The Negroni is one of the best cocktails of all time, with a simple formula of three equal parts that combine into the perfect bitter drink. With endless variations on the Negroni out there and plenty of tips on making the perfect Negroni, there’s no better cocktail to make at home.
Negroni cocktail recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce gin
- 1 ounce Campari
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
- Orange peel, for garnish
Method:
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir.
- Strain into a cocktail glass or over fresh ice in a double Old Fashioned glass.
- Express orange oil over the drink and then drop the peel into glass.
Drink history
Like all classic cocktails, the true history of the Negroni is a source of contention among historians and bartenders, but both popular versions make for good fireside reading.
One story is that the cocktail was invented by Italian Count Camillo Negroni in Florence in 1919. The Count was a swashbuckling figure (who might not actually have been a count at all) who spent years traveling the American West wrangling cattle, gambling, and, we assume, drinking his fair share of American whiskey. When he returned to Italy, his taste for strong spirits clashed with the European preference for mild aperitifs, and he asked his local bartender to mix his favorite cocktail, the Americano, with gin instead of the usual soda water.
It’s a fun story, but the Negronis don’t have a Count Camillo Negroni on their family tree. They do, however, have General Pascal Olivier de Negroni de Cardi, a verifiable nobleman with an equally badass backstory. He joined the military at 18, and was decorated for his gallantry in the Franco-Prussian War, where he spent months as a prisoner of the enemy. Nobody needed a drink more than this guy, and he is said to have invented the Negroni at the officer’s club while serving in Dakar, Senegal, long before Count Camillo ever set sail.
There are holes in this story, too (Campari wasn’t invented until halfway through his service in Senegal), but regardless of which Count you support, the Negroni’s status as a classic is unassailable.
How to hack your Negroni
One of the things that has kept the Negroni in bartenders’ arsenals for more than a century is how easy it is to riff on. You can switch up your base spirit for a totally different cocktail–try bourbon for a Boulevardier or mezcal for a Rosita. Campari too bitter? Try subbing Aperol instead. And there are enough sweet vermouths on the market that it’ll be another season before you’ve finished trying them all.
If you feel like getting fancy, you can infuse your Negroni with other flavors. Try soaking coffee or cocoa nibs in your Campari overnight for a perfect sip, maybe some rosemary in your gin, or toss a bag of your favorite tea in your cocktail while you stir. You can bottle up your concoction and give it as a gift, or become the life of the party when you show up with Negronis instead of wine. But if there’s one trick you should absolutely try to elevate any Negroni from good to great, it’s this: add a pinch of salt.
Is a Negroni better with Aperol or Campari?
Given the massive popularity of the Aperol spritz and the fact that both Aperol and Campari are bitter Italian amaros, you can see why it’s often suggested to sub Aperol into a Negroni. You keep the rich, bright color — though it leans more orange than red — and much of the bitter complexity. But Aperol is sweeter than Campari, and some people prefer this variation as more approachable than the robust bitterness of a classic Negroni.
However, the sweetness of both Aperol and sweet vermouth in combination can be a bit overpowering. You lose some of the balance that makes this cocktail so popular, so many Negroni fans would argue that the Campari is a better choice.
If the classic version is just too bitter for you, though, don’t worry. There are other variations you can try. One very popular version is the Negroni sbagliato, which keeps the Campari and sweet vermouth but ditches the gin, then adds Prosecco. That makes the drink longer and more mellow, which helps make it more approachable. If you want to get into drinking Negronis but are put off by the bitterness, this is a great choice to ease into the flavors.
