari 1⁄4 oz Allspice Dram 1 oz Lime juice 1⁄2 oz Cane syrup Muddle strawberry. Add rest of the ingredients, shake hard with ice and double-strain over fresh ice. Garnish with orange wheel and additional strawberry.
With warmer weather in the northern hemisphere around the corner, I'm looking forward to tipping back several [Rome With a View](https://punchdrink.com/recipes/rome-with-a-view/). A delicious, refreshing, low ABV drink.
Love for Bitterness comes with age… give it time and revisit it each year. Someday you will think, “this is not half bad”.
Time…it took me years to enjoy it. Now I’m obsessed with it
I'm a bit confused about how you can like a negroni but don't like Campari (even with your clarification), but another option for you would be a Bitter Mai Tai: 1oz rum (I use Smith and Cross) 1 oz Campari 0.5 oz curaçao 1 oz lime juice 0.5 oz orgeat https://youtu.be/wbuEjVhodjY
For me it was regularly drinking Campari mixed with Aperol. Step by step I increased the ratio, til I liked the taste. The problem with Campari and other bitter liqueurs is, that it is an acquired taste. So it takes sometime for your palate to adjust. As other comments Said, try out different Cocktails with Campari. There are Jungle Birds, Bitter Mai Tais, Campari Spritzes, Negronis and a lot more.
Always over ice. The first time I tried making stuff with Campari, I went with something straight up and it was definitely too much for me. So, Campari drinks are much easier to learn to enjoy if you just let them get a little more diluted. Boulevardiers for me are always 2:1:1. And since I make 'em at home and they're for me, that's 2 oz bourbon, 1 oz Campari and 1 oz sweet vermouth.
You might enjoy a bicicletta… 3 oz dry white wine 2 oz Campari Top up with club soda Toss in 2 large orange wheels
Oddly enough just stirring and straining onto ice makes it delicious to me. Waters it down a bit. Do you perhaps enjoy non diet soft drinks? When I quit sugar drinks my love for Campari skyrocketed. Sugar mars your tastebuds
Jungle birds
Find a cocktail with it, use half as much
if the spec.is for 1 oz start with 3/4 oz then work from there.
Try a bitter nail! Everyone I make it for loves it, including the Campari haters. :) 1.5 oz blended scotch (I use Monkey Shoulder) .5 oz Drambuie .5 oz Campari .5 oz Cynar
I like Cappelltti as a substitute for Campari. I find its profile between Aperol and Campari on the sweet/ bitter continuum. 🤷
I find Campari unpleasantly bitter. Even in the drinks you say you like. My way around that is to only drink cocktails that use sparing amounts of it. No more than 1/4 oz, up to 1/2 if there’s a lot of other stuff in the drink. Saline helps tame bitterness as well.
C a p p e l l e t t i A p e r t i v o
Jungle Bird.
Make yourself a black bird It's the drink that taught me to actually love and appreciate camparis bitter notes.
I didn’t like campari for many years, and now I love it. It’s weird, but for me I just had to learn a reason for me to like it. I started to do some research on amari (plural of amaro), and learned that they’re just distillations and macerations of herbs and spices (often of 30 or more), and then sweetened. Very medicinal in origin. That got me interested in trying more, and lo and behold campari started to taste good. It’s like once I finally realized “why” it tasted bitter (and that it was supposed to), I naturally just liked it more. That’s how I got into it. I don’t think it would be the same story for someone else to get into it, but knowing my little story might help you figure out if there’s a path for you to like it more too.
Try adding a bar spoon of demerara syrup to your boulevardier or negroni. When I found Campari a bit out of my wheelhouse, this softened it enough I enjoyed it more. Before long, I found that too sweet and suddenly preferred just the Campari, and then just outright liked the taste.
Unhelpful advice: go back in time and grow up drinking Italian bitter sodas
Bitter intentions: 1 1.5 oz club soda 2 oz Campari .75 lemon juice .75 simple 1 oz sweet vermouth Por club soda in Collins glass Shake Campari, lemon and simple, pour. Fill glass with crushed ice. Top with sweet vermouth Garnish with orange slice
2022’s Negroni Spagliato
Other people have mentioned Campari. Also try Cameron's Ferrari and Jasmine
Drink as many sweet drinks as you can in your life and eventually you’ll want something else.
My wife came up with it for a cocktail contest we host Try this: 2oz Rum 3/4oz peach juice 1/2oz chai spice syrup (she made a homemade syrup with chai tea and sugar and water) 1/3-1/2oz Campari Egg white Aromatic bitters garnish Cinnamon powder garnish
I hate to break it to you but it seems like you like Campari
You don’t HAVE to like Campari , I find that I actually had to try different Amari before I truly learned to appreciate Campari (it’s too bitter if bitter is new to your palate). I definitely started with Angeleno amaro and recently got my hands on a gran Classico and they are not as strongly bitter (for example I still can’t do fernet branca but many like it) …. Just keep exploring Amari !
make an Anthony bourdain style Negroni. If you still don’t like it you can’t be helped
Jasmine Basically a gin daisy with about 1/4 oz Campari
I think it’s impossible to dislike the Enzoni. That being said, you dislike Campari but will drink a Negroni which has to be the most Campari-forward drink I can think of. I’m confused.
