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The Negroni: Drinking to La Dolce Vita, with Recipes & Lore
A history of one of the world's most iconic cocktails—originally an Italian aperitivo , but now a staple of craft bar programs everywhere—with 60 recipes for variations and contemporary updates.
The Negroni is one of the simplest and most elegant drink formulas combine one part gin, one part sweet vermouth, and one part Campari, then stir and serve over ice. This bitter, sweet, and smooth drink has inspired countless variations as well as legions of diehard aficionados. In The Negroni , Gary Regan—barman extraordinaire and author of the iconic book The Joy of Mixology— delves into the drink's fun, fascinating history (its origin story is still debated, with battling Italian noblemen laying claim) and provides techniques for modern updates (barrel aging and carbonation among them). Sixty delightfully varied and uniformly tasty recipes round out this spirited collection, which is a must-have for any true cocktail enthusiast.
The Negroni is one of the simplest and most elegant drink formulas combine one part gin, one part sweet vermouth, and one part Campari, then stir and serve over ice. This bitter, sweet, and smooth drink has inspired countless variations as well as legions of diehard aficionados. In The Negroni , Gary Regan—barman extraordinaire and author of the iconic book The Joy of Mixology— delves into the drink's fun, fascinating history (its origin story is still debated, with battling Italian noblemen laying claim) and provides techniques for modern updates (barrel aging and carbonation among them). Sixty delightfully varied and uniformly tasty recipes round out this spirited collection, which is a must-have for any true cocktail enthusiast.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published May 5, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 30, 2021
The Negroni is one of my favorite cocktails. Depending on the season, it may rise to the top. The simplicity, boldness of flavors, and refreshment from the three simple ingredients in concert are a match made in cocktail heaven.
If you haven’t tried a Negroni yet, go make one now. If you have tried one before and haven’t enjoyed it, try a couple more (not all at once) and I’m sure the bitter flavors will grow on you.
“The crowning glory of Campari-based mixed drinks must be the Negroni. Made with equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, the Negroni is traditionally served on the rocks with a slice of orange. So, at what point in a meal do I order my Negroni? Whenever I darned well feel like it. That’s when. Sometimes it serves as my digestivo, sometimes it’s my apéritif, and sometimes I order a Negroni when I have no plans to dine at all. It’s a robust cocktail that’s not as strong as, say, a martini, but it lets you know that you’ve had something substantial to drink.” Gary “gaz” Regan
If you haven’t tried a Negroni yet, go make one now. If you have tried one before and haven’t enjoyed it, try a couple more (not all at once) and I’m sure the bitter flavors will grow on you.
“The crowning glory of Campari-based mixed drinks must be the Negroni. Made with equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, the Negroni is traditionally served on the rocks with a slice of orange. So, at what point in a meal do I order my Negroni? Whenever I darned well feel like it. That’s when. Sometimes it serves as my digestivo, sometimes it’s my apéritif, and sometimes I order a Negroni when I have no plans to dine at all. It’s a robust cocktail that’s not as strong as, say, a martini, but it lets you know that you’ve had something substantial to drink.” Gary “gaz” Regan
January 16, 2025
An excellent book on one of my favorite cocktails. I love Regan’s style and the way he dialogues with the drinks and their creators. Lots of great riffs on this drink and a really great formula for so many different ideas.
I liked the idea of doing beer reductions, I think that can really add a ton of different flavors to a cocktail. Also a vermouth reduction is interesting, although used here in a Negroni cake, I want to try using it to make a “Manhattan Old Fashioned”
I liked the idea of doing beer reductions, I think that can really add a ton of different flavors to a cocktail. Also a vermouth reduction is interesting, although used here in a Negroni cake, I want to try using it to make a “Manhattan Old Fashioned”
July 31, 2019
El Negroni es un cocktail cuya receta es tan sencilla que existen n variables que pueden llegar a afectar el resultado final del clásico 1:1:1 [partes iguales de dry london gin, sweet vermouth y campari; garnish con piel de naranja] pero a la vez es el cocktail perfecto para experimentar: puedes cambiar el destilado, cambiar vermouth por amari, agregar bitters o componentes y hacer de este tu propio Negroni.
Buen libro, parte historia, parte análisis y muchas recetas. Incluidas algunas no bebibles sino comestibles (negroni cheesecake!)
