A Negroni is three equal parts: gin, sweet vermouth and a red bitter. Change one
part and you have a different drink. These are the eight worth knowing, with how to make each.
It started with the Americano — red bitter, sweet vermouth and soda —
and every drink below is a swap on a swap. Measurements are for one drink; stir anything without
citrus, shake anything with it.
The original
Negroni
- 1 oz (30 ml) London dry gin
- 1 oz (30 ml) sweet vermouth
- 1 oz (30 ml) red bitter (Campari is the classic)
Stir with ice until well chilled. Strain over one large cube in a rocks glass. Express an orange peel over the top.
The story goes that in Florence, around 1919, Count Camillo Negroni asked for his Americano stronger, and the bartender swapped the soda water for gin.
Or skip the stirring
The Togronis Negroni is London dry gin, Italian sweet vermouth and Scrappy's red bitter, at full strength in a 100 ml can.
Find it near you · Buy onlineGin becomes bourbon
Boulevardier
- 1¼ oz (37 ml) bourbon or rye
- 1 oz (30 ml) sweet vermouth
- 1 oz (30 ml) red bitter
Stir with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe, or over a large cube. Orange peel.
Named for the Boulevardier, a magazine for Americans in 1920s Paris, and printed in Harry McElhone’s Barflies and Cocktails in 1927. Richer and rounder than the Negroni, with the whiskey doing what the gin’s juniper did.
Gin becomes mezcal
Mezcal Negroni
- 1 oz (30 ml) mezcal
- 1 oz (30 ml) sweet vermouth
- 1 oz (30 ml) red bitter
Stir with ice. Strain over a large cube. Orange or grapefruit peel.
A child of the modern cocktail revival. Smoke where the juniper was, and the bitter stands up to it better than you would expect.
Gin becomes sparkling wine
Negroni Sbagliato
- 1 oz (30 ml) sweet vermouth
- 1 oz (30 ml) red bitter
- 2 oz (60 ml) prosecco or dry sparkling wine
Build the vermouth and bitter over ice in a rocks or wine glass, top with the sparkling wine and stir once. Orange slice.
Sbagliato means “mistaken.” The tale from Bar Basso in Milan is that a bartender reached for sparkling wine instead of gin. Lighter, brighter, and lower in alcohol.
Rye, and dry vermouth for sweet
Old Pal
- 1½ oz (45 ml) rye whiskey
- ¾ oz (22 ml) dry vermouth
- ¾ oz (22 ml) red bitter
Stir with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe. Lemon twist.
An older cousin from 1920s Paris, in the same circle as the Boulevardier. Dry vermouth in place of sweet makes it sharper and leaner.
The bitter goes gold
White Negroni
- 1 oz (30 ml) London dry gin
- 1 oz (30 ml) Lillet Blanc or blanc vermouth
- ¾ oz (22 ml) Suze or another gentian liqueur
Stir with ice. Strain over a large cube. Lemon twist.
Created by London bartender Wayne Collins in 2001. Gentian brings the bitterness instead of a red bitter, so it pours pale gold, floral and dry.
Gin becomes Jamaican rum
Kingston Negroni
- 1 oz (30 ml) funky Jamaican rum
- 1 oz (30 ml) sweet vermouth
- 1 oz (30 ml) red bitter
Stir with ice. Strain over a large cube. Orange peel.
A New York bar favourite, usually credited to Joaquín Simó. The rum’s banana-and-molasses funk turns it into something closer to a tropical drink.
Vermouth becomes lemon
Negroni Sour
- 1 oz (30 ml) London dry gin
- 1 oz (30 ml) red bitter
- ¾ oz (22 ml) fresh lemon juice
- ½ oz (15 ml) simple syrup
- 1 egg white (optional)
Shake hard without ice if using egg white, then again with ice. Strain into a chilled coupe.
A modern bar riff, and one of the most-poured variations of Negroni Week. Citrus and froth instead of vermouth’s depth.
Some of the riffs bars are pouring this week. A snapshot, not a directory —
menus change, so check with the bar before you go.
We make the Negroni, the Boulevardier and the Mezcal Negroni in 100 ml cans at
full strength — stirred, balanced and ready to pour over ice.
