If ever there was a sophisticated cocktail that conjures up European piazzas and boulevards, it’s the negroni. Its ruby-hued, refreshingly bittersweet glow reflects haute couture rather than club tropicana. Not a Caribbean beach or a paper parasol in sight, the negroni should be simply garnished with a twist of orange peel to enhance the tantalisingly bitter, aromatic and botanical flavour profiles. This cocktail is so achingly cool it even has a whole week dedicated to it in September each year.
The negroni was born in Florence in 1919, so the legend goes. A certain Count Camillo Negroni walked into the Caffé Casoni and ordered an Americano (vermouth, Campari and soda), but asked for the soda water to be replaced by gin…what’s not to love! Although there is a challenger to the origin story by the descendants of General Pascal Olivier de Negroni, who say he invented the drink in Senegal 50 years earlier.
Whichever story you subscribe to, the negroni is an ideal aperitivo, whether you’re sipping it at a caffé on the Piazza Navona in Rome, or in the latest of urban hotspots of your home city. The formula is simple but oh so sexy: equal parts gin, vermouth (Martini Rosso is the classic choice) and Campari, are the starting point, with a dash or two of the all-important ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters to finish. A twist of orange brings out the fresh citrus and botanical flavours and your aperitivo is served. Choose a thick-based Old Fashioned tumbler, with plenty of chunky ice cubes. And it should be stirred not shaken.
O is for Orange… ANGOSTURA® orange bitters enters the picture
Riffs on the classic negroni are rife and every bar has its own secret twist. There’s a strong case to be made for substituting classic ANGOSTURA® aromatic bitters with the zesty newcomer to the iconic 200 year-old brand, ANGOSTURA® orange bitters. With a completely different set of equally secret ingredients to its venerable forebear, the zesty, spicy and tropical notes of ANGOSTURA® orange bitters enhance the ruby-hues of the negroni and play successfully on the botanicals to make a spiced up version of this classic cocktail with a subtle twist.
A word or two about the Negroni Sbagliato here… the truth is in the name. Sbagliato is the Italian word for mistaken… so we could call it an accidental negroni, although the urban legend claiming it really was invented by mistake has since been debunked, by the owner of the Bar Basso in Milano where it so famously originated. The gin is substituted by prosecco, creating an appealing (if lightweight) and refreshing alternative to the classic negroni. The negroni sbagliato has taken the cocktail world by storm over the last year or so… a happy accident, intended or not.
About Negroni Week
Cutting-edge cool with a conscience, Negroni Week is a global initiative launched in 2013 by Imbibe Magazine, both as a celebration of one of the world’s great cocktails and an effort to raise money for charitable causes around the world. This year it’s held from 18 – 14 September 2023 and for the second year the charitable focus is Slow Food, an Italian-born movement whose mission cultivates community and seeks a better world for all through hospitality. Funds raised go to support community-led projects around the world that lead to the transformation of local food and beverage systems.
So seek out participating bars in your city this September, order a classic Negroni (ask your bartender which variety of ANGOSTURA® bitters he or she favours), sip for a good cause, and raise a glass to whichever historic Negroni, count or not, who had the fortuitous idea of adding gin to create this enduring cocktail classic.
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