Rome With a View Cocktail Recipe

The Rome With a View is a zesty aperitivo cocktail that combines equal parts Campari, dry vermouth, and lime juice, with simple syrup and a splash of soda water. 

This low-ABV modern classic was created in 2008 by bartender Michael McIlroy at the trailblazing cocktail bar Milk & Honey in New York City. Though the cocktail shares a similar build and ingredient makeup as an Old Pal (whiskey, Campari, dry vermouth), Rome With a View isn’t as spirit-forward as many of the contemporary creations at the time. 

This lighter highball is a nod to a few pre-Prohibition classics resurfacing in the early and mid-2000s. McIlroy essentially turned a classic Americano (Campari, sweet vermouth, club soda) into a drier, lower-alcohol, spritzy sour akin to a Tom Collins or Rickey cocktail.

Why Rome With a View works

Lower alcohol drinks can sometimes be perceived as imbalanced, bland, or both. Complex, flavor-rich, and perfectly balanced, Rome With a View doesn’t have this problem. 

Bittersweet Campari provides citrus peel sweetness, a slight astringent bite, and heady spice notes, which help complement the botanical aromatics in the dry vermouth. Fresh lime juice counterbalances the sweet liqueur and the slight measure of simple syrup. And a generous topper of chilled soda water adds an effervescent texture while lengthening and lightening the drink.

If a Roman holiday is not in your immediate plans, make this refreshing aperitivo and transport yourself to a balmy piazza with a view and a delicious drink in hand.