Garibaldi Cocktail

The Garibaldi is an easy to make and fairly low alcohol cocktail that's a mixture of just Campari and Orange Juice. That's it! Nothing else. If you're a fan of a cocktail like the Americano, you'll likely like the Garibaldi as well. Boiled down to basics, the Garibaldi is a nice mixture of bitterness from the Campari, as well as sweetness and sourness from the Orange Juice; this, of course, is a pretty standard formula for cocktail recipes. It works across a wide range of recipes and of course it works here.

We'll mention it in the actual directions for making the cocktail, but we'll say it here as well: the Orange Juice used in this recipe needs to be aerated (sometimes called fluffy). This will help it go up against the rather heavy bitterness of the Campari so it doesn't take up too much space in the flavour. To aerate the Orange Juice you can whisk it or put it in a blender (without ice); this should froth things up a bit!

Total Time 4

Servings 1 cocktail

Ingredients

45 mL Campari
120 mL Orange Juice properly aerated
Garnish with a slice of orange or wedge

Instructions

Aerate Orange Juice by a means of your choice. We suggest either going at it with a whisk, putting it in a blender without ice, or even giving it a good shake in a cocktail shaker (and we mean a good and thorough shake!).
Add ice to a Highball glass.
Pour Campari and aerated Orange Juice into to your glass.
Stir everything to mix it and make it sufficiently cold.
Garnish and serve.

Notes

While the story behind old cocktail recipes like this are usually forgotten (and this is no exception), we do know that this cocktail was named after Giuseppe Garibaldi. Garibaldi (the person, not the cocktail), was instrumental in liberating and unifying Italy, among many other military accomplishments in his time. We're not here to write a full biography on Giuseppe Garibaldi, but he also had a style of beard named after him, which we find quite interesting!

While we don't know exactly when this cocktail was invented, Garibaldi (once again the person) passed away in 1882, so it's likely that the Garibaldi (the cocktail this time) was invented towards the end of his life or shortly after his death. Then again, a mixture of Orange Juice and Campari may have been consumed prior to the name, which is also quite common. So we don't really know much!

And Now For More About the Garibaldi Cocktail

What’s not to like about the Garibaldi Cocktail? Although quite bitter, Campari is an excellent addition to many cocktails. Of course it needs to be balanced with something else otherwise it can be a bit overpowering, but this recipe succeeds in doing that with just one other ingredient: Orange Juice. Orange Juice is another great cocktail ingredient because, by nature, it’s well balanced between sweet and sour. No wonder it’s a popular juice for making cocktails!

At 120 mL, the recipe calls for quite a generous portion of Orange Juice, which we think is called for. If you prefer a more bitter drink, feel free to dial back the OJ a bit. On the other hand, if the Campari is still to bitter, simply add more OJ. It’s up to you!

Can the Garibaldi Cocktail be made in a larger volume?

Yes, if you’re looking to serve multiple people this wonderful lower alcohol cocktail, you’re welcome to increase everything to make a larger batch. Feel free to make it in a jug to make a punch then pour it out into ice filled glasses.

Can I pre-make this cocktail and serve it later?

Since it’s only two ingredients, the Garibaldi Cocktail is a great one to make ahead of time and serve later. Just mix everything together and put it in the fridge without ice and it will keep just as well as Orange Juice left in the fridge.

When should you drink a Garibaldi Cocktail?

We’re going to put the Garibaldi firmly in the realm of brunch cocktails. This may sound a little unusual, but we think it should join the ranks of easy, low alcohol cocktails that are basically just Orange Juice with a small kick. Think cocktails like the Mimosa, or even the Fuzzy Navel for the more adventurous.

If drinking in the morning isn’t your thing, or you want some more suggestions, the Garibaldi also does well as an early-mid afternoon drink. It’s not too strong and it’s plenty refreshing. It’s one of those cocktails you have on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon before moving onto bigger things.

Is the Garibaldi Cocktail strong?

We’ve kind of given it away already, but no, the Garibaldi Cocktail is not strong. Campari sits around 20-28% alcohol by volume (it differs by country) which, on its own is a little strong compared to, say, wine, but compared to cocktails that use something like Gin, it’s quite light! This recipe also has the benefit of having a good amount of Orange Juice in it to further dilute the already lighter spirit being used. Sure, it’s probably stronger than a Mimosa, as the Campari is stronger than Champagne, but it’s still a lot weaker than so many cocktail recipes out there!

Is there a good kind of music to put on while drinking a Garibaldi Cocktail?

There’s a few types of music that may go well here. Thematically, you may want to listen to some sort of Italian music while sipping on this cocktail, especially Italian music from the 1800’s. After all, this goes well with the fact that this recipe was named after an Italian war hero. If that’s not to your liking, you can lean into something that would be appropriate for brunch or an early afternoon drink. Brunch music can vary between something very upscale like a string quartet or it can be more generic soft contemporary music.

So there’s a few types of music for you. Ultimately we think the music for this cocktail depends on the occasion rather than there being a specific type of music that goes well here. Our opinion anyway!

And now for more cocktails!

If you’re still thirsty after your Garibaldi Cocktail, why not check out some more recipes? We have tons on this site!

All low alcohol cocktail recipes: staying with low alcohol cocktails, this is where you’ll find the archive.

All easy cocktail recipes: or if you’re just interested in easy cocktails, we also have an archive full of them.

Top 15 easy cocktail recipes: if browsing through our extensive cocktail recipe archives is too much, check out our favourite fifteen easy cocktail recipes.

Tagged Campari Orange Juice

One Response

Chas says:
August 11, 2022 at 3:16 pm

I really liked this, as lower alcohol cocktails go. The Campari just added something to the OJ that seemed to really work. It’s kind of surprising really! And super easy to make of course.
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Garibaldi Cocktail Recipe