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Do you have a preferred recipe for a Negroni? My partner and I have been having a hard time getting over the flavor of Campari. We usually have Tanqueray in th

Do you have a preferred recipe for a Negroni? My partner and I have been having a hard time getting over the flavor of Campari. We usually have Tanqueray in the house for G&Ts and Carpano in the house for Manhattans, but we've had no luck getting a drinkable Negroni. To the uninitiated, I would describe Campari as having the flavor of burning tires. I don't mean that perjoratively, I just don't have a better description. Or please feel free to inform me that our palates lack sufficient refinement :-D

mason55 7y ago
Standard Negroni is 1:1:1 and by far the best. Occasionally I’ll get one at a bar that I can tell is a different ratio and it’s so much worse.
moonbug 7y ago
Try Aperol instead.
jsmith99 7y ago
Dilute with extra gin.
buckhx 7y ago
A negroni is equal parts Campari, Vermouth and Gin. Varying the brand of Vermouth or Gin has the biggest impact. Subbing out Campari makes it another cocktail. Should be swapped out for another Amaro (Herbally Bitter Liquer) such as Cynar, Gran Clasico or Brut Americano (never Aperol, too sweet). I'm partial to using Cynar (pronounced chee-nahr) which I've heard be called a Sin-Cyn (sin-chin). You can also try swapping the gin for whiskey to make a boulvadier and see if that more to your liking as well.
- blaser-waffle 7y ago
  I've had mixed success subbing Montenegro Amaro or Fernet for Campari. Very different flavors, though, and the type of "aromatized wine" (aka vermouth) will have an impact.
- mstade 7y ago
  These are all truths to heed. I can also recommend the book Cocktail Codex[1] for anyone interested in learning more about making cocktails, it's a very interesting take on the subject. [1]: https://www.amazon.com/dp/160774970X https://www.amazon.com/dp/160774970X
jly 7y ago
It sounds like you don't like the bitterness of Campari and you're not alone in that. I guess it just takes time to develop the taste. There are many delicious Negroni riffs, but the standard and classic is always equal parts gin/Campari/vermouth. I use a good London Dry gin (personal preference for Beefeater) and Carpano.
zacclark 7y ago
Carpano (at least Carpano Antica, which I think it their common vermouth) is also a very strong flavor. IMO if you're doing equal parts gin/campari/carpano you're totally obliterating the gin flavor. For a classic and smoother negroni, try: - 1.5oz gin (Tanqueray is fine, but I'd recommend Ford's) - 1oz campari - 1oz sweeter, less intense vermouth like Contratto Rossi or Dolin Rouge If you want to use your Carpano, I really like this negroni variation called a Kingston that uses rum: - 1.5oz Smith and Cross rum - 1oz Campari - 1oz Carpano Antica
- jghn 7y ago
  A Negroni is 1:1:1, not 1.5:1:1
  - zacclark 7y ago
    The original recipe is, sure. But part of the fun of cocktails is experimenting with what tastes you prefer. The parent said they weren't enjoying what they ended up with, so I'm recommending tweaks. A little extra gin is a pretty standard way to make the campari more palatable, used in plenty of bars.
    - jghn 7y ago
      Sure, but if you tweak the recipe it’s no longer the original drink and instead is something else. A Negroni is 1:1:1, that’s not the same as saying that’s the perfect balance
  - tptacek 7y ago
    Not a lot of bartenders would agree with you that 1:1:1 makes the best Negroni, even though it's the original recipe.
  - leetcrew 7y ago
    yes and the original manhattan recipe calls for equal parts vermouth and whiskey. you probably wouldn't want to drink it like that. not only do people's tastes change over time, but so do the ingredients themselves. you can't necessarily buy the exact same gin, vermouth, and campari that was available to the count a hundred years ago. of the gins and vermouth available today, there is quite a range of diversity. you leave a lot on the table if you aren't willing to tweak ratios based on the ingredients you have.
bytematic 7y ago
I STRONGLY suggest doing it "built". 1/2oz Aperol, 1oz sweet vermouth, and 1.5oz gin. Aperol is a sweeter version of Campari that when used less of, really brings the gin more to the front of the drink
tptacek 7y ago
The nice thing about the Negroni framework is that you can substitute a huge number of different things into it; you can swap Aperol for the Campari if you want the same overall character with less bitterness, or Cynar if the bitter works for you but the citrus doesn't. Or most amari; in fact, a Negroni is a pretty decent way to use all the weird amari you'll find if you go looking for them. Negronis are super versatile. They're too sweet in the equal-parts recipe; bump up the gin.
bcbrown 7y ago
If you're interested in trying Campari in other settings in order to acquire a taste for it, I would suggest trying a Jasmine: http://drinkboy.com/Cocktails/Recipe.aspx?itemid=88 http://drinkboy.com/Cocktails/Recipe.aspx?itemid=88
Jedd 7y ago
As others have noted, without the Campari it's technically not a negroni - and you can try Aperol (makes it a Contessa), or being more faithful you could try another bitters. Here in AU some bars make a fully Australian negroni, using local equivalents. (Otherwise Most bars will use Cinzano as the default vermouth -- it's acceptable, but nothing special.) Domestic versions of vermouth exist, eg. Margan in Broke, NSW make some delicious dry and sweet vermouths. Not common, though. Same for bitters - there's the confusingly named 'The Italian', from the Adelaide Hills (South Australia) distillery, which is a magnificent take on bitters. I'd suggest looking around for some imaginative variations local to your area, as there's a lot going on with these types of drinks lately (as per TFA). Great news for the sophisticated addict. Or maybe go for some variations -- in addition to a Contessa (too sweet for me) you can look at the Hanky Panky, which is a delicious cocktail, and worth ordering just for the name.

