Is campari high in histamine liberators?

What to know about campari

Campari is the Milanese red bitter at the centre of the Negroni and the Americano, and it is a genuinely unusual entry on a trigger list because almost everything is graded clean. It comes in at the safe end for gluten, FODMAPs, fructose, tyramine, salicylates, oxalates, nickel and free glutamate, which is a rare sweep for an alcoholic drink and reflects the fact that it is an infusion of herbs and fruit rather than a sugary fortified wine. The two grades that are high are histamine and histamine liberation, and both come from the alcohol itself: ethanol releases stored histamine and inhibits the enzyme that clears it, which is why a Negroni can produce flushing and a thumping head out of proportion to its size. The other thing worth knowing about Campari is the colour. Its signature red came from carmine, the dye extracted from cochineal insects, until the company discontinued it in 2006 and moved to synthetic colourants in its main markets. That history is the reason its vegan and vegetarian status is still recorded as unrated here rather than as compliant, and the reason people with a documented carmine allergy still ask about it.