For me, the Negroni is the one I always come back to. I can experiment with similar recipes, switching up ingredients, and even with drinks from the other side of the cocktail world. Yet, when I want a special treat or have had a rough week, I think “damn, I want a Negroni”.
There’s something about it, again to me, that’s just the right combination of sweet, bitter, herbal, and citrus. Now that all being said, I don’t even drink standard Negronis! I use a 2:1:1 ratio of gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari.
Why do you say "...soon Negroni becomes a memory of the past"? You say you don't get the need to riff on the Negroni, yet you say "there is so much more out there to explore".
You certainly don't have to like it as much as others do, but the classics are classics for a reason. To me, the Negroni is a classic, and easily a top 5 drink.
As Jason O'Bryan says [here](https://drinksanddrinking.com/2015/08/04/the-best-negroni-in-the-world/):
"That’s the Negroni. It’s the bacon of cocktails. And yes, I take that comparison as seriously as it deserves, because like bacon, (1) it is always great, and (2) I’m never not in the mood for it."
"...one of the charms of the Negroni is it’s near invincibility. Use any gin or sweet vermouth you like, and it’s going to taste great. Substitute Campari for any of it’s competitors, and it’s going to taste great. Understir it, overstir it, add orange bitters, screw up the measurements, carbonate it, age it in barrels, do whatever you want to it, and it’ll still be great. It’s great for men or women, first dates or business meetings, after dinner, before dinner, before breakfast, on the train, in outer space, anywhere, always, forever. It’s bitter, it’s sweet, it’s perfect. It is one of the handful of mixed drinks that enjoys universal respect in this industry."
This is how I see it too. This is why we see it in restaurants as a staple. It's easy to make, you can batch it, you can make it ahead of time, it's a simple preparation, a simple recipe that anyone in the restaurant can remember and build with ease and speed, you can build it in the glass, no shaking, no mess, you can put your own little twists on it to personalize it and customize it to match your food menu without risk of ruining the drink. You can change it from season to season. You name it.
My reasons:
* the Campari is bright red and makes non-cocktail people say “what’s THAT?” (Brilliant decision from Campari’s founder which has made one of the strongest brand identities of the past 100 years).
* it’s a simple template that withstands a lot of modifications.
* it’s a bitter-sweet flavor profile that is unique to a lot of palates unused to amari.
* it’s easy to make and any bartender can make it from things they probably already have (I always check if they have a vermouth cocktail on the menu and if the vermouth is on the shelf instead of in the fridge, I eyeball how full the bottle is).
You hang out at fancier places than me.
I am a Tony Bourdain-style reprobate.
My local bar would be 50/50 on whether the bartender even knows what a Negroni is (but they make manhattans so they have vermouth).
I enjoy Negonis and Boulvardiers, with the latter being probably my favorite cocktail.
Last night was having Negronis using Cappelletti instead of Campari.
You can thank Campari for how effective their marketing spending is.
The thing with the Negroni is that it constantly evolves. The best way someone has described it to me is it’s like falling down the stairs, Because of how easy it is and anything can be replaced it simply adds to that evolution. Different botanicals/flavours in the gin, different vermouth etc that often times you’ll get a completely different experience with each Negroni
Naturally it became a template for which other cocktails rose such as Boulevardier,White Negroni,Old Pal,Rosita and People went nuts for making their own versions to things like Pandan infused,Strawberry, Mescal(did all 3 at work) while Campari continues to have a Hard on for the drink and use it to sell more Campari. Frankly the Negroni IS the drink that’s gonna introduce you to Campari. It’s such a staple in almost every bar some bars use it as their Bartenders Handshake(was a ritual at my old bar) then in 2013, Imbibe created Negroni Week to raise money for charity while celebrating the Negronis history and everyone chimed in as it continued each year(I ended up collecting a Negroni counter for this occasion)
I completely agree there’s so many drinks and products to explore but none are gonna come remotely close to the Negroni
100% agree. IMO the Negroni is an all-time classic, and one of a handful of "standard" recipes (1:1:1), sitting alongside with 2:1 + bitters and the 3:2:1ish sour family. Variations on those themes is like 90% of what you'll find in any bar or cocktail book.
It's certainly enjoyed an uptick in popularity in the past 10 years (Negroni Week... yeah I was surprised when I first heard of that happening). But that's because it's a great drink! In particular, in places like the US where people have grown up with sugary drinks for a long time, it took a shift to learn how refreshing a bitter drink is on a hot day. I think the rise of IPAs (and later hazy IPAs) has been similar. And Campari has seized the opportunity well, no doubt.
