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Americano recipe
Campari and sweet vermouth lengthened with soda over ice.
A Americano is 30 ml (31.5 g) Campari, 30 ml (31.5 g) Sweet Vermouth and 60 ml (60 g) Soda Water, built and served in a highball glass. It pours to about 120 ml before ice, at roughly 10.3% ABV. Weighing the ingredients instead of measuring them is what keeps the balance identical from one round to the next.
- Glasshighball glass
- Methodbuilt
- Pour volume120 ml
- Strength (est.)10.3% ABV
- Time2 min
Americano ingredients — in millilitres and grams
Grams are what the PourPilot coaster actually targets. They are not the same as the millilitres: a spirit is lighter than water, a syrup is heavier, so 30 ml of one is never 30 g. The right-hand column is the density we use, in grams per millilitre.
| Ingredient | Volume | Weight | g/ml | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Campari | 30 ml | 31.5 g | 1.05 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Sweet Vermouth | 30 ml | 31.5 g | 1.05 | Weighed by the coaster |
| Soda Water | 60 ml | 60 g | 1.00 | Top with soda |
How to make a Americano
- Set your highball glass on the scale (or on the PourPilot coaster) and zero it. Every measurement below is given in millilitres and in grams, so you can use either.
- Fill the highball glass with fresh ice.
- Build Campari and Sweet Vermouth straight into the glass, weighing each pour.
- Top with Soda Water and stir once, gently, from the bottom up.
Americano: the questions people actually ask
How strong is a Americano?
Roughly 10.3% ABV as poured, before the ice dilutes it — typically another 15–25% water by the time you finish stirring or shaking. Sessionable. Comparable to a glass of wine by volume.
What glass should a Americano be served in?
A highball glass. Fill it with fresh ice, not the ice you mixed with.
Can I make a Americano without a jigger?
Yes — that is what the gram column is for. Put the glass or tin on a kitchen scale, zero it, and pour to the weight. It is more accurate than a jigger because nothing is left clinging to the inside of the measure. The PourPilot coaster does the same thing without you having to watch a display: it lights up as you approach the target and tells you when to stop.
If you like the Americano
Negroni
Equal parts gin, vermouth, Campari. Stir over ice.
Boulevardier
Bourbon instead of gin. The Negroni's brooding American cousin.
John Collins
The whiskey Collins — bourbon, lemon and sugar, topped with soda.
Garibaldi
Campari and fluffy fresh orange juice. Bitter meets bright.
Mojito
White rum, lime and mint, topped with soda over ice. Cuban classic.
Steelworks
The classic South African non-alcoholic bar drink — kola tonic, bitters, ginger beer and soda.