Historia de Campari, el rey del aperitivo

The Italian distillery Campari is one of the most significant business success stories in Italy. With over a century and a half of history and a global presence, it faces a new chapter following the announcement of the upcoming departure of its CEO, Bob Kunze-Concewitz, one of the three most important figures in the company's history. To understand this phenomenon, we must go back even before its inception, to the 18th century. At that time, in Turin, a new custom emerged: the Italian aperitivo. While it had actually been known since ancient Greece, it was in Turin that it became a social practice, driven by the invention of vermouth. Thus arose a new lifestyle, a custom that would eventually transcend borders and cultures. This context is relevant because Gaspare Campari, born in Cassolnovo in 1828, moved to Turin at the age of 14 to study, work, and make a living. There, he immersed himself in the world of liqueurs and spirits, working with the region's leading masters, including the prestigious Giacomo Bass, for whom he apprenticed. At that time, the industrialization of the alcoholic beverage market was nonexistent, and what was sold to customers were artisanal drinks, made by the bar owners themselves on the premises. With his newly acquired knowledge and an enormous desire to experiment, he moved to Novara, a city further north, where he rented a bar. With boundless creativity, it was there, in the back room, that he began inventing numerous cocktails: Elisir di lunga vita, olio di rhum, liquore rosa... but none were as successful as 'Bitter all'uso d'Hollanda'. Invented in 1860, it boasted a secret recipe, which remains so to this day, made with more than 60 aromatic herbs, and with a unique and unmistakable flavor and aroma. It also contained chinchilla, which gave it a striking reddish color, now known as 'Campari red'. It was so successful that it began to be known as 'Bitter del Signor Campari', and later became Bitter Campari, which would eventually become its definitive name, the one it retains to this day.