Classic Negroni

Are you ready to fall in love with the easiest cocktail ever? Fair warning, Negronis are not for the faint of heart. The classic Negroni recipe is equal parts gin + Campari + sweet vermouth. Stirred with ice (a large cube if you have it!), it’s simple in its perfection.

Normally, a Negroni is served in a rocks glass, but when you’re just mixing up cocktails in your spare time at home, why not serve it in a coupe? Hell, serve it in a bowl for all I care!

Try this classic cocktail as a Frozen Negroni for warmer seasons and as a Hot Negroni in the fall and winter.

Frozen Negroni

I don’t know. A Negroni always makes me think of a dark room and a fireplace and a poker table and a pipe. But there are times when I really do picture myself in a little town in Italy on a hot summers day sipping on a homemade frozen Negroni. Anyone else?

Well, if that sounds like you, take the above ingredients (equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth) plus 1 cup of ice and add everything to a blender. You could add a splash of orange juice and/or 1/2 oz of simple syrup if you want some sweetness to cut through the booze. It’s not traditional, but I won’t tell if you won’t. Blend everything until it reaches a slushy-like texture. Enjoy!

Hot Negroni

Now we’re talkin’! A good hot cocktail is a rarity in my experience, but the Negroni lends itself well to being sipped on while wearing mittens. Preferably by an open fire, right?

For a hot Negroni, start by tempering a glass mug by adding hot water to the mug and then dumping the water to warm to glass. Add all of the normal Negroni ingredients from above into your warm glass. You could even add 1/2 oz of honey simple syrup for added warmth and so mellow out the booze. Finish by topping with 4-5 oz of hot water. We add the hot water at the end to dilute the cocktail since we don’t have the ice to do that for us in this hot version.