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How to make a mezcal Negroni, a twist on a fave

Elevate your Negroni with mezcal instead of gin

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Negroni cocktail
Geoff Peters / Wikimedia Commons

When it comes to complex, memorable cocktails, it’s difficult to beat the appeal of a appeal of a classic Negroni. This combination of gin, Campari (bitter Italian liqueur), and sweet red vermouth is well known for its bittersweet flavor profile, featuring herbal, botanical, piney gin, bitter liqueur, and sweet vermouth. There’s a reason this before-dinner drink is such a timeless cocktail.

But, as great as the Negroni is, it’s more of a warm-weather drink than a fall (or winter) cocktail. Luckily, with so many interesting and flavorful ingredients, it can be adapted for cooler weather. Today, we’re specifically talking about the mezcal Negroni.

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The mezcal Negroni

Negroni
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What you need to make the mezcal Negroni

  • 1 ounce of mezcal
  • 1 ounce of Campari
  • 1 ounce of sweet red vermouth

The mezcal Negroni recipe steps

1. Add ice to a mixing glass.
2. Pour in the mezcal, Campari, and sweet red vermouth.
3. Stir gently to combine all of the ingredients.
4. strain the ingredients into an ice-filled rocks glass.
5. Garnish with an orange twist and enjoy.

History of the drinks

The classic Negroni’s history can be traced back to 1919 at Caffe Casoni in Florence, Italy, where a bartender named Fosco Scarselli swapped out the soda water in an Americano with gin for a patron named Count Camilla Negroni. The result was a bittersweet, botanical, much boozier drink. Clearly, it was a hit with the guests because it has gone on the become one of the most popular aperitif cocktails of all time. While it has more than 100 years of history, the mezcal Negroni is much more of a contemporary drink.

The mezcal Negroni’s history is a little mysterious. While the drink has no official genesis, it was popularized around 2009 in tequila and mezcal-centric New York City bars like Mayahuel. Made with equal parts mezcal, Campari, and sweet vermouth, it’s a memorable, complex cocktail guaranteed to join your list of go-to cocktails.

While the traditional Negroni is bittersweet with an emphasis on botanical gin, the mezcal Negroni has a much different flavor profile. The use of mezcal adds a smoky, earthy, vegetal agave flavor that works perfectly with the bittersweet Campari and sweet red vermouth. The agave-based spirit adds a different type of complexity to this iconic drink and one that we’ll enjoy all fall and winter long.

Bottom line

Negroni
Nuff / Unsplash

The Negroni is a delicious, complex, iconic drink. While it’s great on its own, one of the best things about this popular drink is its adaptability. Swapping out the gin for mezcal adds an earthy, smoky, roasted agave flavor that you won’t find with the original botanical version. If you enjoy the traditional Negroni, we implore you to give this mezcal-centric version a try. Especially when the weather begins to grow colder. Warming, smoky, bittersweet, what’s not to love?

Christopher Osburn
Christopher Osburn
Writer
Christopher Osburn is a food and drinks writer located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. He's been writing professional
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