Art and cocktails in the Gallery
Text by: Charlotte Garlaschelli
The recipe of Campari and a unified version of Italy were born roughly at the same time, in the second half of the 19th century. The famous red elixir was created after Gaspare Campari moved from the Piedmontese city of Novara to Milan: the magic happened in the back room of Camparino, a tiny bar on the corner of Galleria Vittorio Emanuele and Piazza Duomo.
All myths carry a secret within them. The secret of Campari is, of course, hidden in its recipe. According to Campari’s posters, the drink is an “alcoholic liquor obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruits in alcohol and water”. But how many herbs? 20? 40? Some argue it’s as many as 80. Anyway, the unmistakable flavour of this bitter is everywhere. You can hardly substitute it within a cocktail. Imitations don’t stand a chance. The fact is, little by little, Campari’s wife, and subsequently his heirs and the shareholders, have managed to transform the beverage into a brick of an empire of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, turning Campari into one of the leading companies in its field. Valorisation is the entrepreneurial ability to make things grow. Nothing went lost. In the early 20th century advertising would make active use of futurist art for promotional purposes, and Campari followed this trend. Today the company has collected its precious promotional posters into a museum, or better, a Gallery: the Campari Gallery. A collection that boasts the collaboration of prestigious brands, directors, designers, international artists. Just to name a few, Marcello Dudovich, Leonetto Cappiello, Fortunato Depero, Franz Marangolo, Guido Crepax, Bruno Munari, Ugo Nespolo, Federico Fellini, Matteo Thun, Dodo Arslan, Markus Benesch and Matteo Ragni.
The activity in the gallery is truly frenetic, with many meetings and presentations, events and parties. For 2018 the proposal is Art & Mixology. A journey into the past, meant to discover the history of the brand, but also to enjoy art and history of communication together with an art historian and, of course, a mixologist.
Do not miss the story of futurist polidrinks and a tale about mixing techniques. Tools, billboards, interior designs from the belle Epoque, in a clever mix that offers a rewarding experience to anyone interested in cocktails and Avantgarde experiments.
Art & Mixology
6 March; 10 April; 8 May; 5 June; 3 July; 11 September; 2 October; 6 November; 4 December.
Info and booking: [email protected]
