Negroni Week 2021: Seven Negroni recipes to try at home

To celebrate Campari’s Negroni Week (13-19 September), we’ve collected a number of recipes for this iconic Italian drink – from the thoroughly classic to the delightfully modern.

The saying goes that “less is more”, and the Negroni is a great example of this motto in practice. It traditionally requires just three ingredients – gin, sweet vermouth and Campari (a bitter Italian aperitif) – and to put it together, all you need is a glass, a spoon and some ice!

It is the simplicity of this base recipe that has encouraged cocktail lovers the world over to try their own variations, using other vermouths, a range of flavoured liqueurs, and different spirits such as rum or Bourbon in place of gin.

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Negroni

We have gone for an equal-measures serve in this recipe, but you can adjust the levels of gin, vermouth and Campari to suit your tastes.

• 35ml dry gin (spice-forward gins work well)
• 35ml sweet vermouth (such as Antica Formula)
• 35ml Campari (or other bitter Italian aperitif)

Combine the ingredients in a glass with ice and stir until cold, then garnish with an orange peel. If desired, stir in a mixing glass first with smaller cubes of ice, then strain into a rocks glass over one large piece of ice.

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Royal Negroni

This classy Negroni comes courtesy of France’s Maison Villevert, making use of its Nouaison Gin and La Quintinye vermouth.

• 45ml La Quintinye Vermouth Royal Rouge
• 45ml Nouaison Gin
• One drop orange bitters

Add all ingredients to an Old Fashioned glass filled with ice and stir with a mixing spoon. Garnish with orange peel.

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Boulevardier

This variation replaces gin with Bourbon for a warming whiskey kick. For a spicier drink, try it with rye whisk(e)y.

• 40ml Bourbon
• 30ml sweet vermouth
• 30ml Campari

Combine the ingredients in an Old Fashioned glass with ice and stir until chilled. Garnish with orange peel.

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Kokomo

Where the Negroni meets the Mai Tai – a fun, fruity cocktail with creamy sweetness from the almond-flavoured orgeat syrup. This recipe was included in David T. Smith and Keli Rivers’ recent cocktail anthology, Negroni.

• 30ml Portsmouth Fort Gin
• 15ml Suze
• 15ml pineapple juice
• 10ml lime juice
• 10ml orgeat syrup
• 3 dashes orange bitters
• Pinch of salt

Add the ingredients to an ice-filled cocktail shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass and garnish with an orange wedge and a fresh cherry.

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White Negroni

The use of white vermouth and a lighter-flavoured liqueur in this cocktail from Bombay Sapphire makes it a good home for a more fragrant gin.

• 35ml Bombay Sapphire Gin
• 35ml white vermouth (such as Martini Riserva Speciale Ambrato)
• 30ml Italicus Rosolil di Bergamotto Liqueur

Add the ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass filled with fresh cubed ice. Garnish with a lemon peel twist.

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Negroni Sbagliato

This variation doesn’t actually contain gin – the spirit is swapped for Prosecco to create a longer, more refreshing drink.

• 25ml sweet vermouth
• 25ml Campari
• Prosecco

Combine the vermouth and Campari in a highball glass filled with cubed ice and top up with Prosecco. Stir gently to mix, then top up further if necessary. Garnish with an orange slice.

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Sloe-groni

This recipe, shared by Campari for this year’s event, was created by Robby Nelson. It swaps vermouth for sloe gin to create a fruitier, slightly more acidic drink.

• 45ml London dry gin
• 25ml Campari
• 25ml sloe gin

Add the ingredients to a mixing glass with ice, then stir to chill. Strain into a chilled coupe, then garnish with a flamed orange peel twist.