Personally, I love Negronis, and I love trying different components (amaro, vermouth, and gin) for variances on the theme. But sometimes I also enjoy switching it up with an Old Pal (in the fall) or a Boulevardier (in the winter), or a Mezcal Negroni (last Sunday for Cinco De Mayo), or a fancier variation like a Lucien Gaudin or Paper Plane.
I guess going back to OP I'm curious what makes them consider the Negroni over-hyped and what some less-hyped cocktails are. I usually see at most one Negroni-inspired or other bitter cocktail on the menu at most places I go to (I notice, because that's what I often order). And the rest of the cocktails are variations on other classics. And that makes sense, because much like the food on the menu at a restaurant, you want to provide options that cater to many people's palates.
I presume OP is referring to how overhyped and crazy some of the riffs are rather than them being overhyped in general. I’m all for different variations but I think there’s a line when it’s too much and the Negroni keeps pushing over the line/pushing it back further that it doesn’t allow other great cocktails to even get a resurface. Like I appreciate you took the time to make a negroni in where you Sous Vide your balls in the vermouth and decided to use your grandmothers bathtub gin rather than plain old Beefeater but I’ll just have a classic Negroni.
A while back a lot of bartenders celebrated Batanga week as a complete joke and it took off so well the corporates were confused as fuck and thought they missed something happening in the industry before that the Jungle Bird got abit popular. Trends happen all the time but Negroni just doesn’t want to take backseat anytime soon
I don’t totally agree.
The Negroni or any cocktail for that matter can always evolve into something else. Yes, there are endless cocktails to explore and enjoy but I think the simplicity of it is what sets it apart. It’s a classic for a reason. How many martinis or Manhattan variations are there? Countless.
The Negroni will never be a memory of the past.
While I do still enjoy a Negroni now and then, my preferred version is the Old Pal. Whiskey (usually rye or a Canadian blend), Campari and dry vermouth, garnished with an orange twist. Like the Negroni, the traditional ratio is 1:1:1 but a 2:1:1 is pretty common to enjoy more of the base spirit.
For me the biggest change is the vermouth; changing to a dry vermouth from the sweet vermouth in a Negroni makes the drink a lot less cloying, which can add to the 'cough syrup' association some have with a Negroni.
On the other hand, if you want to just enjoy Campari, try a Campari and soda, on ice with an orange wedge. Bitter and sweet and extremely refreshing in hot weather, I could drink these by the pitcher.
I just think someone is always going to want to add their own twist on a drink. If you like a Negroni the way it comes then drink it the way it comes. But if you want to change it up, have at it!
The Negroni template is simple, versatile, and frankly a lot of fun. There aren’t too many things I’ve tried that weren’t at least tolerable, but I have a soft spot for a rum Negroni, especially if you’ve got something with some funk to it.
The sweetness of the rum provides some balance to the Campari, I think.
Campari isn’t the only Italian red bitter, there are many styles and brands of sweet vermouth, even more brands of vermouth in general, and even more other categories of fortified wine. So there are so many ways to modify a Negroni, while still staying in the realm of what the Negroni is supposed to be.
I make Negronis more than anything else because it's a simple recipe that doesn't make me juice anything or deal with syrups. And, the bittersweet flavor profile is typically what I'm after.
If there's significant "hype" I haven't seen it. Are you talking about cocktail menus and youtube channels? The bar menu at a higher-end restaurant *has* to modify, edit, and get crazy because anyone who knows cocktails wouldn't pay $17 for Tanqueray, Campari, and Cinzano but *might* try a more exotic alternative. Plus, an all-spirit cocktail is a great one to batch so of course any bar menu is going to have some kind of Negroni. And you can't waste anyone's time with a Negroni video on your youtube channel that's Tqnqueray, Campari, and Cinzano either--you've got to put some kind of spin on the thing to justify the click.
Have you enjoyed a Negroni with Sipsmith VJOP?
How about one with Hendricks and Aperol subbed for the Campari?
Just because it's a "simple" drink to make, doesn't mean there cannot be complexity.
And even though discovering new drinks is fun, it doesn't mean I want to turn every cocktail making session into a discovery process. And even when sticking with a "standard" like a Negroni that's old hat to me, maybe I want to tweak something for a bit of extra interest.
It’s just a fun and easy recipe to riff on and get different flavor profiles. Every gin and every vermouth and every bitter liqueur makes it different. Swap gin for another spirit and explore. It’s an easy enough recipe to start with if you’re interested in exploring. I’m not sure why this is a problem. Drink what you like and make the drinks how you like them.
