The origin of Negroni is said to be Italian. It was invented in the 1920s by the flamboyant Count Camillo Negroni of Florence who always had the same drink. While some people are turned off by the bitter taste of the cocktail and swear its place should be in a medicine chest, those who love it relish its tongue-tickling taste.

To make a Negroni all the ingredients are shaken till chilled in an ice filled shaker and strained into a chilled cocktail glass garnished with a burnt orange peel. To burn the orange peel one has to take a 1” by 1 ½” peel of a ripe orange without its pith and hold it over the glass. The peel has to be skin side out facing a lit match. It has to be squeezed to release the essential oil which ignites when in contact with the flame and then dropped into the cocktail which gets infused with the aroma of the orange.

There are many variations of the Negroni that can be created as per one’s taste

• Dry Negroni : In this version the sweet vermouth is replaced with a dry vermouth

• Slushy Negroni: A classic Negroni blended with lots of ice in a blender

• Virgin Negroni: In its non alcoholic version, the gin and vermouth are substituted with dealcoholized white and red wine and the Campari with the bitter Sanbitter soda which is a bright red bitter Italian soda

• Boulevardier: It’s a Negroni in which the gin is replaced with whiskey, bourbon or rye

• Scorched Earth: Here the smokey flavoured Mezcal takes the place of gin

• There are also versions where the gin is replaced with tequila or vodka. In fact any spirit can replace gin in a Negroni

• Sweet Italy: The Campari in this version gives way to another bitter rival the Cynar while the rye takes the place of gin. With a good stir this is a delightful drink

And then you have the Pink Negroni. Lavender Negroni, Blood Orange Negroni, the Negroni Flip and even the Chocolate Negroni. The list goes on and innovation is the name of the game.

If you wish to become a successful bartender, learn the basics from good cocktail classes, hone your skills and then start experimenting. The cocktail classes will teach you the basics about spirits, wines, beers and additives. You will have to use your instincts to figure out what combines best with what. And then you can have all the fun in your life.

Do you want to know how to make a good Negroni? Enrol in our Cocktail classes.