The Ten Best Bars for a Negroni in Melbourne

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A good Negroni is all about balance. It's a balance of three fine liquors — gin, Campari and vermouth — that toe the very fine line between being much too bitter and just bitter enough. It's always been about this balance; one of the first recorded reports of the Negroni came from Orson Welles in 1947. While working in Rome, he wrote, "The bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you. They balance each other." We're happy to take his word for it.

Sixty years later, bartenders are still perfecting the Negroni. Not one for the faint-hearted, it's a serious cocktail for serious drinkers. But in Melbourne — a city where there are many a serious cocktail bar — where does one get not just a good but the best Negroni?

Here are ten bars we think could battle it out for the top prize. And with Negroni Week running from June 6-12, there's no better time to try them out — participating bars will even donate $1 from every Negroni ordered that week to a charity of their choice.

NIEUW AMSTERDAM

At Nieuw Amsterdam, they take their Negronis seriously. So much so that they haven't just worked on perfecting one rendition — they have a whole page in their menu dedicated to the drink. Although you can still get the good old standard, it might fall by the wayside with salted caramel, mezcal, bourbon and rosemary and piña colada variations on offer. And if you can't decide? Well, it's lucky that Nieuw Amsterdam's basement drinking den is dark, moody and made for sipping on a Negroni — and it's perfectly acceptable to stay on for two.

Nieuw Amsterdam is participating in Negroni Week. Their chosen charity? Beyond Blue. 

1806

Classic cocktails are what 1806 does best, and the Negroni is no exception. Think you're the Goldilocks of Negronis? 1806 will satiate you. These guys mix just the right amounts of Beefeater gin, Cinzano Rosso vermouth and Campari to create a drink that's not too bitter and not too sweet — but just right. A classic Negroni at its best.

1806 is participating in Negroni Week. Their chosen charity? Cancer Council Australia. 

THE NOBLE EXPERIMENT

With a name like The Noble Experiment, which nods to the ban that we all know as the prohibition, the fact that cocktails are the order of the day is no surprise. On the second level the cocktails really come alive, as do the staff who talk about them. Bottle and barrel-aged cocktails are served on an old-school trolley — and among them is the humble Negroni. Theirs is a holy concoction of bottle-aged Beefeater gin, house-blended barrel-aged sweet vermouth and Campari, served over an ice sphere with grapefruit and a touch of orange oil. Plus, they'll be doing a coffee Negroni special for Negroni Week.

The Noble Experiment is participating in Negroni Week. Their chosen charity? Breast Cancer Foundation. 

HEARTBREAKER

When you hear that the guys behind 1806 and The Everleigh are behind this city cocktail bar, you can probably imagine it's something special. Opening on Russell Street last year, Heartbreaker is an American-style dive bar through and through — we're talking red neon signs, black leather booths and a jukebox full of '70s rock 'n' roll. The real standouts are their pre-batched bottled cocktails, of which you can choose a Negroni. You can even grab one to go — their Liquor to Go bottle shop is open until 11pm.

JUNGLE BOY

Three words: Negronis on tap. With none of that measuring or mixing business to slow you down, the on-tap situation lets the staff behind the bar at Jungle Boy pour your Negronis with speed and ease. And yes, it actually tastes good. Somehow, the crew have managed to keep the drink's integrity intact, even when it's pouring pre-mixed out of a tap.

Jungle Boy is participating in Negroni Week. Their chosen charity? Beyond Blue. 

BOMBA

After opening back in 2013, Bomba has cemented itself as the city's top Spanish restaurants where tapas and vermouth are king. As such, they turn out a mean Negroni, using equal parts Tanqueray gin, Campari and (our personal favourite vermouth) Casa Mariol Vermut Negre. Best of all, you can enjoy your bev (and perhaps some manchego croquettes, for good measure) on their rooftop.

Bomba is participating in Negroni Week. Their chosen charity? Sacred Heart Mission St Kilda. 

THE WOODS OF WINDSOR

You'd be forgiven for losing your sense of time in The Woods Bar of Windsor. Between the tucked-away taxidermied treasures, op shop knick knacks and speakeasy-slick, the venue somehow manages to transcend the space-time continuum and transport patrons to the pre-prohibition States. What you'll want to see is the cocktail list — they've got a whole page dedicated to twists on the Negroni. Try their Ron Zacapa rum and chocolate infused creation or our favourite, the Smoky Negroni. It's made with a brilliantly smoky mezcal.

BAR NONNO

Enjoy a Negroni the way nature intended — with pizza. The Italians thought it was a good idea, and so should you. Bar Nonno's cosy interior is the best place on High Street to settle in for a hearty home-cooked meal, like the duck leg with pancetta or one of those thin crust babies. There's an extensive wine list, but we recommend reaching for your favourite Campari-fuelled drink. Because in Italy, every week is Negroni Week.

Bar Nonno is participating in Negroni Week. Their chosen charity? Fight Cancer Foundation.

D.O.C ALBERT PARK

Artisan pizza in Melbourne has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few years, with D.O.C at the forefront of the revolution. If you're looking for one of the city's finest, closest experiences to the real-deal in Italy, you've come to the right place. And what could be a better accompaniment to a perfect pizza than a Negroni? There's something about that ice-cold Campari concoction that goes down a right treat with hot cheese and bread — and this is one of the best places in Melbourne to experience the two together, as they should be.

D.O.C is participating in Negroni Week. Their chosen charity? Starlight.

CARWYN CELLARS

Didn't expect a bottle-o to be on this list? When we first entered Carwyn Cellars, neither did we. The Back Room of the High Street boutique bottle shop has 16 taps of beer, a solid wine list and an epic collection of over 100 whiskies. Cocktails are absent from the menu, save for a Negroni, which they actually have on tap. Yes, on tap. When it all starts to go to your head, you can have some cheese, or order a delicious Middle Eastern style pizza from The Moor's Head nearby, and have it delivered straight to your table.

HEARTATTACK AND VINE

Good things may come in small packages, but finer things come served as tasty morsels on wooden boards. The Italians call this cicchetti, and it's one of the defining features of Lygon Street's hippest bar, Heartattack and Vine. Of course, it would be remiss to chow down on cicchetti without a drink to match. That's where their spiced Negroni comes in. It's the perfect Italian aperitif to pair with some pre-dinner Italian snacks.

Want to learn more about Negronis? Brush up on your history.

By the Concrete Playground team.