Bring on the bitter, because Negroni Week 2021 is here! Negroni Week is back for its ninth year this September, and here at Stroodles HQ we couldn’t be more excited about it.
The three-part Negroni is a classic cocktail dating back to the early 20th century, when it was invented by the Italian Count Camillo Negroni in Florence, Italy. It has come a long way since then, and today, the Negroni transcends time and place, having become a cocktail that features on all bar menus, and is a favourite of many cocktail lovers (including Mr. Stroodles!). In recent years, the Negroni has become so popular that this famous cocktail has been able to support a charity initiative called Negroni Week.
World Negroni Week is celebrated from the 14th - 20th September. Launched in 2013, Negroni Week is not only meant to showcase the cocktail, but to raise money in doing so, with a portion of the proceeds of every Negroni sold going to charity. Since the week-long celebration’s inception, Negroni week has grown from around 120 bars to over 10,000 around the world, raising around $2 million dollars for charitable causes in the same period.
For the ninth consecutive year, over the course of seven days, thousands of bartenders, venues, retailers and cocktail-lovers will celebrate three spectacular ingredients, with Campari at the heart, for one shared charitable goal! Who else is getting involved this year? At Stroodles we know we definitely will be!
As Negroni Week is a great opportunity to Stroodle some stroodlicious Negronis, we thought we would list a few of our favourites in this blog post, for all you fellow Stroodlers to try! Not only is the negroni now a common sighting on bar menus, it’s actually quite rare to find a bar that wouldn’t know what you’re talking about if you ordered “off menu”. With gin and vermouth exploding in popularity, new styles, fresh takes and old classics are being created up and down the country. There is a wealth of combinations to explore (even if you stick to the equal part formula), but there are plenty of negroni variations that will have you thinking about what can only be described as the perfect aperitivo. From classic to adventurous, use the list below as inspiration for what to try next.
Image Credit: Four Pillars
Four Pillars Classic Negroni
If you prefer your evening tipple on the bitter side then this is the cocktail for you. Serve with fresh orange slices to transport yourself instantly to Italy!
Ingredients:
30ml Four Pillars Negroni gin
30ml Campari
30ml sweet red vermouth
Layer ingredients over ice in a short glass, mix with a tall spoon and garnish with an orange wedge.
Image Credit: Cocktail Kit
The Rogroni
This is the same principal as the classic but uses spicy Regal Rogue vermouth for a fresher, lighter update to the traditional, super-bitter negroni – perfect for the summer months!
Ingredients:
Regal Rogue Rosso 37.5ml
Aperol 12.5ml
Gin 25ml
Orange wedge to serve
Put all of the ingredients into a tumbler, fill with ice and stir for a few seconds. Serve with a large orange wedge.
Image Credit: Punch Drinks
White Negroni
The White Negroni was invented in 2001 by British bartender Wayne Collins at VinExpo, a beverage trade show in Bordeaux, France. He wanted to create a Negroni riff that featured gin but not Campari or sweet vermouth. To replace those two stalwarts, he reached for a couple of French ingredients: Suze, a bittersweet gentian liqueur and Lillet Blanc, a wine-based aperitif. The former plays the role of bittering agent, similar to Campari, while the latter does the work of the vermouth.
Ingredients:
1½ ounces gin (preferably Plymouth)
1½ ounces Lillet Blanc
½ ounce Suze liqueur
Lemon twist (for serving)
Combine gin, Lillet, and Suze in an old-fashioned glass filled with ice and stir until very cold, about 30 seconds. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Image Credit: I Am A Food Blog
Elderflower Negroni
This take on a classic negroni, with St. Germain standing in for gin: sweeter, lighter, and perfect for summer sipping.
Ingredients:
1 oz St. Germain
1 oz Campari
1 oz sweet red vermouth
Lychee, for garnish, if desired
Add the St. Germain, Campari, and vermouth into a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice (a large cube is preferred). Garnish with lychee or orange peel, if desired.
At Stroodles HQ we are really looking forward to celebrating Negroni Week this September. The Stroodles team are all huge fans of Negronis (served with a Stroodle Pasta Straw, obviously…) We hope that all you fellow Stroodlers get involved with this exciting week, and help us celebrate the delicious cocktail by stroodling some negronis! If you do celebrate Negroni Week, please take some photos and share them with us - we’d love to see your stroodletastic negronis, and hope you sip them with a Stroodle!
