There is a scene in Ian Fleming's Casino Royale where James Bond invents his own cocktail, mixing Gordon's gin, vodka, and "a large thin slice of lemon peel" with Kina Lillet — the aromatized wine that gave the Vesper Martini its distinctive bittersweet backbone. Kina Lillet was reformulated decades ago into the far less bitter Lillet Blanc, quietly removing the quinine and gentian character that made Bond's original drink what it was. Bartenders looking to recreate the real thing eventually turned to a different wine entirely — one that had been quietly produced in Asti, Piedmont, since 1891, made according to a recipe that never changed: Cocchi Americano.

Giulio Cocchi was a Florentine pastry chef before he reinvented himself as a Piedmontese winemaker, and his Aperitivo Americano became, in the words of the town of Asti itself, the aperitif par excellence — a genuine piece of the town's own history. It's built from an all-natural recipe of white wine, sugar, and alcohol-infused herbs and spices, with Artemisia flowers, gentian roots, and peels of bitter orange doing the heavy lifting. No artificial colors, no additives — just small batches of wine spiced and left to age for a minimum of one year before bottling. The name "Americano" carries a double meaning: it references the bitterness (amaricato) that the herbal infusion imparts to the wine, and it nods to the American habit of drinking vermouth-style aperitifs over ice with a splash of soda. On the label, a Futurist-era rooster designed in the 1930s represents both the drink's function — "it awakes the appetite" — and one of Asti's own enduring civic symbols.

The classic serve, and the only choice for purists, is a tumbler glass with ice, a splash of seltzer, and a slice of orange. But Cocchi Americano's real modern fame comes from the cocktail bar: it's the correct, historically faithful choice for the Vesper Martini, and it turns up just as naturally in a Corpse Reviver #2 or a White Negroni, where its quinine bitterness and bright citrus character do exactly what Kina Lillet once did before the recipe changed. This is one of the very few bottles on the back bar that connects a fictional secret agent's signature drink directly back to an unbroken, century-plus Italian family recipe.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Cocchi Americano is an aromatized wine created in 1891 by Giulio Cocchi and produced without interruption since, according to the original recipe, at Giulio Cocchi Spumanti in Asti, in Italy's Piemonte region. Giulio Cocchi began his career as a pastry chef in Florence before relocating to Asti and establishing himself as a winemaker; his Aperitivo Americano, along with Barolo Chinato and the house's signature vermouths, became defining fixtures of the Belle Époque and Italian Futurist eras, with twelve Cocchi tasting bars operating across the region by 1913.

Production begins with white wine, aromatized through a cold infusion in alcohol using herbs and spices — principally Artemisia flowers, gentian roots and leaves, wormwood, cinchona, and peels of bitter orange — then refined to balance the resulting spice and bitter notes. Small batches of the spiced wine are aged for a minimum of one year before bottling. No artificial colors or additives are used at any stage. "Americano" is a protected aperitif wine category under Italian and EU law, defined specifically by gentian as its primary bittering agent, and the category's naturally assertive bitterness means it holds up well even when diluted generously with soda or ice — the classic Italian and American serving style the name itself references.

Critics Reviews

No numerical critic score is confirmed for this product at this time.

Cocchi official tasting notes:
"Cocchi Americano is an aromatized wine created in 1891 by Giulio Cocchi and since then produced without interruption according to the original recipe. Produced according to Giulio Cocchi's original recipe, Cocchi Americano is recognized in Asti as the aperitif par excellence — a real piece of the town's history."

Eataly (retailer tasting notes):
"The genuine Americano aperitif, Cocchi Americano, has been in production since 1891. It is based on an all-natural recipe containing white wine, sugar, alcohol-infused herbs and spices, especially Artemisia flowers, gentian roots and peels of bitter orange. No artificial colors/additives are admitted."

Wikipedia (cocktail history context):
"Cocchi Americano gained prominence from its use in James Bond's Vesper as a substitute for Kina Lillet, which is no longer available. It is also used in the Corpse Reviver #2."

Tasting Profile

Nose
A pale golden hue from the white wine base. Artemisia flowers and gentian root lead with classic, herbaceous bitterness, joined by bright, zesty bitter orange peel.

Palate
Naturally bitter and bright, with the gentian's assertive character balanced by citrus freshness and the underlying wine's own subtle sweetness. Wormwood and cinchona add layered herbal complexity beneath the primary orange and gentian notes.

Finish
Clean and lingering, with bitterness that persists without becoming harsh — precisely the quality that makes this wine so effective when diluted with soda, tonic, or built into a cocktail, since the bitterness carries through rather than disappearing.

Quick Overview

Category	Details
Style	Aromatized Wine — Americano category
Producer	Giulio Cocchi Spumanti — Asti, Piedmont, Italy
Founded	1891 by Giulio Cocchi
Base	White wine
Botanicals	Artemisia flowers, gentian root and leaves, wormwood, cinchona, bitter orange peel
Aging	Minimum 1 year before bottling
Artificial Additives	None
Cocktail Fame	The historically accurate ingredient for James Bond's Vesper Martini (substitute for discontinued Kina Lillet)
Other Classic Cocktails	Corpse Reviver #2, White Negroni
Sister Product	Cocchi Rosa (red wine base, rose petals, saffron, vanilla)
Legal Category	"Americano" — protected under Italian and EU law, gentian-forward aperitif wine
Style / Identity	The genuine article behind one of cocktail culture's most famous vermouth substitutions
Aromas & Flavors	Artemisia, gentian, bitter orange, wormwood, cinchona
Best Served	Tumbler glass, ice, splash of soda, orange slice
Bottle Size	750ml

Cocktail Suggestions

Classic Americano (the purist's serve)
Tumbler glass with ice cubes, a splash of seltzer, and a slice of orange — the only correct way to serve it, per Cocchi's own house style.

White Negroni
Equal parts gin, Suze, and Cocchi Americano — a lighter, brighter riff on the classic Negroni format.

Spritz Americano
Wine glass with Cocchi Americano and a dry sparkling wine, becoming "Royale" when made with a metodo classico Alta Langa DOCG sparkling wine.

Vesper Martini Recipe

The Vesper is a cocktail that was originally made of gin, vodka, and Kina Lillet. Since that form of Lillet is no longer produced, modern bartenders need to modify the recipe to mimic the original taste, with Lillet Blanc or Cocchi Americano as a typical substitute.
Ingredients: 1/2 oz Vodka, 1/4 oz Lillet Blonde, 2 oz Gin
Preparation: Shake over ice until well chilled, then strain into a deep goblet and garnish with a thin slice of lemon peel.
Served: Straight up; without ice
Standard garnish: Lemon Peel

Corpse Reviver No. 2 Recipe

The Corpse Reviver No. 2 features gin, Lillet blanc or Cocchi Americano, orange liqueur and fresh lemon juice, used in equal parts, shaken with ice and served in a glass that has been rinsed with absinthe.
Absinthe, to rinse
3/4 ounce London dry gin
3/4 ounce Lillet blanc
3/4 ounce orange liqueur
3/4 ounce lemon juice, freshly squeezed
Preparation: Rinse the inside of a chilled coupe or cocktail glass with absinthe, discard the excess and set the glass aside. Add the gin, Lillet blanc, orange liqueur and lemon juice into a shaker with ice and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a prepared glass.

Piedmont

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