Three New Negroni Trends for Negroni Week

Monday, September 16th marks the thirteenth celebration of Negroni Week. As the Trade Advocacy Lead for Campari America, and a fan of Negronis, getting creative with cocktails, and celebrating bartenders - I look forward to this week all year long. 

The week is hosted by Imbibe Magazine and supports Slow Food, an organization devoted to ending food scarcity around the world. Campari, the red heart of every Negroni, is of course the premiere sponsor. Bars around the world will be featuring Negronis this week- classic, creative, outrageous, and inventive. Why not join them and mix up some yourself at home? 

The gift of the Negroni is its simple form that invites endless creativity. This recipe of three equal parts has inspired bartenders to create their own variations for over one hundred years. In past years I’ve written about these recipes and how they came to be in the Negroni Family Tree (read about it here), and trends I had spotted in the “Negroni-verse” previously (read about it here). 

Since Negroni Week is all about celebrating bartenders, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite variations created by dear friends in the bar industry. These cocktails have stood the test of time - becoming modern classics in their own right. The best part is that they are easy to make at home. 



1. KULA NEGRONI: CREATED BY JULIE REINER

I love this recipe for home because it’s a fun and creative twist that is a bit lighter and brighter than the original. It’s a great “first Negroni” and a perfect welcome cocktail for an evening of entertaining at home. Plus, the step of infusing the Campari with strawberries will no doubt impress your guests. 

• 1 part Strawberry Infused Campari**
• 1 part Bianco Vermouth (I recco 1757 Bianco Vermouth) 
• 1 part Gin 

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice, stir. Strain over a large rock in a double rocks glass. Garnish with a whole strawberry. 

** To infuse Campari, combine a quart of fresh sliced strawberries with a 750ml bottle of Campari. Let sit for 3-4 days and then strain out the fruit. 

2. THE LEFT HAND AND RIGHT HAND

Best friends and business partners Sammy Ross and Mickey McIlroy have been working together for decades. They have created some of my favorite modern classics, among them the Penicillin (Ross) and Rome With a View (McIlroy). They created the Left Hand and Right Hand as if in conversation, showing how tweaking just one or two elements of a Negroni template can change the entire flavor profile in dramatic ways. It’s seemingly simple, but brilliant. For home cocktail makers, it’s a master class in how a dash of bitters can change everything. If you don’t own chocolate mole bitters, this is your sign to get some. Yum. 

RIGHT HAND, by Mickey McIlroy

• 1 ¾ parts aged rum
• ¾ parts sweet vermouth
• ¾ parts Campari
• 2 dashes chocolate bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass over ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

LEFT HAND, by Sam Ross

• 1 ½ parts bourbon
• ¾ part Campari
• ¾ part sweet vermouth
• 2 dashes mole bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with a cherry.



3. THE KINGSTON NEGRONI: CREATED BY JOAQUIN SIMO

This is perhaps the most famous of the Modern Classic Negronis. Simo, also creator of the Naked and Famous which has been trending recently, was inspired by a bottle of Jamaica rum. Not the traditional base for a Negroni, but the pairing of intensely funky Jamaica rum, the sweetness of the vermouth, and the bitterness of Campari all somehow work together to make something very special. If you’re making this at home for friends you can batch this in advance and put in the freezer to chill. Don’t forget to add 30% (or 1/3rd of the total volume) water to the batch so you can skip stirring and just pour over ice.  

• 1 part Jamaican rum 
• 1 part Campari
• 1 part sweet vermouth 

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain over a large rock in a double rocks glass. Garnish with a long, trimmed orange peel.

I hope you are inspired to try your hand at these modern classics and to get creative with your own variations. One word to the wise before you get started, always use fresh vermouth. Vermouth is aromatized wine and starts to turn a few days after being opened. Start your Negroni Week with a fresh bottle for best results, and keep it in the fridge once you’ve opened it. Salute and Happy Negroni Week! To learn more about Negroni Week, head to www.negroniweek.com. As always, please drink responsibly.