The Negroni: On Balanced Bitterness & The Cocktail's Legacy
“The bitters are excellent for your liver. The gin is bad for you. They balance each other.” - Orson Welles
I like balance. I’m a person who thrives on a healthy mix of steadiness and spontaneity in life and yes, I’ll admit… bitterness and sweetness too. I’m going to make a bold statement. I believe the Negroni is the champion of the Italian aperitivo menu. It is an absolute hero of a cocktail - perfectly balancing bitterness, sweetness and simplicity. As the drink beloved by Italians is now being celebrated worldwide for its one hundred and second birthday this year, there couldn’t be a better first recipe to dig into as I cook my way through Italy.
As a Negroni-lover for many years, I’ve made my fair amount of these red delicious bad boys. (Its classic one to one to one ratio is a beginner bartender’s dream come true!) However, I’m not just doing this project for pure deliciousness’ sake. I’m also here to learn and share my discoveries and great appreciation that comes with the process.
So here goes. Take a deep gulp with me. Here’s a deep dive into Italy’s iconic cocktail, The Negroni!
Campari & Italy’s Unification
As many Italophiles know, the pre-dinner ritual of aperitivo is one that is synonymous with “la vita bella” - a slow and languid lifestyle that celebrates togetherness, family and a laid back approach to life. (Should I write more on the art of aperitivo? I think so!) It’s a sacred event through and through.
In the world of aperitivo, and in most Italians’ eyes, Campari is king. This pre-dinner bitter liqueur made from aromatic herbs, fruit and orange peel has depth and a gorgeous beauty to it. I mean, just look at that color! It’s also an incredible addition to any salty, savory snack on the menu… be it sardines, chips or salted peanuts. Trust me on this. Take a bite of any salt-ridden snack and then wash it down with a sip of a Negroni. Heaven.
Campari’s history actually pre-dates Italy itself, as the liqueur was created ten years before the unification of Italy in 1870. Named after Gaspare Campari, the founder of the brand, the Campari company was formed in Novara (just about 30 miles west of Milan) in 1860. However, only three people know the exact recipe itself… even today! Some whisperings have claimed that the liqueur has over 80 ingredients, but only those recipe-holders can truly verify this. The formula is incredibly secret and closely guarded, for good reason!
Italian cocktails creators have even used Campari to represent the unification of Italy… with the Campari representing northern Milan and Sicilian oranges representing the southern regions of the country. I love this little nod to the history of the liqueur and the country itself. As I began this journey of cooking my way through Italy, I knew some very, very basic ideas of ingredients being tied with various regions of the country (Sicilian oranges being one) … but I’m excited to learn more! It’s so important to recognize that Italian cooking is not synonymous throughout the country. There is depth to the practices and the iconic ingredients sourced from each region.
Can you tell I’m geeking out about this stuff?
Campari, Vermouth, Gin: The Iconic Trio
As the Negroni recipe is simple three equal parts of Campari, vermouth and gin… I wanted to know how the heck the English-Dutch liquor and aromatic spirit found their way to the iconically Italian cocktail. Turns out, it’s a bit of a maze.
First, it’s important to note that the Negroni is essentially a spin on the Americano - a classic concoction of Campari, sweet vermouth and club soda, garnished with an orange twist. There are many variations on the drink that have become cult-classics, but the Negroni wins hands down (at least in my eyes) as the most religiously adored.
Vermouth, it turns out, is incredibly Italian. This sweet and herby liqueur is an aromatized, fortified wine whose history stems all the way to the mid 1700’s in Turin, Italy… when it was used primarily for medicinal purposes. The more you know!
Gin, by the way, may have actually come from Italian monks using juniper berries as flavorings in distilled drinks all the way in the 1000’s! But cocktail aficionados most often associate the liquor with Holland’s Franciscus Sylvius who used it for medicinal purposes, and later, English soldiers using the drink to keep their hands warm in the Thirty Years War.
So, the question is… who was the genius who made the holy trilogy of gin-vermouth-Campari complete?
