Negroni Cocktail Recipe
An iconic Italian aperitivo with equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. Bitter, bold and bright.
- Category: The Unforgettables
- Glass: Old fashioned glass
- ABV: 24%
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: ~3 min
Ingredients
- Gin30 ml (1 oz)
- Campari30 ml (1 oz)
- Sweet red vermouth30 ml (1 oz)
How to Make It
- Fill a mixing glass with ice.
- Add gin, Campari and sweet vermouth.
- Stir until well chilled.
- Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
- Garnish with a half orange slice.
Garnish
Half orange slice
What it tastes like
It has a bitter backbone and it hits hard.
The technique
Stirring. All-spirit drinks are stirred — shaking whips air into them and ruins both the clarity and the texture. Thirty to forty seconds in a mixing glass, the spoon tracing the wall. You are after the same ~20% dilution, just slower and under control.
Glass and ice
A heavy-bottomed, wide old fashioned glass. Wide enough for one large cube, which is the point: a big cube has less surface area, so the drink gets cold without getting watery.
Ingredient notes and substitutes
- Gin
- London dry gin: juniper up front, citrus and coriander behind it. Brand really does show here — Beefeater is sharp, Hendrick's floral, Tanqueray juniper-heavy.
- Campari
- The red Italian bitter, with a bitterness that is unmistakable. Aperol can replace it, but Aperol is half the strength and clearly sweeter, so the drink comes out softer.
- Sweet red vermouth
- Once opened it lives IN THE FRIDGE and should be finished within a month; a bottle left at room temperature oxidises in a few weeks and sours the drink.
The Story
Created in Florence around 1919 when Count Camillo Negroni asked his bartender to strengthen his Americano with gin instead of soda.
Frequently asked questions
- How is a Negroni mixed?
- It is stirred and served in an old fashioned glass.
- How strong is a Negroni?
- Roughly 24% ABV as served — in fortified-wine territory — plan it as a single drink.
- Can a Negroni be made without alcohol?
- Simply leaving the spirit out does not work — the body and the bitterness go with it. The 86 alcohol-free recipes in the catalogue are built to hit that balance from the start.
- Is a Negroni hard to make?
- Easy. No bar kit required — a measure, ice and a jar will do.
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Alcoholic drink recipes are intended for those aged 18 and over. Please drink responsibly.