Name: Garibaldi Cocktail
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1.5 oz Campari; 4 oz Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice; Orane Slice (garnish)

The Garibaldi is a simple Italian cocktail featuring just two ingredients: Campari and freshly squeezed orange juice.

The secret to making the best Garibaldi Cocktail is aerating the OJ in a juicer, blender or handheld frother.

The perfectly balanced brunch libation features slightly bitter Campari topped with sweet and foamy orange juice.

Garnish the drink with an orange slice or dehydrated citrus wheel.

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What Is A Garibaldi Cocktail?

This Italian cocktail recipe couldn’t be easier to prepare. It combines just two ingredients: Campari and freshly squeezed orange juice.

Campari is an Italian alcoholic liqueur, considered an apéritif, obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit in alcohol and water. It is a bitters, characterised by its dark red colour.

Research Garibaldi drink history and you’ll find early versions of the cocktail call for a one-to-one ratio, but we think increasing the juice content creates a more balanced drink.

The popular Italian cocktail is named after Giuseppe Garibaldi, a crucial figure in the liberation of both Italy and Uruguay. The red-orange drink represents the red shirts worn by Garibaldi’s followers, known as Garibaldini. Campari, which hails from Piedmont in northern Italy, along with the orange juice and wedge (both nods to Sicily in the south), together represent the idea of the country’s unification.

While the popular Campari-based cocktail only features 2 ingredients, there is a secret to perfecting the Garibaldi, which lies in the technique used to add texture to the freshly squeezed citrus juice.

The OJ should be freshly squeezed and gets “fluffy,” or aerated when blitzed in a blender or by using a handheld frother. The frothy texture helps soften Campari’s bitterness.

You’ll find the Garibaldi on craft cocktail menus in Italy. It’s also a famous drink served at the Dante cocktail bar in NYC. At Dante (World’s Best Bar 2019 Winner) they famously use a high-speed Breville juicer which aerates the juice until frothy and foamy.

Traditional Garibaldi cocktail drink recipe ingredients.

Travel To Italy To Sip A Garibaldi Drink

There’s no better way to familiarize yourself with a Garibaldi cocktail then by planning a vacation to visit Italy.

Today, Italy’s most popular aperitif is enjoyed in drinks across the country and throughout Europe and North America.

If you’ve traveled to Italy before you’ll probably have developed a fondness for aperitivo hour. Aperitivo comes from the Latin word aperire, meaning “to open.” Historically, an aperitivo was an alcoholic beverage consumed before dinner to whet your appetite. Today, it’s a daily ritual that embodies la dolce vita.

True to form, this daily routine exudes Italy’s quintessential style of slowing down, socializing, drinking, and, of course, eating. In Italy aperitivo hour starts every night from around 6-9 PM at local cafes, bars, hotels, and restaurants. Italians and tourists alike take part in drinks and snacks while they unwind and catch up with friends before their evening meal filled with polenta, pasta, short rib ragu, pici, gnocchi, pizza and gelato.

Classic Italian aperitifs like Vermouth, Campari, and Aperol are served at aperitivo hour with a complimentary selection of snacks like olives, crackers, cured meat and cheese.

We suggest that Campari lovers order a Garibaldi drink after sailing through the canals in Venice, luxury car hopping in Modena, tanning on the beach in Amalfi, visiting the Pantheon in Rome, exploring Italian Renaissance treasures in The Vatican, Armani and contemporary art shopping in Milan, touring the tower in Pisa, and enjoying a Honeymoon in Tuscany with stops in Siena, Sorano, Pitigliano, Saturnia, and Volterra.

A Garibaldi cocktail features campari and frothy orange juice blitzed in a blender.

Campari Orange Juice Recipe Ingredients

Our simple Garibaldi drink recipe is made with just 2 ingredients.

Campari: red-coloured herb infused aperitif from Italy that is the key ingredient in a Negroni.
Orange Juice: only use freshly squeezed orange juice. The pith in the juice airates to create the desired foamy texture.
Garnish: orange slice or dehydrated citrus wheel.

Garnish a Garibaldi drink with dehydrated citrus slices or a fresh orange wheel.

Garibaldi Recipe Tips

This simple Campari cocktail recipe is easy to make at home, ready to serve in under 5 minutes!

We love serving Garibaldi cocktails as an aperitivo before Italian dinner parties, at brunch, or for an afternoon pick-me-up on a hot summer day.

To achieve the desired foamy texture use a juicer (at high speed), blender or hand held frother to aerate the fresh juice.

You can also have fun making variations on the classic Garibaldi. The Garibaldi Spritz reduces the Campari (to 1.5 ounces) and adds some effervescence with prosecco poured on top. For a detour from the orange-centric base, experiment with other citrus flavours like mandarin, clementine, blood orange and grapefruit.

Garnish with a fresh slice of orange or get fancy by decorating the rim of the glass with a dehydrated citrus wheel.

Best Bartender Tools & Cocktail Equipment

Before hosting a swanky Garibaldi Cocktail soiree you’ll need to ensure you have the best bartender tools and cocktail equipment.

Cocktail Kit: cocktail kits are the perfect gift for newbie mixology fans as they include basic bartender tools like a jigger, shaker and spoon.
Cocktail Shaker: a bartender’s best friend. Purchase a premium cocktail shaker to muddle or shake up your favourite pink gin cocktails.
Cocktail Glassware: make sure your bar is stocked with a selection of unique glassware to show off your favourite cocktail creations.
Hawthorne Strainer: this unique strainer features tightly wound coils and perforated holes. It keeps ice and other large ingredients like lime wedges in your cocktail shaker rather than in the glass.
Bar Spoons: slender and long bar spoons are a must-have when stirring drinks.
Bottle Opener: easily open bottles of beer or cider with the flick of your wrist or purchase a corkscrew for fine wine.
Pouring Spout: once you’ve opened a new bottle of gin insert these affordable pourers to make cocktail assembly a breeze.
Cutting Board: purchase a petite cutting board for your bar to slice garnishes or citrus wedges like lime, orange, lemon or grapefruit.
Ice Bucket: chill bottles of gin quickly in an ice bucket or keep by the bar when muddling gin mixers into cool creations.
Ice Crusher: fans of the Mint Julep love an ice crusher.
Ice Cube Kit: we suggest purchasing a selection of ice cube trays. Silicone styles are our favourite as they’re easy to clean and are available in various shapes and sizes.
Jigger: use a jigger to accurately measure spirits, juices, syrups and shrubs.
Juicer: invest in an electronic juicer or buy an affordable hand-held to easily juice fresh citrus like lemons and limes.
Muddler: fans of the Mojito love a sturdy muddler to mix mint and lime. Muddler’s are handy for any cocktail featuring ingredients that need a pounding like fresh herbs or citrus wedges.
Citrus Peeler & Zester: adorn your craft cocktails with a thick citrus peel or finer ribbons of lime or lemon zest.
Rimmer: Bloody Mary and Caesar lovers should outfit their bar with a handy rimmer for salting and sugaring glassware.

The Garibaldi is the perfect Italian cocktail to serve at brunch.

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A Garibaldi drink can be made with navel oranges, clementines or mandarins.

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Now you're an expert on how to make the best Garibaldi drink recipe. — Now you’re an expert on how to make the best Garibaldi drink recipe.

How To Make A Garibaldi Cocktail Recipe

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