A Tale of Two Counts
So, here’s the situation. There are two aristocrats who claim ownership of the creation of the Negroni… both of which are named Count Negroni. Let’s get into it.
When asked, most mixologists will tell you the tall tale of a dashing, devilish man known as Count Negroni created the cocktail in 1920 in Florence, Italy. They’ll regale stories of Count Camillo Negroni, a top-hat and handlebar mustache and all type of aristocrat who found his way to the States. It’s worth mentioning that this is all pretty much based on truth. Count Camillo gained quite a reputation as a banker, cowboy and gambler before arriving to the US. But is he the actual creator of the cocktail?
The first bit of evidence in our mystery come from Camillo’s letters (dated 1920) in which he says, “You say you and drink, smoke and I am sure laugh, just as much as ever. I feel you are not much to be pitied! You must not take more than 20 Negronis in one day!” Pretty clear cut stuff there! Because of the clear-cut use of the cocktail’s name - Camillo’s creation of the Negroni became gospel in the mixology world.
However, thanks to a massive amount of research done by historians, there’s actually pretty striking evidence that points to the Negroni cocktail being invented in Senegal, West Africa by a French Corsican with the title Count Negroni as well!
So we have Camillo Negroni (as mentioned above). Who’s the other? Pascal-Olivier de Negroni.
Pascal joined the French Army at a young age and lead quite the heroic life as a Commander in the Franco-Prussian wars. He often engaged in many soirees in his tenure… but the Negroni cocktail itself comes into play when he is said to have introduced his signature “vermouth-based cocktail” in 1870 to the Lunéville Officers Club.
Paperwork that have now been (allegedly) stowed away by the Negroni family include a letter penned by Pascal in which he writes “did you know that vermouth-based cocktail I invented in Saint Louis was a great hit?” This points to the notion that the drink was created in the French colony of Saint Louis, in Senegal, West Africa… almost 50 years before Camillo’s mention of the cocktail in his letters!
Will we ever know if Pascal truly created the Negroni itself? Who knows! We’ll never know for sure if his signature drink included Campari in it… that’s for sure. I love the mystery of it all! Regardless of who can lay claim to the creation of the Negroni, I’m grateful to have such a curious backstory to dig into.
The Classic Negroni
1 part sweet vermouth
1 part gin
1 part Campari
Garnish: orange peel
Region: Tuscany… or West Senegal?
Add equal parts of Campari, gin and sweet vermouth to a mixing glass filled with ice.
Stir until your hands are nice and numb.
I can’t emphasize this enough - be sure to really stir between 30 seconds to a minute! This lets the drink dilute ever so slightly, bringing the bitterness down and the citrusy goodness forward.
Strain into a rocks glass filled with large ice cubes… or one larger cube if you’re feeling fancy!
Peel a slice of an orange. Face the exterior of the peel towards the cocktail. Give it a good pinch to release the aromatics into the drink.
Garnish with the peel.
Enjoy.
Notes and Suggestions:
The key to a mind blowing Negroni is finding a gin-vermouth duo that complements the Campari’s bitterness, as opposed to overwhelming it. This is where the fun comes in - experiment, have fun with it! I personally love Beefeater gin and Cinzano Vermouth. It’s fun to play around with this. Perhaps you’re more into a floral quality or even vanilla forward sweetness. But never attempt to replace the iconic Campari in the cocktail. That’s just blasphemous!
Just For Fun
You can listen to my podcast episode on Negronis here (… this was too much fun!)
You should subscribe to Passports & Pizza while you’re at it too!
Looking for more variations on the Negroni? I got you.
I’m obsessed with this video on Negroni concoctions.
This book is perfect for your resident Negroni-lover.
Campari’s website is pretty cool. I love this timeline they’ve shared!
How adorable is this Negroni Christmas ornament?!
The Negroni is synonymous with the Italian aperitivo. I’ll be forever sipping this ruby red beauty to remember those hot, late evenings of my own in bella Italia… relishing in the good life, the slow life, the balance of bitterness and sweetness - in drinks and in life itself.
