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The Negroni is bitter on purpose. That is not a flaw, it is the entire personality. One ounce of gin, one ounce of Campari, one ounce of sweet vermouth, stirred over a big ice cube and topped with an orange twist. Three ingredients, equal parts, no measuring required if you can pour straight.

It was invented in Florence in 1919 by Count Camillo Negroni, who walked into a bar called Caffe Casoni and asked the bartender to make his usual Americano (Campari, vermouth, soda) but with gin instead of soda. The bartender did it. Negroni liked it. The drink got his name. The Count had reportedly spent some time as a rodeo cowboy in the American West before this, which is the most Italian-aristocrat thing in the entire cocktail history.

First time you drink one, it tastes like medicine. The Campari has that distinct bitter-orange-and-quinine thing happening that takes your palate a minute to process. By the second sip you stop fighting it. By the third you realise you have been waiting your whole life for a drink that was not desperate to be liked.

Italians drink them before dinner, never after, and never at home. A proper Negroni is a sidewalk-table-with-a-view drink. The best version of one I have ever had was at a tiny bar in Trastevere on a Tuesday at 4pm and the bartender did not say a word the entire time he was making it. Just nodded and slid it across.

Negroni Cocktail

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Equal parts gin, Campari, sweet vermouth. Built over big ice, garnished with orange. Italy's most-bitter, best-loved aperitivo.
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Prep Time 3 minutes
Total Time 3 minutes
Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
 

  • 1 oz Gin
  • 1 oz Campari
  • 1 oz Sweet vermouth Carpano Antica or Cinzano Rosso
  • 1 Orange peel to express and garnish

Instructions
 

Build:
  1. Fill a rocks glass with ice. Single large cube preferred.
  2. Add equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth (1 oz each).
  3. Stir for 15 to 20 seconds with a bar spoon to chill and lightly dilute.
Garnish:
  1. Cut a wide strip of orange peel. Hold it over the glass, twist with the skin facing the drink to spray the oils, then drop it in or perch it on the rim.

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcalCarbohydrates: 14gSodium: 0.05mgSugar: 12g

Notes

The Negroni is famously bitter. If you are new to it, drink the first one slowly and let your palate adjust. By the second sip you will understand. By the third you are an Italian.
For a slightly less aggressive version, swap Campari for Aperol. That makes it a Bicicletta or, with prosecco, an Aperol Spritz adjacent.
Origin story: Count Camillo Negroni in Florence, 1919, asked the bartender at Caffe Casoni to swap soda for gin in his Americano. Bartender obliged. Drink was named after him. Italy has been pouring it ever since.
Servings: 1 cocktail
Calories: 210

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Tips That Actually Matter

  • Equal parts, every time. The 1:1:1 ratio is what makes it a Negroni. Tinker with it and you have made a different drink.
  • Stir, do not shake. Spirits-only cocktails get stirred. Shaking aerates and dilutes too much.
  • Express the orange peel. The oils on top of the drink are what soften the bitterness on the first sip. Skip this and you have a slightly worse Negroni.

I’m Scotty Boxa. Australian author, professional bad decision maker, and the bloke responsible for the rest of this website.

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