I do like a Negroni. Anyone who knows me well will be aware of this. It’s also fair to acknowledge that the Negroni in its various forms is given a strong profile within the pages of this blog. Part of the beauty of the Negroni is that it’s made-up of just three ingredients. A little bit of ice stirred in a glass. No need for a shaker. A straightforward drink to make and easy to remember. The classic recipe decrees that you should use equal measures of all three ingredients. I think this classic cocktail is better if you dial back on the Campari slightly. Also if you find Campari a bit bitter, you can always replace it with Aperol. It makes a suitable substitute. Then you can make it with equal measures of each ingredient. It works well and is well balanced. Check out my recipe for the Aperol Negroni.
How I came up with 400 versions of the Negroni
Consequently within my drinks collection I have a number of ingredients which allow me to make variations on the original classic Negroni. So there I was one afternoon in the summer taking a shower when I started to muse over how many versions of the Negroni I could make. I was staggered when I did the maths. At that point I had 10 different gins available to use. I also had 5 types of vermouth which would all be suitable in spinoffs of this classic cocktail. And then I started to think about which bitter aperitif products I had which I could use as the third ingredient. So it’s 8. A significant number but an incredible multiplier when I apply it to the Negroni.
So with 10 gins, 5 vermouths and 8 aperitifs multiplying these numbers together gives a staggering 400 different combinations. There are some gins which I may not choose to include in a Negroni. Nevertheless, simply contemplating the options is a good exercise. It makes me at least consider what each of these ingredients could do for the drink. From memory I still haven’t tried the beautiful Sacred cardamom gin in a Negroni mix but I should at least give it a go.
The Spiced Negroni is an interesting twist that I came up with based around my favourite gin. Audemus Pink pepper gin. Check out the Spiced Negroni story and recipe here. It’s an interesting twist on a classic.
One of the variants we sip most often at home, when Negroni hour calls is the Citrus Negroni. A classic cocktail with a modern fruit based twist. Showcasing flavoured gins and other new products which didn’t exist when the original Negroni was developed in Italy.
Trying your own mixology
Consider the ingredients that you have or aim to add to your collection and do the maths. You will find that you are able to make many different drinks. Some will be brand new while some will be a take on a classic. Have fun with your mixology.