4.8/5
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P. S. Hace unos días, antes de leer el libro hice mi propia receta para un perfecto negroni (para mi). Pueden ver la foto en instagram (no hay pierde, el color rubi no engaña)
Esta es la receta (@srno)
S U M M E R - at - S P E Y S I D E
In a Yarai glass full with ice add:
1.5 oz Speyside Single Malt Scotch (I used this *Wonderful* Mortlach 2008 Vintage)
1 oz Campari
1 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
2 barspoons Fernet-Branca
2 dashes Scrappy Orleans Bitters
Stir well (16-18 loops) and serve on an old fashioned glass with a nice ice sphere. Garnish with lemon peel.
Buen libro, parte historia, parte análisis y muchas recetas. Incluidas algunas no bebibles sino comestibles (negroni cheesecake!)
4.8/5
-
-
P. S. Hace unos días, antes de leer el libro hice mi propia receta para un perfecto negroni (para mi). Pueden ver la foto en instagram (no hay pierde, el color rubi no engaña)
Esta es la receta (@srno)
S U M M E R - at - S P E Y S I D E
In a Yarai glass full with ice add:
1.5 oz Speyside Single Malt Scotch (I used this *Wonderful* Mortlach 2008 Vintage)
1 oz Campari
1 oz Dolin Dry Vermouth
2 barspoons Fernet-Branca
2 dashes Scrappy Orleans Bitters
Stir well (16-18 loops) and serve on an old fashioned glass with a nice ice sphere. Garnish with lemon peel.
August 2, 2018
It’s my wife’s favorite cocktail, and in the “spirit” of a “well-balanced” marriage of great ingredients, I read Regan’s endearing encomium to the negroni. The lore is fascinating, the research ample but not overwhelming or distracting, and the recipes are thoughtful and far-reaching. Regan satisfies the negroni purist and the avant-garde tincture tinkerer both. I enjoyed hearing bartenders from across the globe (London, Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Portland) in their own words. Regan does a great job of paying homage to the cocktail and stepping aside to let others offer diverse viewpoints. I found the essay by Rosie Schaap especially pithy and charming. The edible section at the end was a fine way to complete the book — Negroni Caramel Popcorn!
November 22, 2017
If you ask bartenders about their all-time favorite drink, 90% of them will answer either an old fashioned or the Negroni.... so says Gary Regan. This book is a great read about a great drink! Beautifully photographed and really fun~~~~ the Negroni has quite a fun history. LOVE the drink, love the pictures and love the stories!
July 17, 2015
The bottom line is that this book is great for Negroni-lovers, for a few different reasons. Similar to a cookbook, there are a few distinct aspects of a cocktail book that are important, which I'll consider individually, along with a final impression.
The first is imagery and book design, which in my opinion is the most important. With dozens of cocktail recipes it would be difficult to try all of them, so ideally the book gives you an impression of the drinking experience through presentation. This book does well it this area, providing beautiful photography for most of the drinks, as well as various other photography of high-end cocktail bars. The publisher, Ten Speed Press, is very good about this. The quality of paper and the cover design is also great, and fits with the rest of the aesthetic.
The recipes themselves are great. Gin, vermouth, and Campari are the original components of the drink, and this book is about how each of these can be substituted with similar spirits while maintaining the fundamental character of the Negroni. And there are many variations, some of which I wouldn't have imagined but are very enticing.
The last major component of the book are the various descriptions and stories surrounding the recipes. In a good recipe book, these make the difference between just reading a list of recipes and pictures and feeling as though one understands the experience of the drinks. Some of the best cocktail books are almost history books, where the quality of writing captures the experience so well that pictures aren't needed. Gary Regan is himself a professional mixologist, so much of the writing surrounds the bartenders he knows who came up with the drinks, including anecdotes surrounding the origins and general descriptions of the characters that embody the drinks in some way. His writing is concise but generally good, and adds enough flair to each recipe to make it an interesting read. There are also a few pages of opinions from other bartenders and mini-articles about the Negroni's history. Overall, the content is somewhat light here. It feels there is a lot more than could be said about the various recipes and the drink itself, but the amount of content is just slightly less than you would expect.
My overall impression is that the book is great, but somewhat minimalist. It provides plenty of entertainment, especially while sipping a Negroni or other variant in the book, but is an extremely fast read without a whole lot of incentive to reread other than to prepare a bookmarked recipe. The content that is there is excellent though.
Ultimately the book presents many variations on the Negroni, at least some of which will be enticing to even the most experienced drinker. It's beautifully presented and well suited as a book for the coffee-table, or the Negroni-table if you will.
