Negroni Week 2021, September 13 – 19

Negroni Week 2021, September 13 – 19

Happy Negroni Week
by, Livio Lauro

As we are into day 3 of my favorite cocktail week, I wanted to give a quick rundown of this 7-day celebration that helps provide money for charities around the world.

For one week, bars and restaurants will mix classic Negronis and Negroni variations for a great cause. This gives birth to hundreds of delicious Negroni variations from across the world. To find a bar near you visit NegroniWeek.com

The classic Negroni is the perfect combination of three ingredients that were magically put together as a joint effort between Barman Fosco Scarselli and his bar patron Camillo Negroni in 1919 at the Bar Casoni in Florence, Italy. While the vast majority of the Negroni riffs we see globally featured during Negroni week and beyond are really good, my guess is that the two of them occasionally roll their eyes in heaven when they hear about some of the spin-offs that are associated to their masterpiece.

This bring me to discuss 5 lesser-known classics that are part of the Negroni family tree. I have listed them below with a brief history and if you’d like to see more you can click on my latest video and check out 14 Old-School Negroni variations some of which date back to the 1860’s.

Here are 5 of my favorite variations to try!
Camparinette (1930’s)

2 oz. (60ml) Gin
1 oz. (30ml) Campari
1 oz. (30ml) Dry vermouth
Method: Stir and Strain into a coupe
Garnish: Lemon peel

Note: Printed in Cocktails de Paris, a French-language cocktail guide. This drink also appears in 1934 in Boothbys world drinks and how to mix them.

Laurino (1940’s)
2 oz. (60ml) Sweet Vermouth di Torino
1 oz. (30ml) Campari
Method: Built Over Ice
Garnish: Orange & Lemon slice

Note: Printed in 1951 in Ted Saucier’s “Bottom’s Up”

Asmara (1940’s)
1.5 oz (45ml) Gin
1 oz. (30ml.) Bianco Vermouth
.5 oz. (15ml) Campari
Method: Stir and Strain into a coupe
Garnish: Orange peel

Note: Appeared in Cocktail Portfolio as the “Asmara,” named after the capital of Eritrea, one of Italy’s African colonies.

Cardinale (1940’s)
1.5 oz (45ml) Gin
1 oz. Riesling Rhine
.5 oz. (15ml) Campari
Method: Stir and Strain into a coupe
Garnish: Lemon peel

Note: Created in 1950 at the Orvm Bar at The Westin Excelsior Rome by Giovanni Raimondo

Bicicletta (1960’s)
3 oz. (90ml) White wine (crisp and unoaked)
2 oz. (60ml) Campari
1 oz. (30ml) Soda Water
Method: Built Over Ice
Garnish: Orange wheel

Note: Also called Aragosta in different regions of Italy. Popular on the island of Sardegna.

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