While reading the New York Times' inspiring article last week on simple summer cocktails with three ingredients or less, I was intrigued by the mention of one bartender's go-to sipper: a shot of Campari topped with IPA. Bitter cocktail lovers, this is your new summer apéritif.

The article describes the drink as "an offhand work of genius that ripens as the ice melts and the ale warms, as bitter citrus fuses with floral hops, as juicy bursts of grapefruit explode like sunsets pancaking on the horizon." Could it sound any more perfect for a summer evening?

Campari, ice, and half a bottle of hoppy India pale ale combine to make a drink that is refreshingly bitter and not too alcoholic, with those promised bursts of grapefruit. Simple to make but wonderfully complex in the glass, it's a drink I'll be making again and again this summer.

• Read more: Summer Cocktails Made Simpler at the New York Times

Do you have a favorite bitter cocktail?

Related: Orange, Bitter, & Refreshing: 5 Classic Campari Cocktails

(Images: Anjali Prasertong)