We have written about a lot of different cocktails that come from Italy in the past but, somehow, we have always managed to miss out on, and overlook, the Mi-To. A variant on the more famous Italian classics such as the Americano and the Negroni, it is actually their forefather and, therefore, is the true classic among them all. So, if you have an interest in cocktails, foodie history, and Italian culinary adventures, then this more obscure example is one to seek out should you find a vacation rental in Milan and find yourself spending some time in the city in which it was born or should you be thinking of planning a trip to the area some time in the future and in need of an excellent cocktail pairing to go with your search as you browse our vacation rentals in Lombardy and vacation rentals in Italy.
The Mi-To is the more commonly used name for, and abbreviation of, the Milano-Torino cocktail, a drink that was invented around 1860 in Gaspare Campari’s famous café-bar in Milan by the proprietor himself. Named for the two birthplaces of its key main ingredients – Campari from Milan and Vermouth di Torino from Turin – this truly legendary drink came from a similarly legendary bar and creator. In fact, in addition to being an incredible and game-changing barman and cocktail-inventor, it was actually Gaspare Campari himself who had created the bitters-style aperitif (featuring a closely guarded secret recipe that boasts 60 natural ingredients including herbs, spices, barks, and fruit peels) that would eventually become the famous Italian liqueur that is now named for its creator and is known as Campari and which is such an integral part of the Mi-To recipe.
The Mi-To is the more commonly used name for, and abbreviation of, the Milano-Torino cocktail, a drink that was invented around 1860 in Gaspare Campari’s famous café-bar in Milan by the proprietor himself. Named for the two birthplaces of its key main ingredients – Campari from Milan and Vermouth di Torino from Turin – this truly legendary drink came from a similarly legendary bar and creator. In fact, in addition to being an incredible and game-changing barman and cocktail-inventor, it was actually Gaspare Campari himself who had created the bitters-style aperitif (featuring a closely guarded secret recipe that boasts 60 natural ingredients including herbs, spices, barks, and fruit peels) that would eventually become the famous Italian liqueur that is now named for its creator and is known as Campari and which is such an integral part of the Mi-To recipe.
Born in Cassolnovo, Lombardy, in 1828, Gaspare Campari was the tenth child of a farmer and by the age of just fourteen he was already out in the adult workforce and was employed as a bartender at the Bass Bar in Castelnouvo. In the 1840s, he began selling a bitters-style aperitif that he had created and called Bitter all'Uso d'Holanda. By 1860 he had already formulated the product that would become known as Campari. He also opened his first bar across from the Duomo in the 1860s and then opened the famous Caffè Campari not too far away from there.
Then in the 1860s, in the Caffè Campari, another career highlight came for Gaspare when he invented the Mi-To cocktail, which was made of equal proportions Campari and Vermouth, served over ice and with a slice of orange. As time went on the drink gained fame and notoriety and, by the early 1900s, Italians noticed that the drink had become incredibly popular among America tourists and visitors, in particular. The Mi-To was then renamed the, “Americano,” after its great admirers, as a result. It was also adapted slightly to the tastes of these tourists and a splash of soda water and a twist of lemon became part of the recipe, which differentiated the Americano from its predecessor, the Mi-To. The Negroni then, too, came along as another off-shoot and variation of the influential and inspirational Mi-To.
You've likely had, or at least tried, an Americano and Negroni by now if you are a cocktail person. However, if you're really serious about cocktails and want to try the drink that inspired so many others, then you must order a Mi-To the next time you find yourself on holidays in Milan. Or, if you can't wait quite that long, why not try making it at home? It's incredibly easy!
Ingredients:
Old-fashioned glass
1.5 shots of Campari
1.5 shots of Martini Rosso sweet vermouth
Orange slice (to garnish)
Ice
Method:
1. Stir ingredients with ice.
2. Strain into an ice-filled glass, preferably one with a chunk of block ice.
3. Garnish with the orange slice and serve.
Then in the 1860s, in the Caffè Campari, another career highlight came for Gaspare when he invented the Mi-To cocktail, which was made of equal proportions Campari and Vermouth, served over ice and with a slice of orange. As time went on the drink gained fame and notoriety and, by the early 1900s, Italians noticed that the drink had become incredibly popular among America tourists and visitors, in particular. The Mi-To was then renamed the, “Americano,” after its great admirers, as a result. It was also adapted slightly to the tastes of these tourists and a splash of soda water and a twist of lemon became part of the recipe, which differentiated the Americano from its predecessor, the Mi-To. The Negroni then, too, came along as another off-shoot and variation of the influential and inspirational Mi-To.
You've likely had, or at least tried, an Americano and Negroni by now if you are a cocktail person. However, if you're really serious about cocktails and want to try the drink that inspired so many others, then you must order a Mi-To the next time you find yourself on holidays in Milan. Or, if you can't wait quite that long, why not try making it at home? It's incredibly easy!
Ingredients:
Old-fashioned glass
1.5 shots of Campari
1.5 shots of Martini Rosso sweet vermouth
Orange slice (to garnish)
Ice
Method:
1. Stir ingredients with ice.
2. Strain into an ice-filled glass, preferably one with a chunk of block ice.
3. Garnish with the orange slice and serve.