mason55 7y ago

Standard Negroni is 1:1:1 and by far the best. Occasionally I’ll get one at a bar that I can tell is a different ratio and it’s so much worse.

moonbug 7y ago

Try Aperol instead.

jsmith99 7y ago

Dilute with extra gin.

buckhx 7y ago

A negroni is equal parts Campari, Vermouth and Gin. Varying the brand of Vermouth or Gin has the biggest impact. Subbing out Campari makes it another cocktail. Should be swapped out for another Amaro (Herbally Bitter Liquer) such as Cynar, Gran Clasico or Brut Americano (never Aperol, too sweet). I'm partial to using Cynar (pronounced chee-nahr) which I've heard be called a Sin-Cyn (sin-chin). You can also try swapping the gin for whiskey to make a boulvadier and see if that more to your liking as well.

blaser-waffle 7y ago
I've had mixed success subbing Montenegro Amaro or Fernet for Campari. Very different flavors, though, and the type of "aromatized wine" (aka vermouth) will have an impact.
mstade 7y ago
These are all truths to heed. I can also recommend the book Cocktail Codex[1] for anyone interested in learning more about making cocktails, it's a very interesting take on the subject. [1]: https://www.amazon.com/dp/160774970X https://www.amazon.com/dp/160774970X

jly 7y ago

It sounds like you don't like the bitterness of Campari and you're not alone in that. I guess it just takes time to develop the taste. There are many delicious Negroni riffs, but the standard and classic is always equal parts gin/Campari/vermouth. I use a good London Dry gin (personal preference for Beefeater) and Carpano.

zacclark 7y ago

Carpano (at least Carpano Antica, which I think it their common vermouth) is also a very strong flavor. IMO if you're doing equal parts gin/campari/carpano you're totally obliterating the gin flavor. For a classic and smoother negroni, try: - 1.5oz gin (Tanqueray is fine, but I'd recommend Ford's) - 1oz campari - 1oz sweeter, less intense vermouth like Contratto Rossi or Dolin Rouge If you want to use your Carpano, I really like this negroni variation called a Kingston that uses rum: - 1.5oz Smith and Cross rum - 1oz Campari - 1oz Carpano Antica

jghn 7y ago
A Negroni is 1:1:1, not 1.5:1:1
- zacclark 7y ago
  The original recipe is, sure. But part of the fun of cocktails is experimenting with what tastes you prefer. The parent said they weren't enjoying what they ended up with, so I'm recommending tweaks. A little extra gin is a pretty standard way to make the campari more palatable, used in plenty of bars.
  - jghn 7y ago
    Sure, but if you tweak the recipe it’s no longer the original drink and instead is something else. A Negroni is 1:1:1, that’s not the same as saying that’s the perfect balance
- tptacek 7y ago
  Not a lot of bartenders would agree with you that 1:1:1 makes the best Negroni, even though it's the original recipe.
- leetcrew 7y ago
  yes and the original manhattan recipe calls for equal parts vermouth and whiskey. you probably wouldn't want to drink it like that. not only do people's tastes change over time, but so do the ingredients themselves. you can't necessarily buy the exact same gin, vermouth, and campari that was available to the count a hundred years ago. of the gins and vermouth available today, there is quite a range of diversity. you leave a lot on the table if you aren't willing to tweak ratios based on the ingredients you have.

bytematic 7y ago

I STRONGLY suggest doing it "built". 1/2oz Aperol, 1oz sweet vermouth, and 1.5oz gin. Aperol is a sweeter version of Campari that when used less of, really brings the gin more to the front of the drink

tptacek 7y ago

The nice thing about the Negroni framework is that you can substitute a huge number of different things into it; you can swap Aperol for the Campari if you want the same overall character with less bitterness, or Cynar if the bitter works for you but the citrus doesn't. Or most amari; in fact, a Negroni is a pretty decent way to use all the weird amari you'll find if you go looking for them. Negronis are super versatile. They're too sweet in the equal-parts recipe; bump up the gin.

bcbrown 7y ago

If you're interested in trying Campari in other settings in order to acquire a taste for it, I would suggest trying a Jasmine: http://drinkboy.com/Cocktails/Recipe.aspx?itemid=88 http://drinkboy.com/Cocktails/Recipe.aspx?itemid=88

Jedd 7y ago

As others have noted, without the Campari it's technically not a negroni - and you can try Aperol (makes it a Contessa), or being more faithful you could try another bitters. Here in AU some bars make a fully Australian negroni, using local equivalents. (Otherwise Most bars will use Cinzano as the default vermouth -- it's acceptable, but nothing special.) Domestic versions of vermouth exist, eg. Margan in Broke, NSW make some delicious dry and sweet vermouths. Not common, though. Same for bitters - there's the confusingly named 'The Italian', from the Adelaide Hills (South Australia) distillery, which is a magnificent take on bitters. I'd suggest looking around for some imaginative variations local to your area, as there's a lot going on with these types of drinks lately (as per TFA). Great news for the sophisticated addict. Or maybe go for some variations -- in addition to a Contessa (too sweet for me) you can look at the Hanky Panky, which is a delicious cocktail, and worth ordering just for the name.