Negroni Week: there’s so much more to Gin and Campari than just the Negroni

We know it’s officially Negroni Week - a celebration of the world’s favourite bitter cocktail - and although we love Negronis and have been enjoying them regularly all week (maybe a little too regularly) we kind of feel bad that we’ve been ignoring all of the other cocktails that mix gin and Campari. Sure, the Negroni also has its sweet vermouth but let’s be serious - it’s the Campari that makes the Negroni. So we thought we’d explore other cocktails made with the Milano bitter and the idiosyncratic British spirit. 

Dirty Dick’s Downfall

Dirty Dick - who never washed after his fiancee died on their wedding day - was pretty Dirty. But according to this cocktail, he also could have been Count Negroni’s bizarro brother. Perhaps part of Dirty Dick’s downfall came when he replaced the sweet vermouth of a Negroni with the dry vermouth of the recipe and then messed with the portions. Did his wife die in shock at this cocktail sacrilege? Probably not - Dirty Dick lived long before the Negroni was invented.

• 2 oz. Gin (more Gin drinks)
• 1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth (more Dry Vermouth drinks)
• 1/2 oz. Campari (more Campari drinks)

2 oz. Gin (more Gin drinks)

1/2 oz. Dry Vermouth (more Dry Vermouth drinks)

1/2 oz. Campari (more Campari drinks)

Pour all ingredients into a glass-filled mixing glass. Stir. Strain into cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist. 

Campari Amore

If Campari’s red means love, then this cocktail is all about loving Campari and it’s Italian origins. Of course it throws in the British gin with the French Lillet. Maybe it’s about an amore internazionale?

• 1.5 oz. Campari
• 1 oz. BBR No. 3 Gin
• 1 oz. Lillet
• 6 raspberries
• egg white

1.5 oz. Campari

1 oz. BBR No. 3 Gin

1 oz. Lillet

6 raspberries

egg white

Shake all ingredients in a cockail shaker filled with ice. Double strain into chilled cocktail glass.

Martini Milano

The Martini is undoubtedly the classic gin drink - just gin and if you’re so inclined as so not to drink it dirty, some dry vermouth. This recipe calls for the addition of white wine to the mix and just a touch of Campari so as not to overpower the other ingredients with Milanese bitterness. 

• 2 oz. gin
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• 1/2 oz. dry whit wine
• 1 tsp Campari bitters

2 oz. gin

1/2 oz. dry vermouth

1/2 oz. dry whit wine

1 tsp Campari bitters

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker on ice. Strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with twist of lemon.

Vespa jockey

Everyone knows that you have to watch out as you walk through the streets of any Itallian city - watch out so you don’t get hit by one of the myriad people on Vespa’s vrooming through the vias. They drive so insanely that you probably think they’d downed a few of these Vespa Jockey cocktails before strapping into their scooter for the real thing. This drink leaves some room for the Italian Tuaca liqueur to express its vanilla and orange flavour, adding just enough Campari to add some bitter to the sweetness. 

• 1.5 oz. London Dry Gin
• 1.5 oz. Tuaca
• .25 tsp. Campari

1.5 oz. London Dry Gin

1.5 oz. Tuaca

.25 tsp. Campari

Pour all ingredients into an Old Fashioned glass filled with ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Captain’s Table

The addition of grenadine and orange juice harks to drinks in the islands. Maybe the Captain creator took the best of both worlds - the gin and Campari from the Old World and the sweet cordial and juice from the New World - to make stave off homesickness whilst welcoming his new adventurous home.

• 50ml London Dry Gin
• 20 ml Campari
• 1 dash of grenadine cordial
• 100ml fresh orange juice
• 200ml ginger ale

50ml London Dry Gin

20 ml Campari

1 dash of grenadine cordial

100ml fresh orange juice

200ml ginger ale

Shake all ingredient except ginger ale on ice. Pour into Collins Glass. Top up with ginger ale. Garnish with a cherry.