Negroni Week at QT

Overview

Some cocktails go in and out of fashion. Some cocktails never go out of style. When it comes to the negroni, the latter has proven the case for almost a century. And there are a few reasons that this drink remains a classic. Its beautifully bitter mix of gin, Campari and sweet red vermouth always hits the spot. Its origins, harking back to 1919 when Count Camillo Negroni asked a Florence bartender to switch the soda in his Americano to gin, are both simple and ingenious. And it's delicious, whether served according to the recipe or given a signature twist.

If you're a die-hard negroni devotee you probably celebrate it most weekends — but now you have even more of a reason to raise your glass. September 12-18 marks international Negroni Week but QT hotels around the country have turned it into a month-long celebration. For the month of September, each of the bars and restaurants in Queenstown, Auckland and Wellington's QT Hotels have added a local libation to their negroni lineup with speciality twists on the classic cocktail.

At Esther in Auckland they're slinging a 'Far Far Away', a mix of Starward Two-Fold whisky, two varieties of vermouth, clarified whey, De Kuyper cherry XO and cocoa-infused campari. At Wellington's Hippopotamus bar they've given the negroni a Japanese twist with the Il Negroni Nipone: mixing Roku Japanese gin, Umeshu, Yuzu bitters and campari. And Queenstown's Reds Bar is leaning into spring ski season with the 'Bitter Peak': a blend of Laphroaig, Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin, Tanqueray, vermouth and Campari.

Each cocktail costs $25 and will be on the menu until September 30 — if you're travelling around the country this spring, you could try to knock them all off. Otherwise, enjoy yours on the rooftop in Auckland, in Wellington's plush setting or with mountain views in Queenstown.