Garibaldi Cocktail

By Steve Kilcullen Jump to Recipe

Treat yourself to a light, midday tipple with the bittersweet and citrusy Garibaldi cocktail.

I’m no historian, but I am a student of history. Learning something new every day is a goal of mine, and not that difficult for me to do. I’m familiar with the phrase that goes “a house divided cannot stand” and other similar sayings. “United we stand, divided we fall.” While doing a little digging on tonight’s cocktail recipe, I learned it was born out of those same sentiments.

The Garibaldi is named for General Giuseppe Garibaldi, an Italian hero who helped unify his divided nation in the nineteenth century. The drink is a simple, two-ingredient mixture. Served in an ice cube filled highball glass, the Garibaldi is comprised of Campari and freshly squeezed orange juice and crafted to symbolize a unified Italy. The red liqueur hailed from the north of the country, while the oranges were harvested in Sicily in the south. Together, they created a sweet, tart and wonderfully full-bodied cocktail.

While nobody knows who originally created the mixture, in 2015 New York bartender Naren Young revived the drink, introducing it to a new generation and audience previously oblivious to this tipple’s charms. For years the Garibaldi had been fairly obscure until Young reintroduced it to the cocktail world. The next time you’re in the mood for something simple, familiar and at the same time off the beaten path, the Garibaldi might just be the thing to satisfy you.

What Is The Best Alcohol To Use In A Garibaldi?

Campari is what makes this cocktail special. And it’s the only alcohol that’s used. The bitter, biting and sweet Italian liqueur is the not-so-secret ingredient in many famous and legendary cocktails, the Negroni being just one of them. For some, Campari is a little too intense and full-bodied, and the lighter, orange-flavored Aperol is sometimes used as a substitute. I find Aperol to be more on the sour and sweet spectrum of taste, so whatever your palate prefers will dictate how you’ll make a Garibaldi.

WHAT GLASSWARE AND GARNISH IS USED?

You can chill a highball glass in the freezer for around fifteen to thirty minutes before serving. Just fill to the brim with ice and garnish with an orange wedge.

WHAT IS THE BEST METHOD FOR FROTHING THE ORANGE JUICE?

If you have a flash blender or a hand blender, you can aerate the orange juice before adding it to your Garibaldi. You can also try shaking it really, really, really hard, but it doesn’t wield the same results and only gets a little foamy.

Similar Cocktails To The Garibaldi

If the sweet and biting pleasures of Campari have captured your taste buds and are now demanding delicious rewards, there are more than a couple drinks that feature the red and robust liqueur. Check these out below, then make sure you peruse the other recipes that we have at Twist & Toast. You might find something you’ve never had before that could end up as your new favorite.

• Campari Spritz – Bubbly, light and bittersweet, this spritzer is a wonderful midday treat.
• Bicicletta – Campari, white wine and club soda combine to make the perfect weekend elixir.
• Americano – The cocktail that has the distinction of being what James Bond is drinking when literary audiences were introduced to him in the 1950s.
• Boulevardier – Bourbon joins Campari and sweet vermouth in this smoky, smooth beverage.