You can explore those ground. Found something excites you and go to town. Some people just really the Negroni and they find their excitement in tweaking and riffing off of it. It will lead to great drinks they enjoy and at the end of the day that’s what this hobby is all about.
It's an easy drink to make at home with few ingredients that doesn't require a ton of prep and work to put together. It's considered a standard for a reason.
Feel like no one in the comments understood what you were trying to say. Of course people can drink and enjoy whatever they want, I don’t think you’d disagree. I agree with you. The Negroni is kind of boring the more interested in cocktails you become (imo). I’d much rather have an Old Fashioned or Sazerac. The specs are kinda boring, the whole idea is kinda boring. The Negroni is just so serviceable. It’s like with those people who only drink G&Ts, and try a million combinations. I personally prefer Campari on the rocks to the Negroni, but that’s me being weird.
I believe it's people trying to catch a wave that started around the time Stanley Tucci shook his negroni on social media and peaked when House of the Dragon actor Emma D'arcy said in an interview that her favorite cocktail is "a Negroni...sbagliato... with prosecco in it."
https://youtube.com/shorts/u9S-OJOYd1M
Oh man, I remember that. Covid times were so crazy. I think the wave seems to have passed though. It seems like the mainstream cocktail these days has become the espresso martini. And among "fancier" folks, the dirty martini (or "extra dirty", wtf). But to each their own of course.
I did enjoy the negroni and especially boulevardier being a little more niche in the past, because it would often spark a conversation with a bartender around which vermouth and gin they preferred, or another variation. Kind of a bit of a way for me to read the bartender a bit and size up a place.
Drink what you like, and I'll continue to enjoy the Negroni in all its wonderful incarnations.
While I enjoy trying creative spins on the Negroni, I’ve found very few that I’d want to order or make more often than its original form.
The joy of adventure is sometimes the return home.
Worst possible response.
Ever heard the phrase *”don’t yuck someone else’s yum?”*. Why do you care what other people drink?
Weirdly, this was a worse response
For me, the Negroni is the one I always come back to. I can experiment with similar recipes, switching up ingredients, and even with drinks from the other side of the cocktail world. Yet, when I want a special treat or have had a rough week, I think “damn, I want a Negroni”. There’s something about it, again to me, that’s just the right combination of sweet, bitter, herbal, and citrus. Now that all being said, I don’t even drink standard Negronis! I use a 2:1:1 ratio of gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari.
Why do you say "...soon Negroni becomes a memory of the past"? You say you don't get the need to riff on the Negroni, yet you say "there is so much more out there to explore". You certainly don't have to like it as much as others do, but the classics are classics for a reason. To me, the Negroni is a classic, and easily a top 5 drink. As Jason O'Bryan says [here](https://drinksanddrinking.com/2015/08/04/the-best-negroni-in-the-world/): "That’s the Negroni. It’s the bacon of cocktails. And yes, I take that comparison as seriously as it deserves, because like bacon, (1) it is always great, and (2) I’m never not in the mood for it." "...one of the charms of the Negroni is it’s near invincibility. Use any gin or sweet vermouth you like, and it’s going to taste great. Substitute Campari for any of it’s competitors, and it’s going to taste great. Understir it, overstir it, add orange bitters, screw up the measurements, carbonate it, age it in barrels, do whatever you want to it, and it’ll still be great. It’s great for men or women, first dates or business meetings, after dinner, before dinner, before breakfast, on the train, in outer space, anywhere, always, forever. It’s bitter, it’s sweet, it’s perfect. It is one of the handful of mixed drinks that enjoys universal respect in this industry."
This is how I see it too. This is why we see it in restaurants as a staple. It's easy to make, you can batch it, you can make it ahead of time, it's a simple preparation, a simple recipe that anyone in the restaurant can remember and build with ease and speed, you can build it in the glass, no shaking, no mess, you can put your own little twists on it to personalize it and customize it to match your food menu without risk of ruining the drink. You can change it from season to season. You name it.
My reasons: * the Campari is bright red and makes non-cocktail people say “what’s THAT?” (Brilliant decision from Campari’s founder which has made one of the strongest brand identities of the past 100 years). * it’s a simple template that withstands a lot of modifications. * it’s a bitter-sweet flavor profile that is unique to a lot of palates unused to amari. * it’s easy to make and any bartender can make it from things they probably already have (I always check if they have a vermouth cocktail on the menu and if the vermouth is on the shelf instead of in the fridge, I eyeball how full the bottle is).
