Campari Sanguinea Recipe

When warm days are chased by chilly evening breezes, I crave autumnal things like nubby sweaters, terra cotta earth tones, and crisp glasses of pomegranate juice with a splash of delightfully bitter Campari. To lighten things up for brunch, a little grapefruit juice does the trick; to make it part of any proper Italian morning, add caffé e latte (coffee with milk), colazione (bread with butter and jam), and stivali favolosi (fabulous boots).

Apéritifs like Campari and Aperol are go-to tipples for Italians. Picture immaculately-dressed elderly men in good shoes—even in 100-degree heat—standing around and sipping vermilion Negronis and Americanos in the afternoon, and you've got the idea. I, however, prefer my bitter swill in the morning (coffee, the darker the better) and find the herbal bitterness of Campari makes a better brunch than afternoon sipper.

You can blend the juice and Campari with ice for a lighter drink (as seen in this recipe from Eating Well) or you can just shake it with ice and serve it straight up and sturdy, like I do.