A Negroni Even Negroni Haters Can Love

When Laurie and I offer to make guests a Negroni at cocktail hour, without fail the response is usually, “Yuk, I HATE Negronis” or some other disparaging comment about this classic gin-based drink. Why the visceral reaction? Because they haven’t ever tasted Laurie’s version, which is a Negroni even Negroni-haters can love!  

The roots of the Negroni cocktail go back to the early 1900’s and a drink called the Americano which consisted of Campari, sweet vermouth, and seltzer. As the story goes, Count Camillo Negroni ordered an Americano cocktail in a bar in Florence, Italy but asked the bartender to substitute gin for the seltzer. And thus was the classic Negroni created!

If you order a Negroni at most bars, you will get a drink that consists of equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth served in a tumbler with a large ice cube and a strip of orange peel. Campari is the component of the drink that sets off most Negroni haters. It’s an Italian-made aperitif that is deep red in color and tastes of bitter oranges. The bitterness of the drink is what is off-putting to so many, but for me, it’s what makes the aperitif so interesting. Still, all things in moderation, right?

The sweet vermouth serves as a lovely counterpoint to the bitter Campari, while the gin provides the herbal character to the drink. The Negroni has always been one of Laurie’s favorite drinks – I liked them, but Laurie has always loved them. She often orders them when we go to bars for a pre-dinner drink, especially in Italian bars or restaurants where they tend to make them right. Which is why we found ourselves at the bar in Centrolina, a fantastic casual Italian restaurant at City Center in Washington DC back in 2018.

Laurie ordered a Negroni, and the bartender mentioned that they had their own unique version of the classic. He proceeded to grab a number of different bottles which included Gin, Contratto Bitter, Contratto Vermouth Rosso, and Punt e Mes, an Italian Vermouth with a slightly bitter, slightly sweet flavor profile. He finished it off with an orange peel expressed over the drink. The result was an absolutely beautiful Negroni that played homage to the original but was much more approachable due to its slightly sweeter and significantly less bitter flavor profile – we both absolutely loved it!

So much so, in fact, that we asked the bartender for the details of the ingredients as well as the proportions of each. He let us take a picture of the bottles but hedged a bit on giving us the complete recipe. That said, he did provide us with enough hints to make us confident we could recreate it at home.

We went in search of bottles of the Contratto Bitter and Vermouth Rosso, along with the Punt e Mes. We were able to find all except for the Contratto Vermouth Rosso, with Punt e Mes being widely available and Contratto Bitter available on-line and at specialty upscale liquor stores. It took us three years to finally find the Contratto Vermouth Rosso – we stumbled on two bottles of it in a small liquor store on a quiet street a block or so from the historic downtown mall in Charlottesville, VA where we were visiting to explore the area as a possible future retirement home. Before that, we had settled on a wonderful substitute which we still use often - Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth 1786 from Italy.

Laurie experimented with the proportions and eventually settled on a recipe that was a ringer for the original at Centrolina. The drink is subtly sweet and just faintly bitter, with orange and cinnamon flavors and a warming sensation on the finish. It’s the perfect cocktail for a chilly fall or winter afternoon or evening and if you give it a try, I promise you it will become one of your favorite cool-weather cocktails!

Laurie’s Modern Negroni (makes 1 cocktail)

This modern take on the classic Negroni comes courtesy of Centrolina Restaurant in Washington DC. Since they wouldn’t actually give us the recipe Laurie worked to replicate it and, in the process, created a unique modern take on the classic that is less bitter and subtly sweet.  Enjoy in front of a fire on a cool fall or winter evening!

Ingredients

1.5 oz. gin (we like London Dry Gin for this recipe)

1.5 oz. Contratto Bitter

¾ oz. Sweet Vermouth (Our favorites are Contratto Vermouth Rosso (if you can find it) or Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth 1786 which is widely available)

¾ oz. Punt e Mes

Strip of orange peel

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until glass is frosted and cold. Strain into a rocks glass or tumbler with a large ice cube. Express a strip of orange peel over the drink and place peel in the drink.