Garibaldi Cocktail (Campari & Orange!)

The Garibaldi cocktail is an Italian drink with only 2 ingredients: Campari and orange juice! It’s a surprisingly balanced combination.

Here’s a unique drink to whip up at home: the Garibaldi cocktail! This Italian cocktail has so much going for it, it’s hard to know where to start. It’s got only two ingredients, which makes it supremely easy to mix up. There’s a little textural little flair with a foamy topping. And the flavor? It comes out balanced and refreshing, with bitter, sweet and tangy notes all intermingling in the perfect sip. From the first drink, I was both surprised, delighted, and ready to make another one. Here’s what to know about this seriously simple drink!

What’s a Garibaldi cocktail?

The Garibaldi is a two-ingredient Italian cocktail made with Campari and orange juice. The drink is named after Giuseppe Garibaldi, a general who contributed to the unification of Italy back in 1871. The idea is that Campari comes from the North of Italy and oranges come from the South…hence the unification of the North and South occur right in your glass! The drink is an aperativo or aperatif, meant to be drunk before dinner.

You’ll find the Garibaldi on cocktail menus in Italy, and it’s also a famous drink served at the Dante cocktail bar in NYC. The only ingredients you’ll need for a Garibaldi cocktail are:

Campari
Fresh squeezed orange juice (see more below)

The orange juice to use

The important part about the orange juice in a Garibaldi: do not even think about using a bottle of purchased OJ here. The magic is in the fresh squeezed orange juice. You can use any type of orange; here are our favorite options:

Valencia oranges are most classic for the drink.
Blood oranges are another great choice. This is what we used here: blood oranges have a beautiful red color which goes well with the bright red Campari. The dark red of the blood orange slice also looks dramatic as a garnish.

How to make the Garibaldi: blend the juice to make a frothy top!

Here’s the cool thing about the orange juice in a Garibaldi cocktail: it’s blended so that the top forms a frothy foam. It’s almost like a natural version of the classic egg white foam that tops a whiskey sour. The froth was traditionally from the juicer, but you can also use a blender or a few other tools to achieve the same effect. Here are a few tools you can use:

Blender: Throw your orange juice in the blender and blend until foamy.
Hand frother: We have a hand frother to froth milk for lattes, and it works like a charm here!
Whisk: You can also just use a handheld whisk. Whisk it vigorously until you see some froth.

From there, all you have to do is combine the two ingredients in a highball glass and fill it with ice. It’s that easy: no cocktail shaker needed!

More about Campari

If it’s not already in your liquor cabinet, you should grab a bottle of Campari! It’s a well known spirit that can make all sorts of drinks. Here’s what to know:

Campari is an Italian bitter with a bright red color. It’s easy to find, most famously used in the Negroni and other classic cocktails like the Americano and Boulevardier.
What does Campari taste like? It’s tastes bitter, fruity, and spicy all at once. It’s infused with different herbs and fruits, part of a secret recipe.
Fun fact: Campari was originally colored so brightly red due to a dye made of crushed insects! That’s no longer in the modern recipe, so it shouldn’t deter you from grabbing a bottle.

Step it up: try clear ice!

Want to take your Garibaldi cocktail to the next level? Make with clear ice. It’s an artisan style of ice that’s crystal clear and looks like the type you’d get at a fancy bar. You can cut large chunks and they take this drink to superstar level. All you need is 24 hours and a small cooler! Go to How to Make Clear Ice.

More Campari cocktails

What else to make with a bottle of Campari? This Italian liqueur stars in lots of famous and unique cocktails. Here are a few more to try:

Classic Negroni The Negroni is the most famous Campari cocktail: equal parts gin, Campari and dry vermouth. It’s ultra dry and bitter, so we prefer some of the spin-offs on this famous drink.
Negroni Sbagliato is a Negroni made with Prosecco, or the Boulevardier Cocktail is a Negroni made with bourbon. Both are even better than the original!
Campari Spritz Bitter and bubbly, this refreshing mixed drink is perfect for sipping! Make this easy cocktail with 3 ingredients in 3 minutes.
Jungle Bird Truly special! A tropical rum cocktail with a twist: bitter Campari offsets sweet pineapple juice.

When to serve a Garibaldi cocktail

The Garibaldi cocktail is a festive and fun drink that’s very easy to whip up. The brilliant red-orange color makes it great for parties, or it’s perfect for a laid back evening! (With the blood orange juice, it’s also a fun Halloween cocktail idea.) It’s great as a:

Italian cocktail for a dinner party
Signature drink
Cocktail hour drink
Party drink
Happy hour drink
Dinner party drink