Bancone Short Features | The Negroni

This marks the beginning of our Bancone Short Features… A monthly handpicked topic encapsulating wisdom into a riveting 2 minute read to fuel the foodie soul. This month, it's all about the Negroni. Read on for your first monthly dose.

The Bancone Signature Negronis available at Golden Square & Covent Garden

The Negroni. A classic Italian aperitivo favoured for it’s heady aromatics, seductive sweetness and bracing bitterness that keeps you coming back for ‘just one more’ sip. Some say it’s for the more sophisticated palate as the bitterness, like black coffee, is not for everyone but after being named cocktail of 2021 it’s enjoying immense popularity.

The Recipe

The traditional recipe commits to equal measures of Campari for the botanical bitterness, Sweet Vermouth for the aromatics and Gin for the brightness. There is much controversy over pushing the boundaries with the ratio as the equal parts method creates such a perfect balance that experimenting is sometimes only for the brave.

Shaken or Stirred

A negroni is usually always stirred for the purpose of bringing down the temperature rapidly and only just enough dilution to open up the botanicals for a perfectly chilled, velvety texture. Be warned, shaking a Negroni can interrupt that delicate mouthfeel by creating bubbles and potentially over-diluting that flawless balance with broken ice.

Served up neat or on the rocks?

Almost always on the rocks to maintain the temperature and to avoid the glass and our hands from warming the liquid too fast. Remember, ‘too much ice dilutes the cocktail’ is in fact a myth! The larger the block/s of ice the slower the dilution of the cocktail so always avoid ice chips or asking your bartender to remove some of the ice cubes.

There are of course the rare occasions you may stumble upon places serving a Negroni stirred over ice and strained into a delightfully pre-chilled frosty coupette for the extra touch.

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So there you have it, your 2 minute crash course in all things Negroni. We hope you feel armed with collateral for the next time cocktail trivia is called upon. Stay tuned for the next Bancone Short Feature coming soon…

BANCONE SIGNATURE NEGRONIS £7

A trio of complex and uplifting cocktails that hit the spot for the perfect aperitivo and pre-dinner vibes to whet your appetite.

Classic

Served in equal measures for that perfect balance. Stirred for ample dilution and on the rocks for a chill.

White

Gin, Suze, Lillet Blanc. A more floral and lighter negroni.

The White Negroni has a distinctively different type of bitterness. Campari usually performs that function in a Classic Negroni but with the White Negroni, the bitterness comes from the gentian found in Suze, one of the three core ingredients. This works nicely with another classic French aperitif wine, Lillet Blanc, which adds gentle acidity, sweetness and depth. The result is a wonderfully complex Negroni delivering a herbal finish with hints of white grapefruit.  

Orange Blossom

Gin, Orange Blossom, Dry Vermouth, Campari.

Designed to be a beginners Negroni if you will. With lower quantities of gin and Campari it makes for a much softer, less bitter Negroni. The bulk of the recipe is a gentle, sweet, almost honeyed vermouth, supported with dry orange and orange blossom water. There’s a subtle bitterness hidden behind the floral orange blossom making it distinctly still Negroni in style.