Overview
When you want a drink that suits any occasion, a negroni is a good all-rounder to have in your home bartending repertoire. It's easy to make, requires only three ingredients, and tastes as good in the summer months as it does curled up by a winter campfire. When you want to expand on your cocktail-making talents without venturing too far from the classic aperitif recipe, you can experiment with different spirits to make entirely different flavour combinations. Together with Campari, we've listed six drinks in the negroni family that you can play around with at home. Once you've found your preferred tipple, head to the Campari website to download two recipe books for 55 more twists on a negroni offered up by leading Australian bartenders.
FOR A MIDWEEK MOVIE NIGHT, MAKE AN AMERICANO
When hump day comes around, sometimes you just want to chill at home and watch a movie. There's a drink to match that moment. The Americano is a lighter introduction to a negroni that pairs well with salty snacks and a marathon viewing schedule of your favourite show. It was created in 1915 to satisfy American tourists travelling through Rome; tourists wanted a splash of soda in the popular Milano-Torino cocktail of the time and the honorary name has stuck ever since.
30ml Campari
30ml Cinzano Rosso
Soda water
Making this one is easy. Pour Campari and Cinzano into a rocks glass over plenty of ice. Add a splash of soda water and stir to mix. Garnish with a slice of orange or lemon.
FOR A DINNER PARTY APERITIF, SERVE A BOULEVARDIER
Bookmark this one for your next soiree. The Boulevardier has all the elegance of its birth era with a distinct flavour addition: oaky bourbon. Credited to an American-born writer who founded a magazine in Paris called the Boulevardier, the cocktail was first written about in 1927 and the recipe essentially substitutes bourbon for gin. The Russell's Reserve in this recipe gives it a spiced warmth, as well as adding to the overall deep red colour of the drink.
30ml Campari
45ml Russell's Reserve 10 Year Old Bourbon
30ml Cinzano Rosso
Pour all three ingredients into a mixing glass. Add ice and stir to reach the desired dilution (should take a couple of seconds). Strain into a coupette or stemmed glass. Express the essential oils of an orange peel, but don't use the orange as a garnish. This one is served chilled, without the fuss of ice or fruit.
FOR A WEEKEND PICNIC, TRY A NEGRONI SBAGLIATO
When you're planning a catch-up in the sunshine, it's customary to reach for the bubbles. The fizz of prosecco can work well with the bitterness of Campari in this short and refreshing concoction that was created by mistake. The Italian word 'sbagliato' translates to 'mistaken' and the story goes that, in 1972, a bartender called Mirko Stocchetto accidentally poured prosecco into a negroni instead of gin. Bar Basso in Milan, where Stocchetto worked, still offers the drink today. It is traditionally served in a large wine glass, however, it tastes just as good in a regular tumbler, which is far easier to balance on a picnic blanket.
30ml Campari
30ml Cinzano Rosso
75ml prosecco
Pour all three ingredients into a glass over plenty of ice. Stir to mix and garnish with an orange wedge.
FOR AN IMPROMPTU DATE NIGHT, OPT FOR A ROSITA
If your drinks cabinet leans more towards the agave plant than it does a juniper shrub, we have a negroni recipe that might excite your senses. Created in the 1970s, the Rosita has a complexity beyond your classic negroni by replacing gin with tequila. It's usually served in an old-fashioned glass and if you don't have an orange for a garnish, most other citrus fruits are a good substitute. It's an impressive drink, and looks like you've made more effort than you really have.
30ml Campari
30ml Espolon Blanco Tequila (or another 100-percent agave tequila)
15ml Cinzano Rosso
15ml Cinzano Extra-Dry
Pour all four ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice and stir for a few seconds. Strain into a glass. Express the essential oils of an orange and use as garnish.
FOR YOUR NEXT BARBECUE, OFFER A KINGSTON NEGRONI
Barbecue smoke filling the air. Sun setting in the distance. You want a drink that suits the laidback mood and stands up to the stronger flavours of grilled meats or veggies at your next barbecue. Considered a perfect after-dinner drink, the Kingston Negroni is a relatively recent creation that comes out of New York, rather than Jamaica. It has swagger, moreish flavour, and the richness of a negroni — but instead of gin, reach for a full-bodied, aged rum.
30ml Campari
30ml Appleton Estate Reserve Blend 8 Year Old Rum
30ml Cinzano Rosso
Pour ingredients into a rocks glass over plenty of ice. Stir to mix and garnish with an orange wedge, just as you would for a classic negroni.
FOR SUNDAY SUNDOWNERS, STICK WITH THE CLASSIC NEGRONI
We said it at the beginning; you can't go wrong with a classic. At 101 years old, the negroni has come a long way from its origins in Florence, when Count Camillo Negroni ordered an Americano with gin, rather than soda. It has the perfect balance of bitterness and sweetness, and the drink is only further improved by a fragrant wedge of orange. When you want to see out the week with a drink in hand, we suggest sticking with this classic. Pay close attention to the quality of your ice to ensure your drink is chilled, but not too diluted.
30ml Campari
30ml London dry gin
30ml Cinzano Rosso Vermouth
Pour ingredients into a short glass over a block of ice. Stir to combine the ingredients and garnish with a wedge of orange.
Download the free Negroni Cocktail Book for 60 different negroni recipes to try at home.