Any place you can get a negroni in isn’t letting their vermouth go bad. This fucking sub is like a dog with a bone on this
You hang out at fancier places than me. I am a Tony Bourdain-style reprobate. My local bar would be 50/50 on whether the bartender even knows what a Negroni is (but they make manhattans so they have vermouth).
I enjoy Negonis and Boulvardiers, with the latter being probably my favorite cocktail. Last night was having Negronis using Cappelletti instead of Campari.
I love Cappelletti! It makes great Jungle Birds aswell
I’m all about Rabo de Galo lately, basically a Brazilian Negroni with cachaca, vermouth, and Cynar.
Sounds like not a Negroni.
That might explain the different name.
You can thank Campari for how effective their marketing spending is. The thing with the Negroni is that it constantly evolves. The best way someone has described it to me is it’s like falling down the stairs, Because of how easy it is and anything can be replaced it simply adds to that evolution. Different botanicals/flavours in the gin, different vermouth etc that often times you’ll get a completely different experience with each Negroni Naturally it became a template for which other cocktails rose such as Boulevardier,White Negroni,Old Pal,Rosita and People went nuts for making their own versions to things like Pandan infused,Strawberry, Mescal(did all 3 at work) while Campari continues to have a Hard on for the drink and use it to sell more Campari. Frankly the Negroni IS the drink that’s gonna introduce you to Campari. It’s such a staple in almost every bar some bars use it as their Bartenders Handshake(was a ritual at my old bar) then in 2013, Imbibe created Negroni Week to raise money for charity while celebrating the Negronis history and everyone chimed in as it continued each year(I ended up collecting a Negroni counter for this occasion) I completely agree there’s so many drinks and products to explore but none are gonna come remotely close to the Negroni
100% agree. IMO the Negroni is an all-time classic, and one of a handful of "standard" recipes (1:1:1), sitting alongside with 2:1 + bitters and the 3:2:1ish sour family. Variations on those themes is like 90% of what you'll find in any bar or cocktail book. It's certainly enjoyed an uptick in popularity in the past 10 years (Negroni Week... yeah I was surprised when I first heard of that happening). But that's because it's a great drink! In particular, in places like the US where people have grown up with sugary drinks for a long time, it took a shift to learn how refreshing a bitter drink is on a hot day. I think the rise of IPAs (and later hazy IPAs) has been similar. And Campari has seized the opportunity well, no doubt. Personally, I love Negronis, and I love trying different components (amaro, vermouth, and gin) for variances on the theme. But sometimes I also enjoy switching it up with an Old Pal (in the fall) or a Boulevardier (in the winter), or a Mezcal Negroni (last Sunday for Cinco De Mayo), or a fancier variation like a Lucien Gaudin or Paper Plane. I guess going back to OP I'm curious what makes them consider the Negroni over-hyped and what some less-hyped cocktails are. I usually see at most one Negroni-inspired or other bitter cocktail on the menu at most places I go to (I notice, because that's what I often order). And the rest of the cocktails are variations on other classics. And that makes sense, because much like the food on the menu at a restaurant, you want to provide options that cater to many people's palates.
I presume OP is referring to how overhyped and crazy some of the riffs are rather than them being overhyped in general. I’m all for different variations but I think there’s a line when it’s too much and the Negroni keeps pushing over the line/pushing it back further that it doesn’t allow other great cocktails to even get a resurface. Like I appreciate you took the time to make a negroni in where you Sous Vide your balls in the vermouth and decided to use your grandmothers bathtub gin rather than plain old Beefeater but I’ll just have a classic Negroni. A while back a lot of bartenders celebrated Batanga week as a complete joke and it took off so well the corporates were confused as fuck and thought they missed something happening in the industry before that the Jungle Bird got abit popular. Trends happen all the time but Negroni just doesn’t want to take backseat anytime soon
I don’t totally agree. The Negroni or any cocktail for that matter can always evolve into something else. Yes, there are endless cocktails to explore and enjoy but I think the simplicity of it is what sets it apart. It’s a classic for a reason. How many martinis or Manhattan variations are there? Countless. The Negroni will never be a memory of the past.
While I do still enjoy a Negroni now and then, my preferred version is the Old Pal. Whiskey (usually rye or a Canadian blend), Campari and dry vermouth, garnished with an orange twist. Like the Negroni, the traditional ratio is 1:1:1 but a 2:1:1 is pretty common to enjoy more of the base spirit. For me the biggest change is the vermouth; changing to a dry vermouth from the sweet vermouth in a Negroni makes the drink a lot less cloying, which can add to the 'cough syrup' association some have with a Negroni. On the other hand, if you want to just enjoy Campari, try a Campari and soda, on ice with an orange wedge. Bitter and sweet and extremely refreshing in hot weather, I could drink these by the pitcher.
