Negroni Week sees bars, mixologists and the drinks community come together to celebrate a drink that’s now over 100 years old. Traditionally made up of one part gin, one part sweet vermouth and one part bitters, the Negroni has stood the test of time and is recognised as a classic cocktail. Negroni Week 2020, which normally takes place in June was moved to 14-20 September and, unlike previous years, has been enjoyed under the cloud of covid, which has had a massive negative impact on the hospitality sector. Along with celebrating this much loved cocktail, Negroni Week 2020 put on a focus on supporting the hospitality industry through donations to official fundraising partners of imbibe and Campari.
We’ve used Negroni Week 2020 as an opportunity to showcase the diversity of what is in essence a cocktail with only three simple ingredients. With a rich range of Scottish Gins combined with some exciting vermouths and of course Campari, we’ve put together some exciting Scottish Gin based Negronis for you to try… for a simple cocktail, the possibilities are endless.
By its very nature, the Negroni is strong. It’s three types of alcohol mixed so it should be treated with respect and always enjoyed responsibly. As part of Negroni Week 2020, we’ve also made a donation to the Ben, Scotland’s charity that supports the hospitality sector.
Kicking things off is Little Brown Dog Spirits with their signature LBD Gin. Described as a gin packed with juniper, waves of citrus, floral and woodland notes with a hint of petrichor. Simply matched with equal parts Antica Formula Carpano Sweet Vermouth and Campari. Learn more about Little Brown Dog Spirits here.
It’s been a pleasure to highlight some fantastic Scottish Gin and simultaneously experiment with and sample different vermouths for Negroni Week. On day two, we matched Linlithgow Distillery’s signature LinGin with equal parts Cocchi Vermouth Di Torino and Campari. Learn more about Linlithgow Distillery here.
We thought we’d mix it up on day three and opt for a White Negroni as part of the ongoing Negroni Week celebrations. We used a sample of Roehill Springs Distillery’s Gin No.5, with equal parts Suze and Lillet. Learn more about Roehill Springs Distillery here.
We continued Negroni Week in our usual Scottish Gin style on day four with Inspirited Dry Gin, which has a delicate flavour profile. For this reason, we used 2 parts gin, 1 part Sweet Vermouth and 1 part Campari to balance the more bitter flavour of Punt e Mes. Learn more about Inspirited here.
Day five’s Scottish Gin Negroni for Negroni Week featured Caithness Highland Gin from Ice & Fire Distillery, which uses locally grown rhubarb in the distillation, working well with equal parts of the big fruity Lillet Rouge and bitter Campari. Learn more about Ice & Fire Distillery here.
For our penultimate Scottish Gin Negroni for Negroni Week 2020 we used Snawstorm Scottish Gin matched with equal parts Discarded Vermouth and Campari. Snawstorm uses new-make spirit sourced from a local Speyside whisky distillery, creating a distinctive base to work from, which balances well against the spicy, fruity, sweet profile of Discarded. Learn more about Snawstorm Scottish Spirits here.
To end Negroni Week 2020, we cheated on Campari by introducing Sweetdram’s Whisky Amaro, which we thought would work well with Tobermory Gin, given the added splash of new make spirit. Tied together in equal parts with the last element being El Bandarra Red Vermouth. Thanks for the inspo Andrew and Julian, you know who you are! Learn more about Tobermory Distillery here.
You can learn more about Negroni Week by visiting the links below.
