Wolfgang Puck’s Negroni Cocktail Recipe

A Negroni is a classic Italian aperitivo, or pre-meal cocktail, composed of equal parts gin, Campari, and vermouth rosso, garnished with an orange twist and served on the rocks (on ice). Negronis are traditionally served in either a rocks glass, or an old-fashioned glass.

Legend has it that in the early 1900s, at a cafe in Florence, an Italian count named Camillo Negroni asked the bartender, Fosco Scarselli, for a boozed-up riff on an Americano—an even more easygoing concoction of Campari, sweet vermouth, and soda water. Scarselli swapped the Americano’s customary lemon peel for an orange peel to differentiate the two, and the Negroni cocktail was born.

1. 1. Negroni sbagliato replaces the gin with sparkling white wine, or Prosecco.
2. 2. The Americano follows the same formula with Campari, sweet vermouth, and club soda.
3. 3. The Boulevardier replaces gin with whiskey.
4. 4. The White Negroni features gin, sweet, floral Lillet blanc, and sharp, gentian-flavored Suze.
5. 5. An Aperol Negroni swaps Aperol for Campari to lean into the tannic sweetness of orange zest.

Experiment with different brands of gin and vermouth—more aromatic, less herbaceous, drier, sweeter, spicier—to find the flavor combinations that you enjoy the most. Every Negroni might have the same basic ingredients list, but the flavor profile is best crafted by the individual.

If you find that a traditional Negroni is too bitter for your taste, try adjusting your recipe to include 1 ounce of Campari and 2 ounces of sweet vermouth.