Like all good stories should, the one about the Negroni’s origin involves rakish Italian nobility. Most accounts credit the recipe to one Count Negroni, a swashbuckling proto-boho who reportedly spent time as a rodeo cowboy in the United States. Compounding his wild ways, legend has it that back at a bar in Italy in 1919, he asked for a something like an Americano, but boozier. Swap gin for soda water, and presto, the Negroni. Navigating a through line between bitter and sweet, this powerful drink—a study in balance—has evolved into one of the cornerstones of the classic cocktail revival.
Negroni
Italy's strong and bitter swashbuckler.
Ingredients
Serving: 1
- 1 ounce gin
- 1 ounce Campari
- 1 ounce sweet vermouth
Garnish: orange or lemon peel
Directions
- Add all ingredients to a mixing glass.
- Add ice and stir until chilled.
- If on the rocks, strain over ice into a rocks glass. If up, strain into a chilled coupe or cocktail glass.
- Garnish with an orange or lemon peel.
Editor's Note
We prefer Negronis with London-style dry gin for its typically citrus-forward flavor. We also like mixing up our sweet vermouth option with things like Cocchi Vermouth di Torino (if you can find it), but classically we prefer Carpano Antica. Both lend the drink a dark, savory complexity that plays well with the bitter tang of Campari.