Negroni recipes: how to make the classic cocktail

One part gin, one part sweet vermouth, one part Campari and then finished with an orange peel garnish. The classic negroni recipe may sound simple, but there’s many tips and tricks on how to perfect this tasty cocktail.

A “quintessentially Italian” aperitivo, negroni ranked No.1 in this year’s “Cocktail Report”, Drinks International’s list of the bestselling classic cocktails at the world’s best bars. “Punchy” and complex”, yet “bright and lifted”, it’s “difficult to make badly”, said Clinton Cawood, thanks to its “easy, equal-parts” recipe.

The story of the negroni began in 1919 at the Caffè Casoni in Florence, said Justine Sterling on Food & Wine. While there is “no documented historical account”, it is believed by “cocktailians” that Count Camillo Negroni invented the drink when he “ordered an Americano made with gin in place of the usual soda water”.

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It may have been invented more than 100 years ago, but in 2023 the negroni has become the “drink of choice” for many discerning cocktail drinkers, said Karl Tessendorf on The Mixer, and with “just one sip it’s easy to see why”. Nowadays you’ll find bartenders “switching any and all of the negroni’s components”, said Cawood. The “next enduring variation may already be out there”.

A staple on cocktail menus at bars and restaurants around the globe, the drink will be celebrated when Negroni Week takes place from 18-24 September 2023. Here we pick out a selection of negroni recipes – some traditional and some a variation on the classic mix – provided by drink brands and bars.

1. Classic Negroni by Hotel Eden in Rome

For negroni lovers, you can’t get much better than ordering the classic cocktail at aperitivo hour from Hotel Eden’s Il Giardino bar in the heart of Rome. While we can’t give you the panoramic views of the Eternal City from Il Giardino’s roof terrace, we can share the recipe.

Ingredients

• 30ml Campari bitter
• 30ml Antica Formula Carpano Vermouth
• 30ml Tanqueray Gin
• Orange zest to garnish

Glass

• Old Fashioned

Method

Stir in a mixing glass over ice and double strain over fresh ice.

Il Giardino Bar at Hotel Eden

2. Golden Negroni by BAR 45 at 45 Park Lane, London

BAR 45 at 45 Park Lane in London has its own negroni trolley – featuring the hotel’s barrel-aged negroni. BAR 45’s bartenders have added a number of twists on the classic recipe, including the Golden Negroni here.

Ingredients

• 30ml of Botanist Gin
• 15ml of Italicus
• 15ml of Suze Liqueur
• 30ml of Martini Ambrato
• One lemon peel to garnish

Glass

• stemless Burgundy

Method

Pour the Botanist Gin, Italicus, Suze Liqueur and Martini Ambrato into a mixing glass filled up with ice cubes, and stir for eight to ten seconds with a long bar spoon (mixing spoon). Using a cocktail strainer, pour the chilled liquid into a stemless Burgundy glass over a large ice chunk, or a few cubes of ice depending on what you have. Squeeze the lemon peel over the cocktail, twist and let it drop into the glass.

BAR 45 at 45 Park Lane

3. Tanqueray London Dry Negroni

An easy to make negroni using Tanqueray London Dry Gin. This is a perfect serve for any gathering or celebration.

Ingredients

• 25ml Tanqueray London Dry Gin
• 25ml bitter aperitif
• 25 red vermouth
• Garnish: twist of orange

Glass

• lowball

Method

Add the Tanqueray London Dry Gin, bitter aperitif and red vermouth to a lowball glass full of ice. Stir well, and garnish with the twist of orange.

Tanqueray London Dry Gin

4. Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin Negroni

Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin is triple distilled in traditional copper pot stills and handcrafted in the foothills of the Himalayas at one of India’s oldest distilleries. With 11 botanicals, seven of which are sourced from the four corners of India, the gin is used as the base for the Jaisalmer negroni.

Ingredients

• 25ml Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin
• 25ml sweet Vermouth
• 25ml Campari

Glass

• rocks

Method

Stir all the ingredients over ice in a rocks glass for around 20 seconds, until chilled. Top with ice and garnish with an orange peel twist.

Jaisalmer Indian Craft Gin

5. Campari Coffee Negroni

Campari, one of the key ingredients of the negroni recipe, has created a unique coffee-inspired variation of the cocktail. Rich and dark, the deep earthy notes of espresso work excellently with Campari and help to balance the sweet vermouth. Coffee brings a nuttiness and silky texture.

Ingredients

• 25ml Campari
• 25ml gin
• 25ml vermouth rossa
• 1 shot of espresso
• coffee beans to garnish

Glass

• rocks

Method

Fill two rocks glasses with ice. In one glass, pour in the spirits and stir gently. In the other, add the espresso, stir to chill then strain and add to the spirit mix. After stirring once more, garnish with coffee beans.

Campari

6. Renais Grand Cru Negroni

Renais, founded by Alex Watson and his sister Emma Watson, is a modern gin inspired by the people, produce and provenance of Chablis and Burgundy. It is made with a base spirit crafted from grapes salvaged from the winemaking process, with the addition of pressed Grand Cru grapes, local terroir and a selection of natural botanicals. This white negroni is made with Renais Small Batch Gin, aromatised white wine and gently spicy liqueur.

Ingredients

• 40ml Renais Small Batch Gin
• 30ml Lillet Rose
• 10ml Suze gentian liqueur

Method

Add all ingredients into a mixing glass, fill to the brim with large chunks of clear quality ice, stir with the end of a spoon for 20 seconds to chill and dilute. Pour over a large block of ice.

Renais Gin

7. Green Negroni by Manetta’s Bar

The team at Manetta’s, the bar at The Flemings Hotel in London, has curated this vibrant cocktail for negroni lovers, with an interesting flavour profile and pop of green colour.

Ingredients

• 25ml Chase GB Gin
• 20ml Luxardo Bitter Bianco Liqueur
• 20ml Midori Liqueur (for the colour)
• 25ml Dolin de Chambery Dry Vermouth
• 10ml Drambuie Liqueur
• Garnish: lime zest and sprig of thyme

Method

Place a retro fizz serving glass into the freezer to chill half an hour beforehand. Then, put all ingredients into a mixing glass. Stir briskly for 15 seconds. Once mixed, pour into the chilled glass with a large ice cube and garnish with a twist of lime zest and a small sprig of thyme.

Manetta’s Bar

8. Negroni Sbagliato (‘Bungled Negroni’)

If you visit Milan during the annual Salone del Mobile, you’ll find the street outside the famous Bar Basso teeming with furniture designers sipping this wonderful aperitivo in the early evening, said Alice Lascelles, author of “Ten Cocktails: The Art of Convivial Drinking”. Literally a “bungled negroni”, this cocktail was supposedly created when a bartender making a negroni (gin, vermouth and Campari) mistook prosecco for gin. “Lighter, drier and more easy-drinking” than a traditional negroni, it’s a “wonderful sundowner”. It’s also a great party drink, “I often knock it up by the jugful”.

Ingredients

• 25ml Campari
• 25ml red vermouth
• 50ml-100ml chilled prosecco
• Garnish: orange wheel

Glass

• rocks

Method

Build over ice in a rocks glass and garnish with the orange wheel.

Ten Cocktails: The Art of Convivial Drinking

9. Cent’anni Negroni by Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan

In celebration of the classic Italian cocktail’s 100th anniversary in 2019, Milan’s Hotel Principe di Savoia created its own unique twist on the recipe, the Cent’anni Negroni.

Ingredients

• 20ml Del Professore Red Vermouth
• 20ml Campari
• 10ml Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur
• 20ml Fever Tree Ginger beer
• 1 teaspoon of Amaro Ramazzotti Il Premio
• Slice of dried orange to garnish

Glass

• Old Fashioned

Method

Stir in a mixing glass filled with ice, and strain into an Old Fashioned glass over fresh ice.

Hotel Principe di Savoia