It certainly is a cocktail with an attitude and because of that it has a real marmite reaction – you either love it’s perfectly balanced bitter flavour or you marvel at how anyone would want to drink it! We certainly fall into the first category and love the iconic taste; which is why chose it for World Cocktail Day! Fancy giving it a try? Check out our recipe for a bold and bolshy ‘Classic Negroni’ below:
How to make a classic Negroni
- Equal parts (25ml) gin, sweet vermouth and bitters (traditionally Campari)
- Add your gin, sweet vermouth and bitters to a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled
- Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with an orange peel
It really is that simple. You can even just mix straight into your drinking glass. This is the most traditional version, but you can mix it up by trying different gins, different sweet vermouths and different bitter combinations. For example, if you find the Campari too strong you could swap it for the lighter flavour of Aperol.
Where does the Negroni come from?
Whilst a traditional G&T is often seen as a good aperitif, the Negroni is specifically designed as such – used to awaken the digestive system and get the taste buds tingling.
The Negroni started life in Florence, Italy in 1919. It is said to have been invented at Caffe Casoni in Florence where Count Camillo Negroni frequented. Popular folk law tells of a Camillo Negroni, an Italian Count who travelled to the US becoming an “adventurer, cowboy, banker and riverboat gambler in the Wild West”. Returning to his native Florence circa 1910, Camillo influenced the creation of the self-entitled cocktail at Caffè Casoni. The story goes that the Count asked the bartender to strengthen his usual cocktail; The Americano (traditionally Campari, Sweet Vermouth and soda) with gin instead of soda. The bartender added an orange garnish rather than the traditional lemon and the ‘Negroni’ was born! It soon became the place to be and the drink to drink!
The Negroni family soon capitalised on the success of the cocktail and opened the Negroni Distillery in 1919, in Treviso, Italy. They started to make a ready-made version of the cocktail, sold as Antico Negroni.
The Negroni has made something of a comeback in recent years and we for one hope it is here to stay.
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Fancy your hand at cocktail making? We offer a virtual cocktail making experience for groups of 6 or more! We’ll send a cocktail kit to each member of your group and host a private mixology experience for you online! Email [email protected] for all the details. Perfect for Hen Do’s, parties, corporate events or just a Friday night get together with friends from afar!
