Gin
Negroni: a Popular Italian Cocktail

Negroni: a Popular Italian Cocktail

Simple and Appetising

Negroni is one of the most popular and classic cocktails, created at the beginning of the 1900s by twisting a classic Americano to be stronger. An Americano is made of Campari, Sweet Vermouth (or red as you can see in some recipes, they’re the same) and Club Soda. To make a Negroni, all you need to do is add Gin instead of Club Soda.

You need to use an old fashioned glass to build this drink. Yes, Negroni is prepared by built up. It has a digestive character so people usually consume Negroni before meals as an appetiser.

A Bit About Campari

Even though Negroni consists of 3 ingredients with equal parts, Campari is the main ingredient that gives the characteristics to this classic cocktail. It’s a liqueur and bitters, with a dark, red colour. The common consumption is with soda water or citrus juice.

Orange chocolate on the back, blurry image of a glass filled with ice and Negroni on the front.
Bitter cocktails go quite well with nuts and chocolate, but they are appetisers themselves alone, too.

Negroni Recipe

A hand garnishing Negroni with a slice of orange in an old fashioned glass filled with ice

The basic recipe has 3 ingredients:

  • 1 part Campari
  • 1 part Gin
  • 1 part Sweet Vermouth (AKA Red Vermouth)

Fill an old fashioned glass with ice. Old fashioned glass is also named as rocks glass or short tumbler, they all are the same thing. Put your spirits in the glass, stir well and insert a slice of orange to garnish. You can see some recipes garnishing this drink with a peel of orange but Campari gives the recipe with a slice of orange and I love fresh fruit more than the peel of the fruit in my drinks. Use either but keep in mind that garnishing is an essential part of some cocktails.


Let’s get to twisting the recipe part now. Bitters have a significant place in making cocktails. I’m sure that you’ve come across the usage of bitters a lot. What I love about Negroni is that you can use almost any bitters with this delicious drink and they all give an amazing result to taste.

My choice of bitter for Negroni is usually orange but you should definitely try it with chocolate bitters, too. I will write about bitters in detail soon but until then, don’t hesitate to try what you think you might like in your drinks. And don’t forget that sometimes you can get surprising results with some ingredients you think you might not like. After all, there are no rules because It’s always up to you how to enjoy your drinks.


You can have a classic Negroni almost any time of the day but the best time is before dinner so that you can benefit from it as an appetiser while enjoying the taste.


Because of its easy recipe and basic ingredients, it’s no surprise that Negroni has a significant place. Moreover, its aperitif function makes the drink more enjoyable. Hope that you’ll like this classic drink as much as I do and tell me how you enjoy it most. Cheers =)

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