Aperitivo hour hits different when you have a Negroni in hand. The bitter-yet-refreshing combination of Campari, sweet vermouth, and gin is a way to unwind after a long day that’s time-tested and approved across the globe.

A traditional Negroni follows a straightforward three-equal-parts formula, but plenty of bartenders bend the rules to jazz it up. Even with just three ingredients, inventive industry pros find room to riff on the drink by adding fresh fruit or making it a little dirty with the addition of an olive.

So we tapped some of the best bartenders from around the world to find out their preferred specs. From batched Negronis that are ready to pour for a crowd to recipes that play with seasonal produce to lighten things up, here’s how seven bartenders make a Negroni at home.

Arnaud Savard

Bar manager, Bar Bello, Montreal

I love the balance of a classic equal-parts cocktail, but what keeps it exciting for me is leaning into whatever is seasonal. I love to use what’s in season near me to incorporate into my Negroni at home. This doesn’t require mastering complicated techniques; a simple overnight infusion will do.

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Right now, with spring arriving, I’m infusing my whole batch of Negroni overnight with rhubarb and basil. I’ll also play around with the ingredients, in this case swapping the sweet vermouth for Cocchi Rosa. It gives the drink a floral, slightly tart edge that feels completely alive for the season. For the gin itself, I love a proper London Dry style, and Dillon’s is one I keep coming back to; it’s clean and botanical without being overbearing. It also supports local producers.

Ingredients (750ml bottle batch)

  • 8 ounces Dillon’s London Dry Gin
  • 8 ounces Campari
  • 8 ounces Cocchi Rosa
  • 210 grams fresh rhubarb
  • 50 grams fresh Basil
  • Garnish: rhubarb ribbon

Directions

  1. Add all ingredients to a large container and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. Once done, filter through a fine strainer and coffee filter.
  2. Add 3 ounces of the infused batch to a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled.
  3. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
  4. Garnish with a rhubarb ribbon along the inside of the glass.

Ektoras Binikos

Co-founder, Atheras Spirits, Bitter Monk, and Sugar Monk, New York City

I’ve been experimenting with a Negroni at home by replacing the vermouth with our Atheras Spirits fig leaf liqueur, Sykophilos. I mix equal parts of a London Dry gin, Campari, and fig leaf, then top it off with a freeze-dried fig slice for garnish. It’s absolutely delightful and truly captures the essence of a Mediterranean summer for me!

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ ounces London Dry gin
  • ¾ ounce Campari
  • ¾ ounce Atheras Sykophilos (fig leaf liqueur)
  • Garnish: dried fig or fresh fig slice

Directions

  1. Combine all the ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice and stir.
  2. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
  3. Garnish with a dried fig or a fresh fig slice.

Ricky Reyna

Beverage director, Bar Madonna, Brooklyn

The Negroni I always keep in my freezer is simple and a total showstopper. Batch it once, freeze it, and it’s ready to pour whenever friends arrive. You can choose your favorite amaro for this riff, but Cansiglio is my go-to for its fresh, botanical, and citrus-driven profile. For a smokier, deeper variation, substitute the gin with your preferred mezcal. My favorite blanc vermouth is Comoz Blanc but in a pinch Cocchi Americano or anything similar could do the job. This is my ideal home Negroni — versatile, balanced, and always ready to go.

Ingredients

Single-Serve Spec

  • 1 ounce Prairie Organic Gin
  • ½ ounce Juliette Peach Liqueur
  • ½ ounce Cansiglio Amaro
  • ½ ounce Salers Gentian Apéritif
  • ½ ounce Comoz Blanc Vermouth
  • Garnish: orange peel

750-milliliter Freezer Batch (8 servings)

  • 7 ounce Prairie Organic Gin
  • 4 ounces water
  • 3 ½ ounces Juliette Peach Liqueur
  • 3 ½ ounces Cansiglio Amaro
  • 3 ½ ounces Salers Gentian Apéritif
  • 3 ½ ounces Comoz Blanc Vermouth
  • Garnish: orange peel

Directions

  1. For single serve: Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir.
  2. For 750 milliliters: Combine all ingredients in a large vessel without ice and stir. Transfer the mixture into a 750-milliliter bottle and store in the freezer.
  3. Strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube.
  4. Garnish with orange peel.

Brian Grummert

Owner, Chin Up Bar, NYC

Whenever I think of drinking in the summer, I think of something refreshing and something bitter. If bitterness has a season, it’s when it’s really hot out, and something a little lower ABV is pretty perfect for outdoor temperature. Negronis are my go-to when I’m entertaining at a home with the windows open or at a friend’s place with a back patio or garden. Sometimes, this combo makes it all the way to the beach.

Ingredients

  • 1 ¼ ounces London Dry gin
  • 1 ounce Campari
  • 1 ounce Spanish sweet vermouth
  • Garnish: orange peel

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice and stir.
  2. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
  3. Garnish with an orange peel.

Lauren Rojas

Head bartender, Jac’s on Bond, NYC

For the Negroni I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel, and because it’s just a three-equal-parts cocktail, you really have creative freedom to shift it how you like. I’ve been really into Paranubes Rum lately. It’s an agricole-style rum from Oaxaca, and it works really well in a Negroni. It softens the drink a bit and rounds things out.

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce Paranubes rum
  • 1 ounce Campari
  • 1 ounce sweet vermouth
  • Garnish: orange peel

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled.
  2. Strain over a large cube in a rocks glass.
  3. Garnish with orange peel.

Linda Douglas

Bartender, Donna’s, Los Angeles

I’ll almost always lean toward a Negroni Bianco. It hits that same ritual as the classic but feels a little more playful and inviting. It’s the kind of drink I love putting in someone’s hand when they think they don’t like bitter; it opens the door without overwhelming them. There’s something about the way it lets softer botanicals take the lead. I’ve been building mine with Prairie Organic Gin for those sage and lemon balm notes, and pairing it with Strega liqueur because that saffron and cardamom moment just makes sense to me. It leans savory, a little spiced, but still bright enough, like something you can sip to start aperitif hour or throughout the night.

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce Prairie Organic Gin
  • 1 ounce bianco vermouth
  • ¾ ounce Luxardo Bitter Bianco
  • ¼ ounce Strega liqueur
  • Garnish: lemon or grapefruit peel

Directions

  1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled.
  2. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube
  3. Garnish with lemon or grapefruit peel.

Kingdom Lei

Head bartender, Apartment 5, NYC

My go-to is equal parts Holiday Vodka, rosso vermouth, and Campari — and then I push that sweet and savory agenda by garnishing with an orange peel and olives. Stirred and strained or poured over a big rock, it’s the happy medium for people who love both Negronis and Dirty Martinis and are often left torn having to choose between the two.

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce Holiday Vodka
  • 1 ounce rosso vermouth
  • 1 ounce Campari
  • 5 dashes rhubarb bitters
  • Garnish: orange peel and olive

Directions

  1. Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled.
  2. Strain over a large cube in a rocks glass.
  3. Garnish with orange peel and olive.