Skip to contentSkip to site index

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.

There’s No Limit to What the Negroni Can Do

Play with its simple formula, and you can make a number of delicious, bittersweet cocktails.

A side image of a bright red cocktail finished with a large orange wheel.
Drop the gin in a Negroni, and you have a light, gorgeous Milano-Torino.Credit...Nico Schinco for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

By Rebekah Peppler

Rebekah Peppler is a food and drinks writer based in Paris.

The Negroni, a strong Italian-born classic with a huge and committed fan club, fits every season and most occasions.

“It’s bitter, it’s sweet, it feels like it has a bit of salinity to it,” said Isabel Tulloch, the head bartender at Milady’s in New York City. “There’s that beautiful orange expression that makes it a little bit juicy.”

But start playing with the classic Negroni recipe — gin, red bitter aperitif (often Campari) and sweet vermouth — and a host of adjacent alternatives appear.

Drop the gin entirely, and you’re now holding a Milano-Torino. Dating to the 1860s, the Milano-Torino, or “Mi-To,” is named for where its key ingredients originated: one part Campari (from Milano) and one part sweet vermouth (from Torino). Served on the rocks with a slice of orange, it’s lower in alcohol than the Negroni, though the Milano-Torino still benefits from some dilution.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.

Thank you for your patience while we verify access.

Already a subscriber? Log in.

Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT