I’ve known people who judge a bar, and even a restaurant, by the quality of their Negroni. That’s how seriously they take the Italian aperitif cocktail! While we, here at Real Food Traveler, don’t quite go to that extreme, we certainly appreciate a great one when we are out. But they can certainly be made at home too. Thanks to this article and these Negroni recipes from The Mixer, we can be our own, ace bartenders, just in time for Negroni Week, Sept. 12-18, 2022 – and well beyond.

Save this article and these recipes from The Mixer to Pinterest. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

Hungry for more? Whip up these cocktail recipes for Fall.

Celebrating Negroni Week: Five Twists on a Classic – Bittersweet and Bold

The 12th of September marks the kick-off of Negroni Week for 7 glorious days! For the last decade, restaurants and bars in America (and across the globe) have joined hands to celebrate Negroni Week for a good cause – to raise funds for different charities worldwide. Doing your part is super easy: grab a few friends, go to a participating bar or restaurant, and order your favorite Negroni. It’s a pub crawl with a fantastic Italian twist! And if you can’t get out, stay in, invite your friends and mix up a few Negronis at home.

A Quick History of the Negroni

The Negroni is a spin-off of the Americano cocktail and was created in Florence in 1919. This legendary drink was created by Fosco Scarselli, a much-loved bartender at Café Casoni.

Scarselli believed that the bartender’s job was to change according to the customer you were serving. And that’s exactly what he did when the esteemed Count Camillo Negroni (who had developed a taste for strong drinks) asked for a more potent version of his drink of choice: the Americano. For those who don’t know, it’s made with equal parts Campari and sweet vermouth poured over ice and topped with soda.

Scarselli replaced the soda with gin and added an orange peel garnish for extra zest. The result was a bittersweet and herbaceous cocktail. The count fell in love with the Negroni, and so did the rest of the world.

The Negroni is an acquired taste— sophisticated, complex, and very adult. A delicious cocktail that’s well worth sipping on for a good cause. Here are a few of our favorite Negroni recipes you can easily make at home. If you’ve never tasted this iconic cocktail, we strongly suggest you do! One word of advice? Try the classic before ordering or making any of the spin-offs. It’s the perfect drink for a cocktail-making rookie with an easy-to-follow recipe.

Negroni Recipes: The Classic 

Makes 1 cocktail

Ingredients for 1 Cocktail:
1 part Campari
1 part Bulldog Gin
1 part Cinzano Vermouth Rosso
Orange Peel to garnish
Ice

Method:
Pour the Campari, gin and sweet vermouth into a pre-chilled rocks glass.
Stir until icy cold.
Twist an orange peel over the drink to release its oils, and drop it in.
Serve!

The Classic Negroni. Photo courtesy Canva.com.

Negroni Recipes: With a Twist

If you find that the bitter-forward isn’t your cup of tea, there are loads of other variations you can try. Here are a few of our faves:

Negroni Tropicale
Best served poolside, The Negroni Tropicale shot to fame over the last two years and is part of the Aperitiki trend (tiki drinks mixed with Italy’s iconic bitter flavors). Take your Negroni on a tropical holiday, by replacing the gin with white rum and adding a splash of pineapple juice. There are different variations on this one – from coconut, passionfruit and even strawberry flavors, the herbaceous citrus character of the Negroni is a great match for tropical flavors.

Oaxacan Negroni
Mezcal is big right now! This Negroni has a smoky twist and is named after the largest producing region of this popular Mexican spirit. To make one, simply replace the gin with mezcal. You’ll be surprised how one small twist creates an entirely different-tasting cocktail. Smoky, slightly earthy and downright delicious.

Oaxacan Negroni. Photo courtesy Canva.com.

Cold-Brew Negroni
This Coffee Negroni recipe leaves out the Campari and replaces it with the same amount of cold-brew coffee for a little caffeine kick. The recipe calls for one ounce of each gin, sweet vermouth and coffee, served on ice and garnished with an orange twist.

Old Pal
This Negroni swaps out the gin for a spicy rye whiskey and replaces the sweet vermouth with Cinzano Vermouth Extra Dry. Add Campari to the mix and you have a cocktail that’s spicy, dry and bitter with lovely notes of rye whiskey, making for a complex drink for a sophisticated evening with discerning drinkers.

Boulevardier
One ounce Campari and Sweet vermouth mixed with 1 ¼ ounces bourbon come together to create a beautifully boozy drink that’s sweet, rich, bitter—and very rewarding. Make these for your bourbon-loving friends on an evening where you want to warm up from the inside out.

The Boulevarier with photo courtesy Canva.com.

Visit www.themixer.com for more drinkspiration.

Make your own version of a Negroni at home with the help of these recipes. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.