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We share our two favourite Negroni recipes on rotation at Drink In HQ for Negroni Week, an all-Italian classic Negroni and our dynamite twist – the Beetroot Negroni!
| By Cameron Mowat
Negroni Week is our favourite time of the year. Not least because we have an excuse to be drinking Negronis 7 days in a row, but also because the internet is suddenly filled with all these amazing takes, expressions and twists on the Italian classic we all know and love.
The Imbibe x Campari culture week has become a global phenomenon and helped catapult Negronis back into the stardom that they deserve. The Negroni is now one of the top 10 cocktails you need to know as a cocktail lover.
We thought we’d share two of our favourite Negroni recipes to celebrate the end of Negroni week, an all-Italian ingredient classic Negroni and our favourite twist – the Beetroot Negroni.
How Classic Negronis Work
Negronis are a perfect example of how sweet doesn’t always have to be balanced by sourness, a misconception that many new bartenders and home bartenders have.
The intense bittersweetness of the Italian bitter, predominantly Campari, is rounded out by the herbal and spice of the sweet vermouth and the boozy botanicals of the gin to create a beautifully well balanced cocktail that still spotlights the bitterness as the star of the show.
Playing around with different gins, vermouths and bitters can give you vastly different expressions of the cocktail. For our version we went with a pure Italian ingredients list using our favourite of each of the Italian products, including: Cocchi, the original Torino vermouth, Campari, the OG, and Portofino Dry Gin, a light, citrus and floral forward gin that is truly evocative of the Mediterranean.
The All-Italian Classic Negroni Recipe
🔶 25ml Cocchi Vermouth
🔶 25ml Campari
🔶 25ml Portofino Dry Gin
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🔷 Add all ingredients to a stirring glass with cubed ice
🔷 Stir until minimal dilution for balance is achieved
🔷 Strain into a rocks glass over cubed ice
🔷 Garnish with an Orange Slice
How Our Beetroot Negroni Works
By adding one more homemade ingredient, our beetroot shrub, to the classic Negroni recipe we can add several new dimensions of depth to the flavour profile of the original.
The beetroot shrub has a wonderful mix of earthy, fruity and acidic flavours. The combination of vinegar acidity and earthen spice from the black pepper transforms the earthy sweetness of the beetroot into a more fruity sweetness, which in turn compliments the herbal-sweet and bittersweet character of the Negroni.
This recipe is a great way to introduce novice Negroni drinkers to the intense bitterness of the cocktail without traumatising their virgin palates and easing them into the world of bitter drinks.
Beetroot Shrub Recipe
🔶 100ml Beetroot Juice
🔶 10 Black Peppercorns
🔶 200g Sugar
🔶 20ml White Wine Vinegar
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🔷 Add all ingredients except vinegar to a pan on low heat.
🔷 Stir until incorporated
🔷 Simmer for 10 minutes
🔷 Turn off heat
🔷 Add vinegar and stir
🔷 Cool, strain, bottle and refrigerate
Beetroot Negroni Recipe
🔶 25ml Antica Formula
🔶 25ml Campari
🔶 25ml Beefeater 24 Gin
🔶 10ml Beetroot Shrub
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🔷 Add all ingredients to a stirring glass with cubed ice
🔷 Stir until minimal dilution for balance is achieved
🔷 Strain into a rocks glass over cubed ice
🔷 Garnish with an Dehydrated Beetroot Slice
