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Cocchi Americano is an Italian aperitivo that’s a fitting addition to your home bar! Its crisp flavor is great on the rocks or in cocktails.
Here’s a tasty Italian aperitif that’s begging to be part of your liquor collection: Cocchi Americano! This popular substitute for Lillet Blanc is worth seeking out. Its flavor is nuanced and intriguing: honey sweet, with citrus notes and a bitter herbal finish. It pairs well with club soda for the best bubbly, hydrating drinks: and it features in a few classic cocktails, too. Here’s why to stock a bottle in your refrigerator!
What is Cocchi Americano?
Cocchi Americano is an Italian aromatized wine: a white wine infused with fruits, herbs and other botanicals. It was invented in 1891 by Giulio Cocchi in Asti, Italy. Production has continued to this day with the original recipe.
Cocchi Americano is flavored with quinine, the substitute that gives tonic water its distinctive flavor. Because of this, it’s a great substitute Kina Lillet, a quinine-flavored fortified wine invented in 1887 that stars in the famous Vesper Martini and Corpse Reviver. Lillet Blanc later replaced Kina in 1986, which has a lower quinine content. Cocchi Americano is a popular modern substitute for both, though the flavor is slightly sweeter than Lillet Blanc.
How does Cocchi Americano differ from a fortified wine like vermouth? They are both aromatized wine, a wine that are often fortified with another spirit and then infused with herbs, spices, fruit or other botanicals. The difference is in the flavor profile: Cocchi American is honey-sweet with citrus notes and a bitter herbal finish. Dry vermouth has a very dry flavor, with light floral notes. But you can use Cocchi in a similar way that you’d drink a dry white vermouth!
What does Cocchi Americano taste like?
Cocchi Americano has a sweet and honeyed flavor, with citrus notes and a bitter gentian finish. It’s made with Moscato wine, so it’s sweeter than a dry vermouth (or Lillet Blanc). It tastes like a semi-sweet white vermouth with bitter herbal notes on the finish.
How much alcohol is in Cocchi Americano? It is 16.5% ABV (alcohol by volume), so it has a mid-range alcohol content that’s similar to wine.
Are there any Cocchi Americano substitutes? Since Cocchi is known as a substitute for Lillet Blanc, you can go the other way and use Lillet Blanc as a substitute here. Keep in mind, Lillet Blanc is more crisp and dry.
Why we like it
The sweet, herbal flavor of Cocchi Americano is so refreshing and perfect for mixing into spritzes, spritzers, or a G&T. In the summer, we grab a bottle and pour it into herb-stuffed wine glasses with club soda: no need to measure! And it makes a knock-out Corpse Reviver, with stronger herbal notes than Lillet.
How much does it cost?
Compared to other liquors, Cocchi Americano is mid-priced. A 750 ml bottle costs about $20.
Popular Cocchi Americano cocktails
You can drink it on ice, but there also many great drinks to make with this aperitif! Here are a few Cocchi Americano cocktails to try:
Here’s a 1930's cocktail that’s as unique as its name…the Corpse Reviver No 2! The humorous name indicates that the strength of the drink was enough to bring a body back from the grave! It’s a gin sour that’s tart and zingy from lemon juice and orange liqueur, with a hint of licorice on the finish from the absinthe. The original cocktail was made with Kina Lillet, but Cocchi Americano is a perfect substitute.
Ingredients: Gin, lemon juice, Cointreau, Cocchi Americano, absinthe
Here's another famous cocktail using Cocchi Americano: invented by James Bond himself. Meet the Vesper martini! Yes, James Bond created this drink in the 1953 book Casino Royale, and it lives on today. The magic ingredient is Cocchi Americano, which brings life and personality into this drink. The original Vesper was also made with Kina Lillet, which Cocchi substitutes.
Ingredients: Gin, vodka, Cocchi Americano
A great way to drink this tasty aperitivo: the Cocchi Americano Spritz! It’s light and bubbly, tart and citrusy, and it couldn’t be easier to make. Mix it up with champagne, lemon and gin, and you’ve got a breezy light Cocchi cocktail.
Ingredients: Cocchi Americano, lemon juice, simple syrup, club soda
Here’s a memorable Cocchi Americano cocktail that’s botanical and bubbly: the Cocchi G&T! This recipe features the popular aromatized wine dressed up as a Gin and Tonic. The flavor is perfectly crisp, with herbal notes from the Cocchi and the gin.
Ingredients: Cocchi Americano, gin, tonic water
Corpse Reviver & More Cocchi Americano Cocktails
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 drink 1x
Description
The Corpse Reviver No 2 recipe is a classic cocktail that’s crisp, tart and perfectly balanced! It’s one heck of a drink…just as unique as its name.
Ingredients
- 1 ounce gin
- 1 ounce lemon juice
- 1 ounce Cointreau (or Grand Marnier)
- 1 ounce Cocchi Americano
- ½ teaspoon absinthe
- For the garnish: Orange peel or orange wedge
Instructions
- Add the gin, lemon juice, Cointreau, dry vermouth, and absinthe to a cocktail shaker. Fill it with ice and shake it until cold.
- Strain into a cocktail glass. If desired, garnish with an orange peel or orange wedge.
- Category: Drink
- Method: Shaken
- Cuisine: Cocktails
- Diet: Vegan
More cocktail guides
Need more liquor guides? We’ve got them! Here’s all you need to know about home bartending:
- Aperol Guide and Campari Guide All you need to know about these Italian liqueurs.
- Aquavit All you need to know about this Scandinavian spirit
- Baileys Guide All the ins and outs of Irish Cream.
- Chartreuse Guide This pale green liqueur is worth adding to your collection…here’s why.
- Cointreau Guide, Blue Curacao Guide, or Orange Liqueur Guide Citrus liqueurs…broken down.
- Galliano Guide Is this bright yellow liqueur worth buying?
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- Fernet Branca Guide Here’s why people love this Italian bitter.
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