The Negroni: A Timeless Classic Cocktail

The Negroni has been around for many years and has maintained its top-shelf status due to its depth of flavour, bright fiery colour, and of course, its 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. However, 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 many Europeans now had relatives in America, and secondly, prohibition meant those who could afford to travel would do so just to continue enjoying their favourite tipples. As such, cocktails that used to be tall became shorter, and there was more preference for spirit-forward drinks rather than the fortified wines and liqueurs that had dominated European cocktail-making until then.

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

These traditional Aperitivo recipes have stood the test of time, and are making a huge comeback. They are the driving force behind the recent trens of low ABV cocktails. 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 stir up a batch of Negroni summer cocktails to help while away a sunny afternoon?

Alternatively you can turn your Negroni into a summer highball, and dive right into the recent trend of low ABV cocktails simply by adding 150ml of soda water to the recipe below. It is the same Negroni, but now it’s a low ABV superstar, and it won’t leave you feeling ‘under the weather’ in the middle of a sunny afternoon if you accidently drink it too quickly.