"Punt e Mes has a golden orange color with topaz tones, herbal aromas and dark red, black dahlia with vermilion shades. The initial taste is one of sweetness, characterised by an intriguing accent of orange. This is followed by the characteristically bitter taste of the quinine and ends on a sweet note.

Punt e Mes is delicious served straight with a slice of orange peel but is also perfect as a base for cocktails [...]

The bizzarre origin of this new name came into common usage not long after, with 'regulars' of the wine shop ordering Punt e Mes with a gesture.Whereby they would only need to raise their thumb to mean one Point and trace a straight line upwards in mid-air to mean a Half point for the barman to understand straight away that they wanted a Punt e Mes. It was a favourite drink of the founder of FIAT, Giovanni Agnelli, as he recalled in his memoirs of 1916.

A legend in history.The story goes that on 19 April 1870 , a stockbroker, caught up in a discussion with colleagues whilst in the Carpano wine shop about the increase in share prices on that day – one and a half points – ordered his usual Carpano vermouth but asked for the barman to add half a measure of bitter, using the regional expression 'Punt e Mes'. The drink immediately became popular as an aperitif before lunch, as recalled by the barman of the time Maurizio Boeris."

https://www.carpano.com/en/prodotto/punt-e-mes-2/?age-verified=143378558b

Try Punt e Mes with tonic for a lighter but very tasty alternative to a classic G&T; or get the best of both worlds by mixing Punt e Mes with gin (preferably, Plymouth or Hayman's Old Tom) and topping up with tonic (e.g. Fever Tree Indian Tonic).

Or try it in a classic Italian aperitif cocktail:

MILANO-TORINO (MI-TO)

1 part Punt e Mes
1 part Campari

Build in lowball glass over ice, stir, garnish with orange slice or peel, and serve.

AMERICANO

1 part Punt e Mes
1 part Campari

Build in lowball glass over ice, stir, top up with seltzer or club soda, garnish with orange slice or peel, and serve.

NEGRONI

1 part Punt e Mes
1 part Campari
1 part gin (preferably, Plymouth or Hayman's Old Tom)

(optional: 2 dashes Angostura Orange Bitters)

Build in lowball glass over ice, stir, garnish with lemon peel, and serve.