White Negroni

The invention of the White Negroni is attributed directly to Wayne Collins, a London bartender who in 2001 was in Bordeaux, France to compete in the Drinks International cocktail competition at Vinexpo, a prominent spirits exhibition. He was traveling with Nick Blacknell, the then-director of Plymouth Gin, and both of them were seeking a reprieve from the intense summer heat, in the form of a Negroni. 

According to Punch, their small host town lacked an appealing bar, and, perusing the shelves of a local store, they opted to modify the recipe for a classic Negroni by swapping in Suze for Campari and Lillet Blanc for the traditional red vermouth. Lacking its typical and distinct crimson color, and now with a decidedly French twist, the White Negroni was born.

In the coming years, Collins tried to have the drink listed on a variety of bar menus with relatively limited success. But over time it found favor with a growing cadre of bartenders and began to spread organically, ending up on the menus of establishments like the now-shuttered Pegu Club, and PDT (Please Don’t Tell), which also published the recipe in its cocktail book. It’s since become a full-fledged hit, and is much easier to obtain.

Our own recipe for the White Negroni switches things up a bit further still. Instead of Suze, a bitter aperitif known for its delicate gentian root flavor, we call for Cocchi Americano, an *aromatized wine made with botanicals such as dried Gentian blossoms, the dried herb Artemisia, and quinine bark (the defining flavor of tonic water). In lieu of Lillet Blanc we call for the easier-to-find (but still French) Dolin Blanc vermouth. 

*Aromatized wines are wines which have been flavored with botanicals like roots, bark, and herbs

The result is a cocktail with the characteristic and familiar bitterness of a standard Negroni, but that is also lighter and more citrusy thanks to the Cocchi Americano. Our White Negroni is also much clearer in color than one made with Suze, which carries a distinctive yellow tint.

As is the case with a classic Negroni, straying from the stated ratios can still yield wonderful results, so if you’re in the mood for further experimentation, try tweaking your proportions. We like a London Dry gin like Beefeater, which is the style of gin used in its invention, but you can sub in whatever gin you may prefer; just remember that changing the gin will significantly influence the final outcome, and not all gins are created equal. And if you happen to have either Suze or Lillet Blanc, sub those ingredients in to achieve the classic rendition. No matter how you make it, garnish it with a twist of lemon for one final pop of citrus.