A lot of bottle

BEING first may merit a mention in record books, but keeping ahead is what counts in business. Campari, a drinks firm whose shares will be floated on the Milan bourse on July 6th, claims to have produced the world's first ready-to-drink alcoholic aperitif in a single serving, CampariSoda, in 1932. The bitter red drink is still popular, especially in Europe. But this, it seems, is not enough. Campari, whose sales of around $400m last year place it in the second tier of the global booze industry, is trying to narrow the gap that separates it from giants such as Diageo and Allied Domecq.