021 – Negroni

A Sydney ‘lock-down’ version of the classic and once again popular ‘Negroni’ cocktail.

Sydney’s Covid Lockdown has inspired me to explore this famous cocktail. Let’s take a look at the classic ‘Negroni’, a tripartite gem and a favorite of bitterness lovers everywhere. Life is bitter?

Make your own Locktail, the ‘Negroni’. Here is my Sydney Lock-Tail recipe:

METHOD — Add 30ml Gin, 30ml Vermouth, 30ml Campari and 4-drops Kakadu Plum Extract into a mixing glass with ice. Stir well until cold and then strain into a Double Rocks glass over a solid large piece of ice. Option to garnish with any combination of orange zest oil floated on the surface, orange peel, or an orange slice.

HISTORICAL NOTES – If you’ve been following along with previous 20 Lock-tails, you’ll already know that histories of these older classic cocktails are rarely simply, and even more rarely undisputed. So as in all other ways, the Negroni does not disappoint.

The simple and commonly accepted history is that Camillo Negroni (1868–1934), possibly still holding his familial title of ‘Count’, a regular patron of the Casoni Bar in Florence, Italy, asked the bartender Forsco Scarselli to add a bit more kick to his normally ordered ‘Americano’. Forsco Scarselli switched the soda water for Gin and the drink was born. Patrons of the Casoni Bar (later named Caffé Giacosa) would ask for “one of Count Negroni’s drinks” and the name stuck.

Of course this isn’t the only claimed history. Another claim rests with General Pascal Oliver Comte de Negroni (1829–1913), who’s family claim the he invented the drink in 1857, while in military service in Senegal, introducing his drink to the Lunéville Officers Club in 1870. There is some issue with this account in that Campari itself did not exist until 1860. Simon Difford as always has a far more comprehensive history if you are interested, on the Difford’s Guide website, here.

Another common situation is for the same, or very similar, cocktails to exist. Once again that is true here, in the great George Kappeler’s 1895 ‘Modern American Drinks in Chicago’, there is a recipe for a ‘Dundorado’ Cocktail that is very similar given the ingredients of the day. Half Old Tom Gin, and half Italian Vermouth, with two-dashes of Calisaya Bitters (a chincona based bitters not dissimilar to the key flavour in Campari bitters). However as we know, it is the Negroni name that stuck.

There is then a long line of quotes and published records of the Negroni Cocktail being drunk in Italy, including the famous 1947 quote by Orson Welles while filming ‘Black Magic’ in Rome, wrote about the ‘Negroni’, that “the bitters are good for your liver, the gin is bad for you. They balance each other.”

What is true, regardless of the true invention story, is that the Negroni has made a resurgence, making many ‘most popular’ cocktail lists. For many mixologists, it is cocktail blasphemy to mess with the one-third Gin, one-third Vermouth, and one-third Bitters holy-trilogy of this drink. There is a great symmetry in this, and with the amazing variety of flavours for each ingredient, the Negroni has almost unlimited variation even with this parity-of-parts constraint.

THE OFFICIAL MIX – The ‘Negroni’ is one of only 33-cocktails on the International Bartender Association (IBA)’s ‘The Unforgettables’ list. The IBA recipe is here, and calls for 30ml of Gin, 30ml Bitter Campari, and 30ml of Sweet Red Vermouth. Pour all ingredients into a chilled Old Fashioned Glass with ice and stir gently. Garnish with half-a-slice of orange.

TASTING NOTES – The Negroni is for fans of Bitter Cocktails, pure and simple. If you are swapping Campari or other strong bitters for something like Aperol, or removing the Bitters completely, one has to wonder if you are making a Negroni at all. Once we establish this is a Bitter Cocktail, the choice of Gin and Vermouth will make a profound difference, either clashing awfully or complementing each other. In a future era lock-tail, we will explore the White Negroni – using Lillet Blanc and clear bitters such as Suze.

The traditional Negroni is deep red, usually picking up colour from the Italian Vermouth and the Bitters, especially if using Campari. The final flavour profile should be Bitter and Alcohol forward, followed by some softening sweetness, juniper notes and then the botanicals in all of the ingredients. With all three main ingredients containing subtle botanicals, the flavour profile is so expansive once you get past the initial bitterness. This is a great drink in the evening, but don’t underestimate its strength.

LOCKTAIL CHANGES – Since we are exploring origins, I am going to use the Hammer & Son, Old English Gin to honour the early Old Tom style and benefit from the Juniper forward flavour with some additional sweetness compared to London Dry styles. I am also continuing to celebrate the relatively new Oscar 697 Rosso Vermouth. It honours the Italian Style that suits the period we are exploring, but has that touch of the modern cocktail revival and current popularity of the Negroni.

Finally I am using traditional Campari for the balance. So in many ways, this is a Negroni that is getting as close as I can to a 1919 (or earlier) heritage. My Lock-Tail accommodation is the addition of two-dashes (4-drops) of Kakadu Plum Extract, by the Australian Super Food Co, for some Australian anti-oxidants and some Australian lock-down sweetness. My own Australian super-food botanical.

YOUR LOCKTAIL EXPERIENCE – If you’d rather taste than read, I am progressively building an ingredient list and other sourcing information on this site. I will re-use ingredients where I can (good for my budget too), so that the cost goes down overtime if you are ‘playing at home’.

Let me know what you think.

Cocktails you’d like reinvented.

Recipes you’ve tried and your ‘score’.

This is the first of the 1911-1920 bracket of ‘Locktail’ remixes. See the full list in the index.