12/06/20
Want to know the art of mixing the perfect Campari cocktail?
Brand books
Bitter cocktails offer complexity. From the Milano-Torino to the Negroni, there is something exciting in a drink that isn’t so straightforward. Yet, many of us are not so versed in working with the rich botanicals found in bitter spirits such as Campari. When writing the book, The Life Negroni (long before the current Negroni cocktail craze), we were positively surprised at how few people were comfortable handling bitters or knew much about the flavour profile, the perfect balance found when the notes are softened with the right vermouth and highlighted with the perfect citrus fruit. With bitters, it is all about finding a delicate balance of dry and sweet.
The Little Red Book of Campari Serves & Negroni Twists aims to change all this. Designed by our team at Spinach Branding with photography by Rob Lawson for Campari, it features twenty exceptional cocktails organised by age, season, and complexity of flavour. Available to download for free at lavitacampari.com, it also contains twists on the classic Negroni. We see it as an education in the wonderfully complex world of bitters.
Then, for those who may be less familiar with one of the key bitter drinks, Campari, the book La Vita Campari is also available to download here. Created by Spinach for Campari, it portrays a unique brand so intimately engaged with Milan and its evolution as the design and fashion capital of the world.
Campari’s story really is captivating as we ourselves discovered while researching The Life Negroni. Our book journey took us to Milan where we visited the Campari headquarters and were shown the incredible archives – a treasure house of artwork and film, advertising and branding, and product design.
The brand started modestly when Gaspare Campari began serving a simple bitter cocktail made with his own recipe in 1860 at Caffé Campari by the Duomo in Milan. It was his heir, Davide, who took the company one step further. Quite the maverick, in the early years of the twentieth century he set out to explore the potentials of art in forming an enduring global brand. Eschewing conventions, Davide joined the daring artistic circles of the time, encouraging the avant-garde to push the boundaries of branding and advertising, graphic design and packaging – much of which remains radical today.
Federico Fellini, Marcello Nizzoli, Leonetto Cappiello, Bruno Munari, the Italian Futurists and, in particular, Fortunato Depero – creator of the iconic Campari Soda bottle – all worked with Davide. Campari continues to endorse the arts, working with artists such as The Great Beauty director Paolo Sorrentino for the brand film The Killer in Red. The latest advertising campaign Ready for Bitter? by our Spinach team, hopes to express the brand’s exiting spirit.
For us, Campari holds a special place in that it is a brand that celebrates arts and ideas, champions pioneering people and values the importance of timeless branding, design, and advertising – and the spirit itself expands the palate.
Image © Spinach Branding for Campari. See the making of ‘Ready for Bitter?’, the current Campari ad campaign by Spinach and the brand book La Vita Campari, and learn more about Campari and the arts.
Spinach Branding is a specialist branding agency based in London. We work with established businesses and start-ups around the world to build and refine their brands. See how we work and get in touch to discuss your brand.
