The Negroni (plus the Americano and Negroni Sbagliato)
The versatile global cocktail gets The Reluctant Bartender treatment.
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients: Gin, Campari, vermouth
Gear: mixing glass, strainer, bar spoon, rocks glasses, Big Ice
Flavor Profile: Sweet, complex, bitter
Countdown to Enjoyment: 6 minutes
Recipe:
1 part gin
1 part Campari
1 part sweet red vermouth
Orange to garnish
Introducing the Negroni
The Negroni revival of the past decade has been something to behold. If we had started a cocktail newsletter a decade ago, I doubt the Negroni would have been the fourth drink covered. I doubt that the Negroni would have cracked the top 25!
Fast forward to today and here we are shining The Reluctant Bartender’s spotlight on the Negroni so soon after introducing the preeminent trifecta of the Manhattan, Martini, and Old Fashioned. Wow—times have changed.
Is it safe to admit that ten short years ago, we didn't even like Negronis?
Time seems to be flying by at Kessel run speeds, and ten years ago things actually were quite different, especially in the cocktail world. The writers here at TRB were definitely at a different mile marker along the highway to cocktail enlightenment.
Heck, ten years ago we were still trying to…ahem…naively perfect the Manhattan. Our efforts were, of course, fruitless. There is good reason why the Manhattan recipe hasn't budged an inch since the 1880's. So yeah, we weren’t really in a place to appreciate the Negroni ten years ago.
A decade ago, bitter was not a quality we were chasing in our libations. In the intervening years, America has witnessed an explosion in the popularity of bitter drinks. Strong, bitter coffee from Starbucks led the way. Espresso is now available everywhere, not just fancy Seattle coffee shops.
On the alcohol side of the drink ledger, bitter IPA's have commanded the attention of beer lovers and dominated the market to the extent that it's often a chore to find a humble porter or brown ale at the local pub.
Remember when “bitter beer face” was a bad thing?
Aperol Spritzes and their bitter bubbly-ness are the sheik and fashionable drink these days.
Cocktail bars are experimenting with all manner of bitter Italian amaros (literally translated as "bitter") such as Cynar, Amaro Averna, Fernet, Amer Picon, and even Jagermeister, to name a few. Customers order these bitter drinks faster than bartenders can stir new batches.
Bitters themselves have seen a dramatic rise in popularity, choice, and availability. It wasn't long ago that your average bar had a single old, crinkly, stained bottle of Angostura tucked away in the well.
Contrast that with today. Many bars are crafting their own bitters for use in their cocktail programs. Those that aren’t making their own bitters are embracing Angostura of course, but also Peychaud’s, Fee Brothers, Bittermens, and many more. Local, independent companies offer hand-crafted bitters made in small batches by cocktail obsessives.
Twenty years ago, bitters were one of those strange things you found in Grandmom’s liquor cabinet, a curious anachronism from times gone by with a purpose lost to cocktail history. Today, bitters sampler sets make great stocking stuffers! (True story! BTW, the preceeding link is #AmazonAd.)
All of which brings us to the Negroni, another bitter concoction that has seen its popularity skyrocket over the past decade. It has become a worldwide phenomenon.
Of course, the Negroni has always been popular in Italy. Yet again, we're playing culinary catch-up to the Italians.
Italians have long embraced the bitter side of the palate. They have touted the post-dinner benefits of amaros like Campari, when they aren't busy touting the pre-dinner benefits. Many folks believe amaros help with health and digestion. We will side-step that conversation for now, and instead focus on our Negroni recipes.
The Negroni carries the standard for bitter cocktails, but let's not forget the other flavors the Negroni brings to the party. Sweetly laced with orange, citrus, bright herbs, flowers, and medicinal notes, delicately balanced with depth from the vermouth and punch from the gin, the Negroni's complex flavors are derived from a simple list of common ingredients.
Gin, Campari, vermouth, ice, garnish. The kind of simple that we embrace here at The Reluctant Bartender.
What about all those variations?
There are many variations on the Negroni. The base recipe is flexible, and supports a number of substitutions. A quick Google search for Negroni variations will have a reluctant bartender's head spinning. For the sake of simplicity, we will start here with the classic version, and talk briefly about two variations that you can easily try at home.
The Negroni is great in warm weather or cold weather, backyard parties, and holiday celebrations. Let’s jump in and see what this versatile classic cocktail has to offer.
Notes on how to make the Negroni
Recipe notes
While most experts agree that the Negroni is a direct descendant of the Martini—itself a descendant of the Manhattan—the recipe is not based on the 2:1 ratio of the Martini. The addition of a third equal ingredient brings our ratio to 1:1:1. Easy!
