This Christmas-inspired Negroni is the best thing I've ever made
This Christmas Negroni a.k.a. "Negroni No. 12" is a cocktail you should (responsibly) sip year round.
This all started with preparation for the Second Annual Maisonet Christmas Cocktail Competition, which took place shortly before December 25th. An upcoming newsletter post will discuss the results of that event.
The dirty little secret of our household is that while I produce the vast majority of cocktails at home, my wife tends to lead in the inspiration and vision of what we drink. In other words, while I’d be fine pouring “two fingers worth” of my favorite spirit, my wife might want something “spirit forward” or “something familiar” and we end up drinking whatever tickles her fancy.
In 2024, our cocktail of the year was the Negroni, a simple three-ingredient, equal parts (Gin, Campari and Red Vermouth) classic drink that provides plenty of room for creativity and off-shoots.
When we started brainstorming what we’d serve as our cocktail competition offering, naturally, my mind went first to this. If my wife likes it, everyone else will…right?
If you’ve read this newsletter, you know that my reference guide for spirit exploration usually leads me to Simon Difford and his glorious website database, Difford’s Guide. This isn’t paid promo, just acknowledgment — if you want to make high-level cocktails, start there.
While reading Difford’s, I stumbled across his Christmas Negroni. Difford credits one of his readers, Andreas Beil, who shared in the comments section that his version of the Negroni resulted from running out of an ingredient.
“I would like to share a variety replacing half (or even the full amount) of Campari with Becherovka liqueur,” Beil said on Difford’s Guide. “It makes a great sipper for winter times with spicy cloves and cinnamon. To be honest, I came up with it on Christmas Eve in 2020, when I ran out of Campari and was looking for a bitter replacement.”
Difford remixed the Negroni even further, adding two more unique ingredients, Sloe Gin and Falernum, to promote maximum spice and flavor.
To date, this is arguably the best drink I’ve ever made. Its best feature is that it takes aim at the equal-parts recipe and attacks the bitter element with variety.
You still need one ounce of gin and one ounce of vermouth, but instead of leaning on one ounce of Campari to bring the bitterness for balance, this drink asks for four ingredients to do the heavy lifting on the final element in the ratio.
Start with the Becherovka (1/2 oz. worth), a herbal liqueur made in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, which is an absurd spirit. It’s spicy and sweet. It’s bitter but floral. It’s got depth, as it can be powerful and pleasant. The toughest thing about it is just pronouncing it correctly: bek-kur-OHV-kuh.
Next, grab your Campari, but dial it down to just a third (1/3 oz.). It will still do plenty of work in this drink, but the next two ingredients add the fun.
Third, it’s time for the Sloe Gin (1/6 oz. worth), which is gin infused with sloe berries and sugar. This adds a jammy, berry-like flavor to the drink.
Lastly, Falernum. You’re literally adding three dabs (1/12 oz. worth) to provide a funky, nutty, limey, spicey final kick. Barbados knew what they were doing when they created this.
I’ve decided to nickname this cocktail “Negroni No. 12”, as I believe calling it a Christmas Negroni could encourage folks to relegate it with other beverages like Egg Nog and Coquito, only worthy of being enjoyed in November and December.
That would be foolish. This drink is incredible, and I will sip it routinely all year. Christmas in July, anyone? Cheers.
Recipe: Christmas Negroni a.k.a. “Negroni No. 12”
Serve: Old fashioned glass
Garnish: Orange slice wheel
Ingredients
1 oz. Gin
1 oz. Carpano Antica Vermouth
0.5 oz Becherovka
1/3 oz Strucchi Red Bitter Liqueur OR Campari
1/6 Hayman’s Sloe Gin
1/12 Falernum liqueur
Make: Stir all ingredients with ice and strain over a big block of ice. Garnish with an orange slice wheel.
Difford’s Guide gives this drink five stars, while the users rate it as a 4.5-star drink. If you’re not familiar with Negronis or don’t quite have the appreciation for a spirit-forward cocktail, this drink COULD be a tad overwhelming. And that’s okay. That leaves more for the rest of us.
However, dive into this if you’re down to experiment and ready to grab a few bottles at the store you’ve never considered. Consider this an early Christmas gift. You’re welcome.