🍊 Negroni

Equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth — possibly the most perfect cocktail ever invented.

4 min
Serves 1
Stirred
Rocks Glass
Ingredients
  • 1 oz London Dry Gin
  • 1 oz Campari
  • 1 oz Sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica Formula strongly recommended)
  • Orange peel to garnish
  • Large ice cube
Method
  1. 1
    Add all three ingredientsPour gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth directly into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
  2. 2
    StirStir with a bar spoon for 20–25 seconds. The Negroni is often built directly in the glass and stirred there, unlike cocktails mixed in a separate mixing glass.
  3. 3
    Express the orange peelHold a piece of orange peel skin-side down over the drink. Squeeze sharply so the oils spray over the surface. You'll see them catch the light as they hit the glass.
  4. 4
    Rub and garnishRub the expressed peel around the rim of the glass, then drop it in or place it on the edge.

Count Negroni's Invention

The Negroni was created in 1919 at Caffè Casoni in Florence, Italy. Count Camillo Negroni, a regular, asked bartender Fosco Scarselli to strengthen his usual Americano (Campari, vermouth, soda) by replacing the soda water with gin. The result was named after the Count. The Negroni family later founded the Negroni distillery in Treviso.

The Negroni is the most debated cocktail in terms of ratios. The classic is equal parts (1:1:1). Some bartenders go 1.5:1:1 (more gin). Some go 1:1:0.75 (slightly less vermouth). Explore — but always come back to the equal-parts original. The vermouth choice matters most: Carpano Antica Formula's vanilla and walnut character transforms the drink. Use a fresh, refrigerated bottle.

Variations

🌵 Mezcal Negroni

Replace gin with a lightly smoky mezcal. The smoke plays beautifully against the Campari bitterness. See our full Mezcal Negroni recipe.

🤍 White Negroni

Replace Campari with Suze (gentian liqueur) and sweet vermouth with Lillet Blanc. Crystal clear, floral, more delicate.

🍹 Negroni Sbagliato

Replace gin with Prosecco for a lighter, bubblier version. 'Sbagliato' means 'wrong' in Italian — a bartender's mistake that became its own classic.

Related
🍸 Cocktails A–Z Browse all 72 classic recipes 🌿 Gin Guide The primary spirit — London Dry works best 🌵 Mezcal Negroni The smoky agave upgrade 🥂 Boulevardier The bourbon version