Negroni & Negroski

Negroni is one of the most famous classic cocktails made with Campari bitter. It was invented around 1920 in Italy. Some consider it a variation of Americano, a cocktail made with Campari, red vermouth and soda water. But instead of soda water, Negroni uses gin, which converts refreshing Americano into quite stronger aperitif drink.

Negroni & Negroski

Here’s the recipe:

• 1 oz – gin
• 1 oz – Campari
• 1 oz – sweet red vermouth

Pour the ingredients in a rocks or aperitif glass over ice, stir and serve. Optionally, you can garnish it with orange (or even lemon) peel.

Gin definitely adds the kick here, but Campari is still the dominant ingredient in this classic cocktail. Sweet red vermouth adds a bit of sweetness, while contributing to the herbal flavors. Since gin is clear and Campari is always in vibrant red, color of this cocktail can vary according to the color (and texture) of the particular vermouth you use, but generally it’s going to be red and appealing.

Since it’s popular cocktail, Negroni produced quite a few variations over time. One of those variations is Negroski. Basically, it’s Negroni made with vodka instead of gin. Measures are the same:

• 1 oz – vodka
• 1 oz – Campari
• 1 oz – sweet red vermouth

Same as with Negroni – pour ingredients in a rocks glass over ice, stir, garnish and serve.

This variation makes Campari even more dominant, because vodka is (or should be) completely flavorless, so the cocktail loses taste of juniper, dominant in gin. If you find it less appealing than with gin, try it with lemon-flavored vodka.