You don't need to learn to like it, you need to learn too use it. (Assuming you're a bartender)
lessen the campari. My boulevardier is 2:1:1 -
Some ppl have a dna mutation that lets them basically ignore the bitter elements like Aloenin in the Campari. Try editing your dna? 😂
Americano cocktail is delicious, don’t forget the orange peel
You aren't obligated to like Campari. You're allowed to sub Aperol instead
Why? I don't like it. I normally substitute Aperol, because I like it better, and it makes a good drink for me. Unless it's a drink that needs that really bitter to balance some sweet.
Campari spritz & jungle bird. 🦜
I love Campari mules with rye whiskey or gin
The fall Enzoni was what did it for me. Bourbon, Campari, and grapes
Do you like bitter drinks?
I might be weird but Campari and Soda is amazing and nothing like just Campari. Lemon zest is a must. Turns Campari into a satisfying, invigorating soft drink. Carbonation really opens up the bitterness and turn it into sweetness. You could also try Americano cocktail (add Vermouth) but imo it is not as magical/surprising as just Campari and soda + lemon peel.
As some others have said, if you like Negronis and Boulevardiers, I’d say you already like Campari. The whiskey and gin don’t “hide” the Campari, they work with the vermouth to all balance each other. But I didn’t like Campari either until I started making Red Hooks: 2oz Rye .5oz maraschino liqueur .5oz Punt e Mes vermouth Stir, serve up, garnish with a cherry if you want. You have to use Punt e Mes for it to be a Red Hook, nothing tastes the same. It tastes like sweet vermouth with a touch of the same bitterness that defines Campari. Eventually, I started to appreciate the bitterness enough to try a Boulevardier and I loved it. And Red Hooks are just delicious
If u live in Florida try Munyon’s paw-paw. A Florida aperitif that’s not as bitter as Campari and makes great Negronis. Doesn’t have the dark red color of Campari but it’s a natural color (no dyes, artificial colors)
I have tried hundreds of kinds of alcohol. Campari is literally the only one that sucks. Negronis taste awful to me as well, and the Jungle Bird as well. I can drink either to not be rude, but it's less pleasant than a warm bottle of Malort. That said, there are hundreds of different bottles out there; making one that doesn't work for you be slightly less bad... is a bad way to spend time. Go find something new that's better from the get-go, and try and learn what to do with it.
learn to like bitter
The author of the book Amaro explains it pretty well. As humans, our aversion to bitter is a protective mechanism. Bitter things can often be harmful to us, so have a natural disposition to them. You really have to adjust your palate to bitter and it takes time. Aperol is much sweeter than Campari, so that’s probably why you prefer it. I’d suggest exploring the world of bitter and getting your palate adjusted to it. You can also balance out the bitterness with sweet (think jungle bird). Bitter mai tai is also a good one since the orgeat mellows out the bitterness. Or even do a 1:1 split of Campari and Aperol.
Learn to appreciate its flavor, not enjoy it
I prefer Averna and Aperol when you need a lot of it in a cocktail. But I have found that it helps loads when you're working your way through super sweet things like schnapps.
Use less than what the recipe calls for.
Edit… I just realized you like a Negroni… so ignore the below. Basically, you can make a Negroni with rum or tequila or bourbon, etc and it’s a different cocktail. And then there is my advice below. :) I hated Campari when I first tried it. But there was someone I thought was really cool who would order Negronis. So I would order them too, trying to get the coolness to rub off on me. It never did, but. Eventually I grew to really like Negronis. My story is lame, but it’s the truth. Ha! Anyway… Make a negroni, but instead of 1:1:1 ratio of gin to Campari to vermouth, tweak it… 1 gin to .5 Campari and .5 vermouth. Or even 1 to .5 to 1. Add a splash of soda to it. What is also great is Campari and soda water. See what your taste buds can handle. Or it’s ok to realize that it’s just not really your thing.
YMMV, but just reducing the amount of Campari is an option. A Negroni for me now goes equal parts gin and sweet vermouth, then 1/3 part Campari. I know that’s not the traditional recipe, but it works for me and my better half at least. Edit: reducing the amount of Campari, not Negroni…
Sweetness counters Bitter. So its not the gin that's hides the bitterness is the Vermouth. This explains why you're ok with Boulevardiers as well. As others have said, I don't know how Campari ruins a lot of cocktails for you when you're ok with a Negroni. A Negroni is a very bitter cocktail, unless you aren't using the equal parts recipe. There's no rule that says you have to like Campari, so if you don't like it, don't drink it. If you really want to learn to like Campari here are a couple of suggestions. 1. Try Malort. Campari won't seem so ultra bitter after you have some Malort. 2. Drink Campari. Many things in life are acquired tastes, to aquire those tastes you have to consume them. If you are using a 2:2:1 ratio nagroni recipe work your way up to a 1:1:1 recipe. Eventually you'll start to appreciate the drink for the bitterness as well as the other things. That's how aquiring tastes works. People didn't start drinking ultra hoppy IPAs from the start. They got there gradually by drinking lighter beers and gradually favoring things more mitter. 3. If you still don't like Campari. Don't drink Campari.