Strawberry Negroni
Muddle ∙ 3 min ∙ 24.3% ABV ∙
The Strawberry Negroni stirs gin, a red bitter such as Campari and sweet vermouth with fresh muddled strawberry. Bittersweet and glossy on the palate, with muddled fruit softening the bracing edge into a lingering, herb-flecked finish.
Ingredients
1
Servings
Garnish
Instructions for 1 serving
- Pre-chill a glass
- In the base of the mixing glass muddle: Fresh strawberries 3 pcs
- Add the remaining ingredients: London dry gin 30 mlRed bitter 30 mlRosso vermouth 30 ml
- Stir with ice
- Fine strain into the ice-filled glass
- Garnish with a mint sprig tipped with a strawberry on the rim
Tips
- Muddle the strawberries gently in the mixing glass base first — over-crushing releases seeds and pulp that cloud the strain.
- Pre-chill the glass so the drink stays cold through the muddle, stir, and fine-strain before serving.
- Fine-strain into the ice-filled glass to keep strawberry solids out and the drink clear.
History
The Strawberry Negroni is a modern flavored twist on the Negroni, made by muddling or infusing fresh strawberries into the classic three-part build of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. No specific bartender, bar, or date is documented for its creation; it belongs to the broad wave of fruit-forward Negroni riffs that bartenders and home mixologists popularized as the Negroni itself became a global favorite in the 2010s, adding fresh strawberry for a sweeter, fruitier take on the bitter original.
The Negroni it riffs on is widely traced to Florence, Italy, where the most repeated account holds that in 1919 Count Camillo Negroni asked bartender Fosco Scarselli at Caffè Casoni to strengthen his usual Americano by replacing the soda water with gin, though other claimants to its invention exist and firm contemporary documentation is lacking.
FAQ
Is a Strawberry Negroni sweet?
It is a bittersweet drink, not a sweet one — the muddled strawberry adds fruit sweetness, but the red bitter still leads and the vermouth rounds rather than masks it. At 24.3% ABV it drinks with real spirit weight, and the finish stays dry and herbal despite the fruit.
What are some common mistakes when making a Negroni?
The most common mistake is over-muddling the strawberries or over-stirring, both of which dilute the drink and dull its bitter-sweet balance. Under-measuring the red bitter or vermouth is another, since the three core components need accurate pours to stay balanced; skipping the fine-strain also lets fruit pulp or ice shards into the glass.
