Orange Campari Vodka Sour Cocktail – Egg White Cocktail

This orange Campari vodka sour cocktail is a bright and juicy twist on a classic vodka sour cocktail. Inspired by the classic cocktail – a Garibaldi. This drink is citrusy, floral, well balanced, refreshing, and perfectly sweet tart for an easy make at home egg white cocktail. Vegan egg white alternative included in the recipe below!

I will always fan girl out for a delicious egg white cocktail. Anyone else?!

And if that egg white cocktail just so happens to be made with Campari then I am definitely in for a second round! 😜

I created this cocktail one day when I was craving a Campari cocktail and happened to have a bunch of oranges sitting on the counter that needed using up.

A quick google search for a cocktail with those two ingredients (Campari & orange juice) brought me to a classic cocktail called a Garibaldi.

What’s a Garibaldi? It’s a super simple Italian cocktail made with just 2 ingredients – Campari and fresh squeezed orange juice. As soon as I discovered it I could literally taste how delicious those 2 ingredients would be together. The bittersweetness of the Campari perfectly balanced by the bright and sweet notes of fresh squeezed OJ? YUM!

But because I have such a soft spot for egg white cocktails I wanted to use the Garibaldi as a jumping off point for an orange Campari egg white sour. It turns out that orange juice + Campari is a seriously dreamy combination for a vodka sour.

We’ve been making this fancy yet easy cocktail frequently for happy hour and they’re so good I just had to share the recipe with all my fellow home bartenders out there! I think this drink would be *perfect* to sip in the warm weather of Spring and Summer.

Why you’ll love this orange Campari vodka sour

This vodka sour is:

• Tart
• Citrusy
• Perfectly balanced
• Bright
• Refreshing
• Juicy
• Impressive
• A stunning shade of pinkish orange
• SO delish!

Orange Campari vodka sour ingredients

This Campari egg white sour recipe is made with the same formula that you’d use for a classic vodka sour, but with the addition of fresh OJ and Campari.

Because the orange juice is citrusy and tart I’ve reduced the amount of fresh lemon juice slightly – to keep the flavors balanced.

• Fresh squeezed orange juice – Fresh squeeze OJ will definitely give you the best flavor, but you can use store bought in a pinch. For the cocktails I made in this blog post I used Cara Cara oranges which were especially delicious!
• Campari – Campari brings the most lovely bittersweet notes to this cocktail, balancing out the sweetness of the maple syrup and OJ.
• Vodka – Because of the considerable amount of Campari used in this drink recipe I chose to use only one ounce of vodka. You could increase the amount to 1 1/2 ounces if you’d like a stiffer drink.
• Lemon juice – Fresh really is best. I’ve tried making cocktails at home using jarred or “pre-squeezed” citrus juice and fresh is just far superior in flavor. For this recipe you’ll only need the juice of about 1/2 a large lemon per cocktail.
• Maple syrup – Maple syrup or simple syrup both work to make this drink. I always reach for a natural liquid sweetener like maple syrup when mixing cocktails at home because I prefer the subtle taste and love the option of using a natural sweetener. Agave would also work.
• Egg white – Egg white is what brings that lovely dense foam to an egg white sour. If you’ve never tried an egg white cocktail you’re in for such a treat! You could also use aquafaba (the liquid inside a can of chickpeas) as a vegan option.

What tools do I need to make this orange Campari vodka sour?

To easily make this vodka sour, you’ll need a few basic home bartending tools. But if you don’t have all of them, don’t stress – there are workarounds that I’ll share below. Whatever you do, don’t skip shaking this cocktail! It’s what aerates the ingredients and builds the lush and creamy foam.

These are the tools you’ll need to make this cocktail:

• A cocktail shaker
• A strainer – if your shaker doesn’t have one built in
• Something to measure the spirits and other ingredients with – This could either be a jigger or simply some measuring spoons.

If you don’t have a cocktail shaker or a strainer, this article has some awesome solutions for missing pieces for the home mixologist.

What is a dry shake?

A dry shake (or double shake as it’s sometimes called), is when you first shake all of the cocktail ingredients without ice to fully incorporate the egg white into the cocktail. A dry shake should last about 15 seconds, and helps to activate the protein in the egg white for a frothy, creamy texture.

This method is used for all egg white sour cocktail recipes.

After a dry shake, add ice and shake again to chill the cocktail and further strengthen the foam.

How to make this orange Campari drink

The key to making any egg white cocktail is to shake it in two parts – both a dry shake and one with ice.

Here’s the step-by-step

• Gather your ingredients – fresh squeezed OJ, Campari, vodka, lemon juice, maple syrup, and an egg white.
• Add your freshly squeezed orange juice, Campari, vodka, lemon juice, maple syrup, and egg white or aquafaba in cocktail shaker and shake WITHOUT ice for about 15 seconds. This is called a “dry shake” or “double shake”, and it allows the egg white or aquafaba to be incorporated into the rest of the ingredients and aerate before being diluted by ice.
• Now add a handful of ice cubes to the cocktail shaker and shake for another 15 or so seconds. This chills the drink and further strengthens the foam.
• Strain into a highball glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange wedge and a lemon wedge and enjoy!

*A note on making 2 cocktails at a time: If your cocktail shaker is big enough you can double the recipe and use only one egg white for 2 cocktails.

Why add an egg white to cocktails?

Egg whites have been used by bartenders in cocktails for nearly a century.

Adding an egg white to cocktails gives it a rich, creamy texture and a lovely cap of extremely sip-able foam that will both impress and delight.

When you whip an egg white into a cocktail it’s basically the same transformation that takes place when you whip egg whites to make meringue.

And if you’re concerned about it making your drink taste “weird” – worry not, egg whites are essentially flavorless, and the creaminess will actually help balance the acidity and sweetness in the drink.

Vegan egg white substitute

If you would rather not use a raw egg white, or are looking for a vegan option, aquafaba works incredibly well as a vegan egg white substitute!

What is aquafaba?

Aquafaba is the liquid that you find in a can of chickpeas. Because of its starchy nature it can be used in many applications in place of egg whites, and works very well to build foam in a cocktail.

Two tablespoons of aquafaba is equal to one egg white.

When to serve this orange Campari cocktail

This bright and refreshing egg white cocktail would be an absolutely delicious drink to enjoy during the warmer months of the year!

It’s also easy enough to make any night of the week that you feel like enjoying something a little special for happy hour. And would be the perfect drink to kick off a “date night in” with!

Love this refreshing cocktail recipe? Try these other NK cocktails!

• Jungle Bird Cocktail (also made with Campari!)
• Festive Pomegranate Champagne Cocktail
• Easy Espresso Martini
• Pina Coladas
• Frozen Pineapple Margaritas
• Spiced Hibiscus Vodka Sour
• Spiced Apple and Tangerine Spritz
• Honey Rose Kombucha Margarita

If you enjoyed this recipe, we’d love it if you would take 5 seconds to rate and review it below! It’s also super helpful for other readers if you share any modifications you made to the recipe. 

Thank you for sharing your kitchen with NK. We’re so grateful you’re here!

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