The Negroni is stirred—never shaken. Readers of TRB know this already, but our new readers may be seeing this for the first time. Drinks that are made primarily of spirit should always be stirred. Drinks that include fruit juice, syrup, dairy, egg whites, sugar or other such ingredients need to be shaken to fully incorporate them into the drink. The Negroni is all delicate spirit, so we will stir. Stirring will give us a smooth, clear drink to enjoy.
Remember: 100 stirs! You're targeting a total mix time of around 45 seconds in order to adequately chill the drink while also incorporating a slight bit of water to meld our ingredients together into a nicely balanced cocktail.
Which vermouth?
As we said, the Negroni holds up as a cold weather or warm weather cocktail. Swapping out the vermouth can help tailor the structure appropriately. We recommend a lighter vermouth like Dolin in warmer months, and a richer, more rustic vermouth like Antica Carpano in cooler weather. The same recommendations stand for the two variations we discuss below.
Negroni Recipe and Instructions
Ingredients
1 part gin
1 part Campari
1 part sweet red vermouth
Orange peel twist (or better yet, an orange wheel)
Prep Your Glasses
Before you reach for anything else, grab your rocks glasses and stick them in the freezer. The brief amount of time it takes for you to fetch your ingredients and tools is going to chill them down nicely. You don't need long, just a few minutes.
Prep Your Cocktail
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass. You should be aiming for around 3-4 ounces of liquid in the finished cocktail, so use a 1 ounce pour of Campari, gin, and vermouth for each drink that you’re making.
Add enough ice to cover the liquid in the glass and stir for 100 rotations (40-45 seconds).
Strain into a chilled rocks glass, add Big Ice, and garnish with an orange twist. We Reluctant Bartenders actually prefer half an orange wheel, but try both and see which one you like better.
Variations!
The Americano
Ingredients:
Campari
Sweet red vermouth
Club soda
Orange peel twist (or orange wheel)
This is a lighter alcohol version of the Negroni, popularized by Americans traveling abroad. This version swaps out the gin for soda water which adds a light, fizzy touch, and lowers the alcohol content. It's refreshing, bubbly, and lighter than the original in a "give me another" kind of way.
To make the Americano, add one part Campari and one part sweet red vermouth to a mixing glass (remember, no gin). We're aiming for around 3-4 ounces of liquid in our finished cocktail, so start with 1 ounce each of the Campari and vermouth, and we'll add the club soda later.
Add enough ice to your mixing glass to cover the liquid, and stir for 100 rotations (40-45 seconds).
Strain into your chilled rocks glass, and add approximately 1.5 ounces of club soda to each Americano cocktail.
Add Big Ice, and garnish with an orange twist or half-wheel.
The Negroni Sbagliato
Ingredients:
Campari
Sweet red vermouth
Prosecco
Orange twist (or wheel)
The Negroni Sbagliato swaps out the gin for an Italian bubbly wine called Prosecco (pro-SAY-koh). Prosecco is a cousin to champagne, but made in a different way.
Sbagliato translates roughly to "incorrect". We're not certain, but we sense some judgement there! That said, TRB judges this cocktail delicious. The Prosecco brings depth and fizz to the proceedings, while also providing structure and balance.
To make the Negroni Sbagliato, add one part Campari and one part vermouth to a mixing glass (no Prosecco yet). We're aiming for around 3-4 ounces of liquid in our finished cocktail, so start with 1 ounce each of the Campari and vermouth. Don’t add the Prosecco yet until we’ve stirred the vermouth and Campari together, and added the mixture to your rocks glass.
Add enough ice to your mixing glass to cover the liquid and stir for 100 rotations (40-45 seconds).
Strain into a chilled rocks glass, and add approximately 1-1.5 ounces of Prosecco to each cocktail.
Add Big Ice, and garnish with an orange twist or half-wheel.
Wrap Up
The Negroni is nearly as versatile as it delicious. The balance of sweet, bitter, and citrus makes an enticing libation worth visiting and revisiting in its various forms. We’ll tackle more variations of the Negroni here in the coming months. For now, give these three a try and report back in the comments below.
Editor’s Note
We’ve been getting more and more subscribers and feedback. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and we thank you all for taking the time and reaching out. If you have ideas about drinks you’d like us to cover, ideas to make the newsletter better, or just a small bit of feedback please feel free to leave a note in the comments below. We make an effort to keep the comments section open for discussion and questions, and we always will.
To those of you who have embarked upon this journey with us, we thank you.
See you next time!