You’re sitting outside in Florence. Aperitivo hour. Low sun, linen shirt, something playing quietly from inside the bar. This is what you order. 

Strong, bitter, and built for slow sipping. The Negroni is equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth—stirred until cold and served over ice. It’s not dressed up, and it doesn’t need to be. The balance is the brilliance.

It’s the kind of drink that does exactly what it’s supposed to do—cut the edge off the day and open the appetite. Simple, structured, and unmistakably Italian.

Recipe

• 1 oz gin
  
  

• 1 oz Campari
  
  

• 1 oz sweet vermouth
  Stir with ice and strain into a rocks glass over one large cube. Garnish with an orange peel.
  
  

A note: The Negroni was born in Florence in 1919 when Count Camillo Negroni asked for an Americano with gin instead of soda. The result has stayed the same for over a century—proof that some things don’t need updating.

When we serve it: Before dinner, at the bar, or anytime a bitter drink feels right. Best with something salty on the side.