Words by Amy Spanton. Photography David Spanton
We couldn’t experience Italy without immersing ourselves in the history of Campari. It’s our biggest seller at Piccolo Bar. We were lucky enough to have Tommaso Cecca from Camparino in Galleria to show us around the bar and talk us through the history of Campari in this central part of Milan. According to Tommaso, the original café owned by the Campari family was actually in the middle of the square (this is the paved area in front of the Duomo that is packed with tourists).
It was the king that decided to destroy the buildings that were in that area to make way for the giant piazza. All the businesses there were given first dibs on a spot in the new Galleria. So Gaspare Campari (the brand founder) took the spot (that is opposite to where the bar is now). From 1867 to 1901 this is where Gaspare operated and made his many bitters. But it was Davide, the son, who was the real entrepreneur and he recognised the best formula for Campari, and propelled the brand into the future.
Camparino itself was refurbished and reopened in 2019 and has appeared on the World’s 50 Best Bars List. The downstairs day bar and aperitivo bar maintains all the original fittings and fixtures. It’s what Tommaso describes as a ‘smart Italian day bar’. Upstairs is the modern late-night cocktail bar with a rotating list of signature classics which is all about the full cocktail experience.
All the prep and hard work is done downstairs in the bespoke lab and kitchen. This is where they have a big ex-bourbon cask for ageing cocktails. At the time we were there a Brooklyn is in the barrel. Delicious. We were also lucky enough to see the museum cabinet featuring the now-defunct Cordiale Campari, a product that was launched as a fruity digestif.
A huge part of Campari branding, the Campari posters, are on show at the Camparino. In 1929 Davide commissioned Nizzoli to produce these beautful images which included the iconic Spiritalo, the famous joker that you often see (pictured above).
Five facts about Campari:
- Depending on where it’s sold, Campari has different abv. In Iceland it’s 21% while in Jamaica it’s 28.5%.
- Apparently only three people know the secret Campari recipe, which is rumored to contain up to 80 ingredients
- Traditionally the red colour of Campari came from cochineal bugs but most countries have discontinued this, except Sweden.
- Gruppo Campari has production facilities in 25 countries.
- The Negroni has launched a thousand variations from the Boulevardier to the Rosita.