The Negroni: history, recipe and trivia of an iconic cocktail
A toast to the signature drink of Italian mixology
Italy is a land of ingenuity and exceptional produce. What, then, could represent it better than a cocktail invented by a cosmopolitan nobleman by blending English gin with two ingredients proudly made in Italy? This is the century-old story of the Negroni, the drink that became Italy’s ambassador across the world.
In 1919, Count Negroni returned home to Florence after one of his frequent trips to London, where he had fallen in love with gin. It was here that Camillo Negroni, honouring his travels in England, devised a twist on his usual Americano: instead of soda water, the count asked for gin, creating a drink that was less fizzy and more potent. Mixing it all on the other side of the counter was Fosco Scarselli, bartender at Caffè Casoni and the first to serve this ‘stiffened’ variation with Campari, red vermouth and gin.
Word soon spread among Florentines, who began ordering ‘an Americano in the style of Count Negroni’, which was eventually shortened simply to ‘Negroni’, the name we know today. Legend has it—as confirmed by Fosco Scarselli in a 1960s interview with Gente—that the nobleman would drink as many as 40 a day, an unthinkable tally nowadays. The secret probably lay in the glass: a small cordial goblet rather than the tumbler our bartenders typically reach for today.
Before long, the Negroni became a symbol of the Renaissance of Italian drinking. Not only because it all began in Florence, but also because two of its ingredients were historically tied to Italy’s great cities. Campari was created in Milan by the inventive genius of Gaspare Campari, founder of the namesake company, while vermouth traces its roots to Turin. Its popularity surged during the Dolce Vita years, when international artists flocked to Italy, captivated by the drink’s bold flavour. Its fame grew so wide that mentions of the recipe appear in the writings of Ernest Hemingway, Orson Welles and Ian Fleming—the creator of James Bond never missed an opportunity to treat 007 to a Negroni.
Fancy mixing one yourself? The recipe is easy to remember. Fill a glass with ice, then pour equal parts—in this exact order—of gin, vermouth and Campari. Among the many styles of English gin, choose one that pairs smoothly with the citrus and bitter notes of the amaro, steering clear of profiles that are overly sharp or too sweet. The drink is then stirred with a stirrer and garnished with a slice of orange, just as the Florentine count used to do: an expensive habit at the time and ‘a way to stand out, given that before him everyone simply used a bit of lemon peel’, explains Luca Picchi, a true authority on the subject.
The Florentine bartender at the famous Caffè Gilli even wrote a book, ‘Negroni Cocktail, una leggenda italiana’, recounting the story of this masterpiece and its now-famous variations. The best-known is arguably the Negroni Sbagliato, born in Milan at the historic Bar Basso when bartender Mirko Stocchetto accidentally reached for prosecco-style spumante Brut instead of gin. Other riffs include the Boulevardier (whiskey instead of gin), the Japanese Negroni (replacing gin with sake) and two recipes devised by Mauro Mahjoub, owner of Mauro’s Negroni Club in Munich and a trainer at Campari Academy: the Negrosky (Campari, vermouth and vodka) and the tequila-based Tegroni. Another twist comes from Milan, where Tommaso Cecca, bar manager at Camparino in Galleria, created the Grand Negroni, swapping gin for Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge.
An icon of Italian mixology that also comes as a practical ready-to-serve drink, the Negroni Ready To Enjoy holds the authentic original recipe inside its sleek bottle. Its ready-to-drink format lets you enjoy a precisely mixed and balanced Negroni at home, perfect for unwinding with its distinctive floral and citrus notes and deep ruby-red colour. Ready to pour into a tumbler filled with ice and garnish with an orange slice, it celebrates genuine Italian bartending and a century of history.
Whether in its classic guise, an inventive twist or the practical Ready to Enjoy bottle, the Negroni remains the defining cocktail of the world of made in Italy mixology. A story that began over a century ago in Florence, thanks to the ingenuity of Count Camillo Negroni.
