Americano

Originally known as Milano-Torino—Campari is from Milan, and vermouth from Turin—the drink is said to have been first served in the 1860s at Gaspare Campari's Caffè Campari bar in Milan's Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery.

Some say it was later dubbed Americano as it was popular with Americans visiting Italy during Prohibition, others that the name is an homage to Primo Carnera, the first Italian boxer to win the world heavyweight championship on June 29th 1933 at the Madison Square Garden Bowl in Queens, New York.

"James Bond had his first drink of the evening at Fouquet's. It was not a solid drink. One cannot drink seriously in French cafés. Out of doors on a pavement in the sun is no place for vodka or whisky or gin. [...] No, in cafés you have to drink the least offensive of the musical comedy drinks that go with them, and Bond always had the same thing - an Americano".

Ian Fleming, "A View to a Kill"

Its bittersweet, light and refreshing flavor makes for an exceptional aperitif, and it's a gentle introduction to the particular taste of Campari.