11 Takes on the Negroni

The Negroni is a bartender's favorite plaything, with ingredients swapped for everything from mezcal to sherry. Try replacing the gin with sparkling wine for a "bungled Negroni", or with bourbon for a Boulevardier. Or call on Aperol instead of Campari and sub in dry vermouth for a Contessa. Here's how to make a classic Negroni, plus a few more of our favorite riffs on the beloved drink. (Matt Taylor-Gross/)
This classic cocktail was first created for Count Camillo Negroni in 1919 at Florence’s Café Casoni. Get the recipe for <a href="https://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/classic-negroni/">Classic Negroni</a> (Matt Taylor-Gross/)
Jeffrey Morgenthaler, bar manager of <a href="http://www.clydecommon.com/">Clyde Common</a> in Portland, is known for barrel-aging cocktails and other fancy bartender tricks. But when he throws a party, he makes this lightly bitter, pop-and-pour punch that's as easy as 1-2-3. Get the recipe for <a href="https://www.saveur.com/large-batch-negroni-sbagliato-punch-recipe/">Large-Batch Negroni Sbagliato</a> (Thomas Payne/)
Campari is swapped out for Suze, the earthy French liqueur made from gentian root, in this bright riff on the classic Italian cocktail. Get the recipe for <a href="https://www.saveur.com/white-negroni-recipe/">White Negroni</a> (Matt Taylor-Gross/)
In this negroni riff, brand ambassador Nils Boese swaps classic Campari for Jägermeister for a more herbaceous, licorice-scented profile. Get the recipe for <a href="https://www.saveur.com/count-mast-negroni-cocktail/">Count Mast Negroni Cocktail</a> (Dan Q. Dao/)
A snack-sized negroni from bartender Tristan Willey of Long Island Bar. Get the recipe for <a href="https://www.saveur.com/tiny-negroni-cocktail-recipe/">TiNegroni (Half-Sized Negroni Cocktail)</a> (Matt Taylor-Gross/)
Mixologist David Welch pours this bubbly riff on a negroni at <a href="http://sunshinepdx.com/">Sunshine Tavern</a> in Portland, Oregon. Get the recipe for <a href="https://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/negroni-sbagliato-broken-negroni/">Negroni Sbagliato (Broken Negroni)</a> (Helen Rosner/)
The 19th-century Italian cocktail the Milano-Torino consisted of bitter Campari and Martini sweet vermouth. It is said that American travelers preferred their apéritifs with soda water, so the Milano-Torino with soda became known as the Americano. Get the recipe for <a href="https://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/americano-cocktail/">Americano</a> (Ingalls Photography/)
Beth Dixon, bartender at Pasture in Richmond, Virginia, describes this fun cocktail as the lovechild of a Mai Tai and a Negroni. Get the recipe for <a href="https://www.saveur.com/gin-pineapple-campari-cocktail-recipe/">Bermuda Hundred</a> (Matt Taylor-Gross/)
The Contessa, a modern creation of John Gertsen, a bartender at Boston's Drink, replaces two of the Negroni's three ingredients: Campari is swapped for the lighter and more orangey Aperol and dry vermouth substitutes for sweet. It's more like the Negroni's third cousin than a direct descendant. Get the recipe for <a href="https://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/contessa-aperol-cocktail/">Contessa</a> (Ingalls Photography/)
This recipe is a classic variation on the Negroni, in which sweet, woody bourbon is used instead of gin. Get the recipe for <a href="https://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/boulevardier-bourbon-negroni/">Boulevardier</a> (Ingalls Photography/)
In this negroni cousin, the gin is replaced with rye whiskey. Get the recipe for <a href="https://www.saveur.com/article/recipes/old-pal-rye-negroni-cocktail/">Old Pal</a> (Ingalls Photography/)