Mezcal Negroni Cocktail

The Mezcal Negroni cocktail is a drink built with Mezcal, Sweet Vermouth, and Campari!

Mezcal Negroni Cocktail Info

The Negroni cocktail with its three ingredients dates back to the 20th century. According to legend, Camillo Negroni, an Italian count, visited Bar Casoni in Florence to request a more potent cocktail than the Americano. The barkeep was happy to replace the water with gin and assemble the drink in equal parts, forever expanding the world's drink repertoire.

For decades, the classic Negroni was a favorite in Italy. However, it made its way to America during the craft cocktail revival in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Although the bitter taste of Negroni is delicious in its original form, bartenders have found it to be a good addition to cocktails. You can tweak the Negroni by substituting gin with another base spirit; in this case, we use Mezcal. Cocktail bars and other agave-focused places were quick to popularize the mezcal-spiked Negroni. The drink quickly rose to prominence on the list of modern classics.

Although the Mezcal Negroni may seem like a simple version of the classic drink, substituting gin with agave spirit makes it a refreshing take on the original. This cocktail version is infused with earthy and smoky flavors from the Mezcal. Despite being a stark contrast with the dry, botanical character of gin, it works rather well. Mezcal is equally effective in Negronis due to its assertive nature, which competes with the bitter Campari and herbal vermouth.

Mezcal Negroni is a fun variation of the traditional recipe. It's made with equal amounts of each ingredient, just like the original, and stirred with ice. Make it at home, and you'll be amazed at how one minor tweak can create an entirely new delicious cocktail.