26 Oct Lorenzo Americano Cocktail Recipe
Lorenzo Americano Cocktail Recipe
One of us has an Italian great-grandfather, Lorenzo. Lorenzo immigrated to the US in the era when seeming as English as possible was the preferred integration strategy; so Lawrence or Larry has been a family name ever since. We’re partial to the original Lorenzo, though, and it particularly seemed appropriate as the name for today’s drink, a product of Italo-American cooperation.
As David Wondrich tells the story, when Americans first encountered Italian vermouths, we did what we tend to do: we mixed them. Italians, who had up until then been drinking their vermouths straight, followed suit, particularly finding the combination of vermouths and bitter liqueurs amiable. They called these drinks Americanos. As is so often the case, eventually the name was taken by the most successful version–in this case consisting of Campari, sweet vermouth, and water–but originally, to use Wondrich’s words, the Americano was ‘more an idea than a recipe.’ The idea: mix your chosen vermouth, chosen bitter, soda, and ice in the proportions and form you find most pleasing.
Last time our friend Dan was in town, we gave Americano making a try. It’s fun; you should try it too. We perhaps took things a little too far, expanding our palette from vermouth to other fortified wines. As it turns out, we actually found we liked fino sherry Americanos like this one best. Funky, bitter, sweet, and refreshing.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 oz fino (dry) sherry
- 1 1/2 oz Amaro Ramazzotti
- 1/2 oz seltzer
Instructions
- Combine sherry and amaro in a rocks glass.
- Add ice.
- Top with seltzer.
