Campari and Wild Turkey: A Mixology Challenge

In what seems like a bizarre move, the Italian beverage company Davide Campari-Milano announced plans to purchase the Wild Turkey brand of Kentucky bourbon from Pernod- Ricard SA for $575 million.

Campari and Wild Turkey: A bartender's worst nightmare? I decided to find out.

My first stop was the Blue Fin in the W Hotel Times square, where bartender Christian Campagne called the liquors, "strange bedfellows." Not surprisingly, he'd never had anyone order anything like it in the five years he's been tending bar. He did add, however, that perhaps a muddled fruit would make the drink bearable.

Next up was barkeep Jose Estevez, an 18-year veteran at the theater district's legendary Sardi's. Estevez was visibly surprised at the mere suggestion of the pairing of the two liquors, and he gently told me that it's not something anyone would want to drink, as if I'd asked for a hemlock and tonic cocktail.

Moving on, I tried the bustling Bond 45, where its general manager, Kenny Silvester, concluded that perhaps Campari bought the lower shelf whiskey for distribution purposes, which in fact they did. In a company statement, Campari said the move was to enhance its presence in the U.S., as well as in Australia and Japan, Wild Turkey's biggest foreign markets. And Campari may not be done yet. Analysts believe it still has room for more acquisitions, according to Bloomberg.

Bond 45's resident bartender, Anthony Venvitto, has been there since it opened four years ago and he said he's never in his life heard of anyone ordering both Campari and Wild Turkey in one drink. He did have the spare time and gumption to attempt to create a palatable libation with fresh-squeezed orange juice, simple syrup, two parts Wild Turkey and one part Campari, shaken and served over ice. He also added in an orange peel flambé, all of which he made in front of me and insisted I try.

Since I'd prompted the whole terrible experiment, I took a sip and concluded: "Not bad."

"But not good, either," Venvitto said.

"But not good either," I agreed.

So why would Campari go for Wild Turkey, since it's considerably more down market than the Italian liquor? "Because in a recession, people still drink. In fact, they drink more," Venvitto said.

by Joan R. Magee