Mini Negroni

A bite-sized bitter bomb delivering all the sophisticated interplay of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth in a perfectly balanced one-sip aperitivo.

The Mini Negroni applies the modern craft cocktail movement's interest in smaller, more temperature-stable formats to one of the 20th century's most celebrated equal-parts formulas. The Negroni was created in Florence around 1919 when Count Camillo Negroni — a well-traveled Florentine nobleman who had spent time in the American West and developed a taste for strong drinks — asked bartender Fosco Scarselli at Caffè Casoni on Via de' Tornabuoni to strengthen his customary Americano by replacing the soda water with gin. The resulting combination of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth in equal parts became one of the most replicated cocktail structures in history. The mini format reduces the standard 3-ounce total to approximately 1.5 ounces served in a small rocks glass or coupe over a single ice ball, producing a serve that is consumed quickly enough to maintain the Negroni's intended temperature and concentration. Negroni Week, the global charitable event established by Imbibe Magazine and the Campari Group in 2013 — in which participating bars donate a portion of Negroni proceeds to charity — has been a significant driver of mini Negroni culture, as tasting events and multiple-variation flights make smaller serves logistically sensible and practically more interesting for exploration.