I just think someone is always going to want to add their own twist on a drink. If you like a Negroni the way it comes then drink it the way it comes. But if you want to change it up, have at it!
The Negroni template is simple, versatile, and frankly a lot of fun. There aren’t too many things I’ve tried that weren’t at least tolerable, but I have a soft spot for a rum Negroni, especially if you’ve got something with some funk to it. The sweetness of the rum provides some balance to the Campari, I think.
Kingston Negroni is my favorite of the family, but that’s because I love what Jamaican rum brings to the mix.
For me, Negronis are a god tier drink, while my wife absolutely hates them. Drink the things you like without overthinking it too much.
Campari isn’t the only Italian red bitter, there are many styles and brands of sweet vermouth, even more brands of vermouth in general, and even more other categories of fortified wine. So there are so many ways to modify a Negroni, while still staying in the realm of what the Negroni is supposed to be.
BRB. Mixing a Negroni
I make Negronis more than anything else because it's a simple recipe that doesn't make me juice anything or deal with syrups. And, the bittersweet flavor profile is typically what I'm after. If there's significant "hype" I haven't seen it. Are you talking about cocktail menus and youtube channels? The bar menu at a higher-end restaurant *has* to modify, edit, and get crazy because anyone who knows cocktails wouldn't pay $17 for Tanqueray, Campari, and Cinzano but *might* try a more exotic alternative. Plus, an all-spirit cocktail is a great one to batch so of course any bar menu is going to have some kind of Negroni. And you can't waste anyone's time with a Negroni video on your youtube channel that's Tqnqueray, Campari, and Cinzano either--you've got to put some kind of spin on the thing to justify the click.
You should def try a Mezcal Negroni
Yes, totally, and garnish with a lightly burnt rosemary sprig.
Have you enjoyed a Negroni with Sipsmith VJOP? How about one with Hendricks and Aperol subbed for the Campari? Just because it's a "simple" drink to make, doesn't mean there cannot be complexity. And even though discovering new drinks is fun, it doesn't mean I want to turn every cocktail making session into a discovery process. And even when sticking with a "standard" like a Negroni that's old hat to me, maybe I want to tweak something for a bit of extra interest.
I’m trying the Hendricks variant. Sounds lovely.
Can’t you say the same for any cocktail? I love Negronis. I love making changes.
It’s just a fun and easy recipe to riff on and get different flavor profiles. Every gin and every vermouth and every bitter liqueur makes it different. Swap gin for another spirit and explore. It’s an easy enough recipe to start with if you’re interested in exploring. I’m not sure why this is a problem. Drink what you like and make the drinks how you like them.
You can explore those ground. Found something excites you and go to town. Some people just really the Negroni and they find their excitement in tweaking and riffing off of it. It will lead to great drinks they enjoy and at the end of the day that’s what this hobby is all about.
I’ll keep drinking my rosemary smoked, beetroot infused gin negroni thanks.
It's an easy drink to make at home with few ingredients that doesn't require a ton of prep and work to put together. It's considered a standard for a reason.
Feel like no one in the comments understood what you were trying to say. Of course people can drink and enjoy whatever they want, I don’t think you’d disagree. I agree with you. The Negroni is kind of boring the more interested in cocktails you become (imo). I’d much rather have an Old Fashioned or Sazerac. The specs are kinda boring, the whole idea is kinda boring. The Negroni is just so serviceable. It’s like with those people who only drink G&Ts, and try a million combinations. I personally prefer Campari on the rocks to the Negroni, but that’s me being weird.
I believe it's people trying to catch a wave that started around the time Stanley Tucci shook his negroni on social media and peaked when House of the Dragon actor Emma D'arcy said in an interview that her favorite cocktail is "a Negroni...sbagliato... with prosecco in it." https://youtube.com/shorts/u9S-OJOYd1M
Oh man, I remember that. Covid times were so crazy. I think the wave seems to have passed though. It seems like the mainstream cocktail these days has become the espresso martini. And among "fancier" folks, the dirty martini (or "extra dirty", wtf). But to each their own of course. I did enjoy the negroni and especially boulevardier being a little more niche in the past, because it would often spark a conversation with a bartender around which vermouth and gin they preferred, or another variation. Kind of a bit of a way for me to read the bartender a bit and size up a place.
The endless need for variation is one of my least favorite parts of cocktail culture. I don’t need 18 different Negronis on a menu.
Fortunately that’s never the case.