Classic Negroni

The classic Negroni is a cocktail Curtis and I maybe enjoy weekly. We put a spin on it or just go classic with the three simple ingredients. Ones that should also be staples in your bar collection. It’s an Italian cocktail that was invented about almost a 100 years ago by lore, and is a staple in Italian culture. Since it’s Negroni Week, I wanted to share a little history and the classic recipe for this delicious, bitter cocktail.

Some may say the Negroni is to this decade what the Cosmopolitan was to the 1990s. You know Carrie Bradshaw’s drink choice on Sex and the City. It’s a slightly bitter concoction, made of equal parts Campari, sweet vermouth, and gin, and has become popular worldwide.

The drink goes back to Florence in 1919. According to reliable lore, the cocktail was born when an Italian bartender responded to a customer’s demand for a stiffer riff on an Americano cocktail. The patron, Count Camillo Negroni, had picked up a taste for strong liquor while working as a rodeo clown in the American Wild West, and gave his name to the resulting concoction. Scarselli, the bartender, added an orange garnish, rather than the lemon you’d usually get with an Americano and the rest is history. Before long, everyone was coming into the bar for a ‘Negroni.’

The Negroni family was quick to take advantage of the cocktail’s success too, founding the Negroni Distillery in 1919, in Treviso, Italy, where they produced a ready-made version of the drink, sold as Antico Negroni. The distillery is still open today, under the ownership of a new family. This is actually where my family is from, the Treviso area, so I could say it’s in my blood!

For almost a century, the Negroni remained a quiet classic, readily offered in Italian restaurants or bars and beloved by cocktail enthusiasts. I know that in Italy, it’s a drink you enjoy with friends after work before dinner.

Two years ago the cocktail-industry bible Imbibe launched an event in its honor,and the first Negroni Week included 100 U.S. bars mixing up their best versions of the drink. Now thousands of bars across 50 countries participate. This year, June 6-12 is the celebratory week for this classic cocktail. So make one tonight to celebrate! It’s not too late.

More than anything, though, what really helped popularize the cocktail is its simplicity. This is a drink almost impossible to muddle. The only danger to it, is how easily you can make another one. Trust me on this, we enjoy too many on our patio in the summer or sitting in front of a winter fire.

Don’t forget to check out my Hibiscus Aperol Negroni or my Blood Orange Campari cocktail recipes for more inspiration!

Photos taken by Pulp Photo in Vancouver.

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Classic Negroni

This classic cocktail couldn't be simpler—it's simply even parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth.

Course Drinks

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Italian Cocktail, Negroni, Negroni Cocktail

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 5 minutes

Servings 1 person

Ingredients

• 1 oz. Campari
• 1 oz. gin
• 1 oz. sweet vermouth
• Giant ice cube

Instructions

1. Stir Campari, gin, and vermouth in an ice-filled tumbler.
2. Garnish with orange slice if desired.