The Garibaldi Cocktail Contains Just 2 Ingredients

This red-hued cocktail garnished with an orange wedge can be a perfect addition to brunch, serve as a refreshing aperitivo before dinner, or be simply enjoyed as an afternoon sip. It's fruity, refreshing, slightly sweet, and easy to drink. If you guessed that the Garibaldi cocktail is from Italy, you're correct. 

According to The Manual, this vivid, sunshiney cocktail is named after the 19th-century figure Giuseppe Garibaldi, a "revolutionary" who "successfully united Italy." Before this, Italy was separated into regions called city-states (via The History Corner). Garibaldi led a movement that brought these regions together into one Kingdom of Italy. The Garibaldi cocktail was crafted to commemorate Italian unity, with Campari representing the North due to its origins in Lombardy, and Sicilian-grown oranges representing the South. That's right, this bright drink only uses two ingredients: Campari and orange juice. However, don't let that fool you, as the recipe is much greater than the sum of its parts.

The drink known as Garibaldi sits as the house cocktail of Dante, an Italian-style aperitivo bar in Manhattan, New York that in 2019 made its way to number one on the list of The World's 50 Best Bars. According to Robb Report, the Garibaldi was once seen as a dusty old relic that was often overlooked, until the team at Dante tweaked one of the drink's two ingredients to bring this cocktail to life.

Instead of using concentrated store-bought orange juice, these New York bar folk decided to change up the game. They started peeling fresh oranges and juicing the fruit to order in a high-powered juicer, which Robb Report notes was not common at the time. This results in orange juice that's white, frothy, and a little fluffy, which adds haze to the appearance while also adding sweetness to the bitter Campari for a perfect balance.

If you're tempted to make this concoction at home but don't have a juicer, a blender will do the trick. Simply add freshly squeezed orange juice and blitz on high for 10 seconds. Shaking freshly squeezed orange juice in a cocktail shaker will also work, but it's best to do it without ice to prevent it from aerating and diluting. In terms of Campari, Robb Report suggests sticking with "bright red aperitivos," such as Cappelletti Aperitivo, Select Bitter, and Luxardo Bitter — and one thing is for certain, your orange juice should be freshly squeezed by hand.