Aperol Negroni

The Aperol Negroni is a refreshing spin on the classic using Aperol instead of Campari! It makes a slightly sweeter drink with a citrus nuance.

Here’s a fun twist on everyone’s favorite cocktail, the Aperol Negroni! Swap out bitter Campari for Aperol and you’ve got an entirely different drink. Aperol is sweeter, making a milder drink with a subtle citrus essence. Often we’re looking for creative ways to use Aperol outside of the spritz, and this is the perfect idea! (Plus, you don’t have to open a bottle of bubbly!)

Ingredients in an Aperol Negroni

The Negroni is a popular Italian cocktail that’s popular around the world, but it dates back to the 1920’s. It was invented by Count Negroni in Florence, Italy, who ordered an Americano cocktail (an 1860’s cocktail with Campari, sweet vermouth and soda water). He asked for the drink with gin to give it a little more kick, and the Negroni was born!

A classic Negroni uses Campari, a very bitter Italian liqueur, sweet vermouth and gin. Swap out the Campari for Aperol, and you’ve got an Aperol Negroni! The flavor is subtler with Aperol, with more sweet and citrusy notes instead of the searing bitter aftertaste that Campari brings. The ingredients you’ll need are:

• Aperol
• Sweet red vermouth
• Gin

For the vermouth

There are two main types of vermouth: sweet (usually red) and dry (usually white). Sweet vermouth is subtly sweet and spicy, with a hit of bitter on the back end. Dry vermouth tastes floral and herbal, with a dry finish.

Can you use dry vermouth for an Aperol Negroni? At first we thought this would taste better for this drink, since Aperol is so much sweeter than Campari. However, after trying them back to back we liked the flavor with sweet vermouth best. It tasted most like a Negroni and wasn’t overly sweet.

How to make an Aperol Negroni (basic steps)

The Aperol Negroni is so easy to make and memorize: use just 1 ounce of each of the ingredients! You don’t even need to shake it. Simply stir the ingredients together in a cocktail mixing glass or the base of a cocktail shaker. Here are the basic steps to make it (or go to the recipe below):

• Mix. Add the ingredients to a mixing glass with 1 handful of ice and stir for 30 seconds. This chills the cocktail and dilutes it less than shaking in a cocktail shaker would.
• Strain and serve. Strain into a lowball or Old Fashioned glass filled with ice.

More about Aperol vs Campari

Aperol is an Italian bitter aperitif with a bright orange color and lightly sweet, citrusy flavor. The first ever aperitif, Campari, was invented in Italy in the 1860’s. Aperol came along in 1919, and it was later bought by the Campari company in the 1990’s.

Aperol is most commonly used in the popular Aperol spritz. It tastes lightly sweet, bitter, and balanced, with notes of herbs and citrus. Its light flavor is much more approachable than bitter Campari, which can be polarizing. Here’s more about Campari vs Aperol!

Step it up with clear ice

The best way to make a next level Aperol Negroni? Use clear ice! Clear ice is crystal clear ice that’s different from the cloudy ice cubes made in an ice tray. It has a beautiful look in the glass and also melts slower than regular ice cubes.

It’s easy to make at home with a small cooler, or there are now several clear ice makers on the market. However, all you need is a small cooler that fits inside your refrigerator! Go to How to Make Clear Ice.

More Aperol cocktails

And that’s it! Let us know what you think of this Aperol Negroni. If you’ve got a bottle of Aperol to use up, check out these drinks for creative ways to use it:

• Make a Aperol Spritz, aka Spritz Veneziano
• Go for the modern classics, the Paper Plane or Naked and Famous
• Mix it with rum for Aperol & Rum Cocktail
• Try these Top 10 Aperol Cocktails

01

Aperol Spritz

02

Paper Plane Cocktail

03

Aperol Cocktail

04

Top 10 Aperol Cocktails

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