The Classic Aperetivo Cocktail Everybody knows, do you want the Recipe, the History then Stick to it.
In a Glass
Ingredients: 3cl Gin, 3cl Sweet Vermouth, 3cl Red Bitter
Taste: Bitter, Spirit Forward
Alc. Strength: approx 24 % – 29 % vol
Garnish: Orange zest
Method: Stirred
Glass: Tumbler
So let’s do the cocktail and let’s meet each other for a Glass
The Recipe
3cl Gin
3cl sweet Vermouth
3cl red Bitter
Glass: Tumbler
Ice: Ice cubes
Garnish: Orange zest
Method:
Stir all ingredients with ice in a mixing glass. Strain into a chilled tumbler glass over fresh ice. Garnish with an orange peel.
The Taste
A Negroni tastes bold, bittersweet, and complex. It is a harmonious, heavy-hitting cocktail made of equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, typically garnished with an orange peel.
The History
The Negroni is considered the archetype of the bitter aperitif – a cocktail that has captivated drinkers for over a century. Its story begins around 1919 in Florence, when Count Camillo Negroni asked bartender Fosco Scarselli at Caffè Casoni to strengthen his usual Americano. Scarselli replaced soda water with gin, creating an instant classic. The Negroni perfectly balanced the elegance of London Dry Gin, the herbal depth of vermouth, and the bold bitterness of Campari. It spread quickly across Italy, then throughout Europe and the U.S. By the 1950s and 1960s, it symbolized Italian aperitivo culture. Although the story surrounding Camilo Negroni appears to be true, the first printed recipes for this classic aperitif did not surface until 1955, appearing in two different publications: the “U.K.B.G. Guide to Drinks” and “Cocktail and Oscar Haimo’s Wine Digest“. By the 2000s, it was rediscovered as a global cocktail icon. Today, the Negroni stands as a timeless benchmark for balance, simplicity, and sophistication in mixology.
My Take
3.5cl Gin
3cl sweet Vermouth
3cl red Bitter
Glass: Tumbler
Ice: Ice cubes
Garnish: Orange zest
I like it a bit more Gin forward, for me it’s a Gin-Cocktail not a Bitter-Cocktail although the drink it self should taste bitter, but it should not be overwhelmed by the red Bitter, i want to Taste the Juniper and the freshness of the Citrus
Variants and relatives
White Negroni
Gin – White Vermouth – White Bitter
Negroni Sbagliato
Sweet Vermouth – Red Bitter – Prosecco
Americano
Sweet Vermouth – Red Bitter – Soda
If you like the Negroni, than maybe you have to try:
Boulevardier
Bourbon – Red Bitter – Sweet Vermouth
Rosita
Tequila – Red Bitter – Sweet Vermouth – Dry Vermouth
Old Pal
Rye Whiskey – Red Bitter – Dry Vermouth