The first is imagery and book design, which in my opinion is the most important. With dozens of cocktail recipes it would be difficult to try all of them, so ideally the book gives you an impression of the drinking experience through presentation. This book does well it this area, providing beautiful photography for most of the drinks, as well as various other photography of high-end cocktail bars. The publisher, Ten Speed Press, is very good about this. The quality of paper and the cover design is also great, and fits with the rest of the aesthetic.
The recipes themselves are great. Gin, vermouth, and Campari are the original components of the drink, and this book is about how each of these can be substituted with similar spirits while maintaining the fundamental character of the Negroni. And there are many variations, some of which I wouldn't have imagined but are very enticing.
The last major component of the book are the various descriptions and stories surrounding the recipes. In a good recipe book, these make the difference between just reading a list of recipes and pictures and feeling as though one understands the experience of the drinks. Some of the best cocktail books are almost history books, where the quality of writing captures the experience so well that pictures aren't needed. Gary Regan is himself a professional mixologist, so much of the writing surrounds the bartenders he knows who came up with the drinks, including anecdotes surrounding the origins and general descriptions of the characters that embody the drinks in some way. His writing is concise but generally good, and adds enough flair to each recipe to make it an interesting read. There are also a few pages of opinions from other bartenders and mini-articles about the Negroni's history. Overall, the content is somewhat light here. It feels there is a lot more than could be said about the various recipes and the drink itself, but the amount of content is just slightly less than you would expect.
My overall impression is that the book is great, but somewhat minimalist. It provides plenty of entertainment, especially while sipping a Negroni or other variant in the book, but is an extremely fast read without a whole lot of incentive to reread other than to prepare a bookmarked recipe. The content that is there is excellent though.
Ultimately the book presents many variations on the Negroni, at least some of which will be enticing to even the most experienced drinker. It's beautifully presented and well suited as a book for the coffee-table, or the Negroni-table if you will.
March 5, 2017
I received a free copy of this book through the Read It Forward program from Crown Publishing.
Let's start with some good things. This book looks beautiful. It's sleek and sophisticated. It's full of sophisticated photos and great design. There's a small bit of background at the beginning of the book (about 20 pages) and then the rest of the book is filled with recipes for drinks and food inspired by the Negroni. The background was a bit interesting. I don't buy the claim that the Negroni is taking over at bars in the 21st century. I'd never heard of it until I received this book. If you like this drink, this is probably a fun book to learn more about it and find some interesting variations on it. For me, it was just okay. I'll try to pass it along to someone who can appreciate it more!
Let's start with some good things. This book looks beautiful. It's sleek and sophisticated. It's full of sophisticated photos and great design. There's a small bit of background at the beginning of the book (about 20 pages) and then the rest of the book is filled with recipes for drinks and food inspired by the Negroni. The background was a bit interesting. I don't buy the claim that the Negroni is taking over at bars in the 21st century. I'd never heard of it until I received this book. If you like this drink, this is probably a fun book to learn more about it and find some interesting variations on it. For me, it was just okay. I'll try to pass it along to someone who can appreciate it more!
June 17, 2015
Ten Speed Press does it again with another beautifully photographed and inspiring collage of Negronis assembled by Gaz (and his illustrious finger stir). The book can be surmised by Phil Ward's statement:
"I love the Negroni for a lot of reasons, one of which is that it's a drink that's possible to order in almost any dive bar, though it's a risky procedure. Even if bartenders don't know what it is, you just tell them equal parts on the rocks, and from there the adventure begins. How old and rancid is that bottle of stock sweet vermouth? How badly will they pour three 'equal' parts? Forrest Gump's mom was wrong. Life isn't like a box of chocolates; it's like a Negroni in a dive bar. You just never know what you're gonna get!"
"I love the Negroni for a lot of reasons, one of which is that it's a drink that's possible to order in almost any dive bar, though it's a risky procedure. Even if bartenders don't know what it is, you just tell them equal parts on the rocks, and from there the adventure begins. How old and rancid is that bottle of stock sweet vermouth? How badly will they pour three 'equal' parts? Forrest Gump's mom was wrong. Life isn't like a box of chocolates; it's like a Negroni in a dive bar. You just never know what you're gonna get!"
September 8, 2015
Negroni love
The lore surrounding the Negroni is enough reason for the book but add recipes from some of the most accomplished bar folk on the planet, this is truly a great read. There are enough recipes in here to keep you inebriated.
The lore surrounding the Negroni is enough reason for the book but add recipes from some of the most accomplished bar folk on the planet, this is truly a great read. There are enough recipes in here to keep you inebriated.
March 25, 2016
Interesting collection of recipes not has heavy on the history as expected. Overall good buy
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews