The Negroni

The Negroni has been around for many years and has maintained its top shelf status due to its depth of flavour and bright fiery colour, and of course, it’s standing as perhaps the best and definitely the original Aperitivo cocktail.

The Negroni as we know it today went through its main evolution in the 1920s, but in the 1800s there was an Italian tall cocktail of Vermouth and Campari topped with soda, but without the Gin.

In the 1920s European cocktail-making took on a very Americanized form due to two reasons, one being that there were many Europeans now with relatives in America, and secondly prohibition meant those who could afford to travel would do so just to continue to enjoy their favourite tipples. As such cocktails that used to be tall now became shorter, and there was more preference for spirit-forward cocktails rather than fortified wines and liqueurs that had dominated European cocktail-making until then.

The European Aperitivo (in Italian, Apero in French) traditions were making way for bolder flavours and higher alcohol, and although the traditional Aperitivo cocktails still survive they now have to compete with International tastes, and a vast range of spirits and mixers, which is why you will generally only find the traditional Aperitivo cocktails in their traditional homelands, mostly France and Italy.

These traditional Aperitivo recipes do stand the test of time, they are relatively low in alcohol and designed to be refreshing, especially during the summer months. So next time you are planning an outdoor gathering why not select a couple of traditional summer cocktails to help while away a sunny afternoon?

30ml Dry Gin

30ml Campari

30ml Rosso Vermouth

Pour all of the ingredients into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass and stir.