Name: White Negroni
Total time: 3 min
Cuisine: Cocktail
Ingredients: 30 ml Gin; 30 ml Gentian liqueur; 30 ml Aromatized wine; 3 drop Saline solution 4:1

White Negroni
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Glass:

Serve in an Old-fashioned glass

Ingredients:
1 oz	Hayman's London Dry Gin
1 oz	Gentian liqueur (e.g. Suze, Salers etc)
1 oz	Aromatized wine (e.g. Lillet Blanc)
3 drop	Saline solution (20g sea salt to 80g water) or merest pinch of s optional

Read about cocktail measures and measuring

Prepare:

Select and pre-chill an OLD-FASHIONED GLASS.
Prepare pink grapefruit zest for garnish.

How to make:

POUR all ingredients into ice-filled glass.
STIR.

Garnish:

Express pink grapefruit zest twist over the cocktail and use as garnish.

Strength & taste guide:

No alcohol

Medium

Boozy

Sweet

Medium

Dry/sour

More cocktails with similar strength and taste profile

Review:

Wayne Collins, this cocktail's creator, originally used equal parts as is usual for a classic Negroni, and after trying various other formulations, I've found this works best. Wayne also specified a grapefruit zest twist, and this is essential to the recipe's success. However, be warned, this is a cocktail for aficionados of bittersweet aperitifs and gentian.

View readers' comments

Variant:

White Negroni Sbagliato
Mellow White Negroni
Walthall's White Negroni
White Mezcal Negroni

History:

Created in 2001 by Wayne Collins at VinExpo. Bordeaux, France using Plymouth Gin for Nick Blacknell, then brand director of Plymouth Gin. Later, Simon Ford, who was the Plymouth Gin ambassador, introduced the cocktail to Audrey Saunders in the early days of her Pegu Club, where it became a hit on the menu.

More cocktails by Wayne Collins

Nutrition:

One serving of White Negroni contains 161 calories

Alcohol content:

1.3 standard drinks
20.64% alc./vol. (20.64° proof)
18.6 grams of pure alcohol

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Difford’s Guide remains free-to-use thanks to the support of the brands in green above. Values stated for alcohol and calorie content, and number of drinks an ingredient makes should be considered approximate.

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Showing 10 of 37 comments for White Negroni.
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Luca Viviani

26th September at 17:10

One of the few Negroni variations that stand up to the original.
PS: it's not white!!

A J Wilson

21st September at 19:43

The first time I made this, I didn’t like it at all, but that must have been operator error because I just tried it again and thoroughly enjoyed it. A great showcase for the musty, turmeric-laden idiosyncrasies of Suze.

Josh Walthall

16th August at 12:41

I'm sure it's sacrilege, but I occasionally switch out the Lillet Blanc for Italicus and then add some grapefruit bitters and a twist. It has more power to battle the bitterness of the Suze, and the result is exceptional and balanced.

Simon Difford

17th August at 10:58

Not sacrilege at all. A tasty cocktail. I've added to Difford's Guide as Walthall’s White Negroni, although please let me know if you'd like to rename. Many thanks for the suggestion.

1 reply

Richard Elgar

15th May at 16:39

I agree with a number of others here - reducing the Suze a tad makes the drink more balanced. So the ration became 1 gin/ 1 Cocchi Americano/ .75 Suze. I had no grapefruit twist but a dash of grapefruit bitters spread over 4 cocktails worked well.

Stephen Broughall

29th March at 23:56

Suze is superb but can take command of a cocktail. This is an excellent showcase for it but for the next round I will reduce the Suze slightly. Or maybe a dash of soda?

Lars Jacobsen

21st March at 20:55

Tastes like Crodino

Calvin Grant

10th February at 05:01

Whilst I've loved this over the years with Cocchi Americano, Beefeater, and Suze (and it's fantastic!) revisiting this with Lillet Blanc...aaah....it's perfect. By the way, have ya'''all tried the Five-Three-Five? Star.

John CARR

6th June at 14:11

Calvin, revisiting this with Kina L’aero d’or fully replacing the Lillet this evening. I enjoyed but def changes the flavour profile quite a bit- perhaps more suited to the cool weather here (yes, it does snow occasionally, tho rarely in town itself) - the syrupy sweetness of the Kina I thought worked well, without losing a nice hit of the bitter too.

1 reply

Richard Elgar

15th May at 00:39

Love the five three five! Such a great color too!

2 replies

Michael Click

6th February at 11:02

I made this with Plymouth Navy Strength, Suze, and Cocchi Americano in equal parts. The gin really holds up here but it packs a punch! This is an excellent drink, both fruity, bitter, and earthy.

G. M. Genovese

31st December 2024 at 20:07

I've made this a few times over the 5 years, and this one take stands out. But it tastes like a bitter Sprite. What's your thoughts?... Equal parts: Monkey 47, Cocchi Americano, Salers.

John CARR

2nd January at 12:17

Following the discussion with Chris brislawn on these pages, if you sub half the Lillet for Bonal or another available Kina you’ll get something much more pleasingly adult and bittersweet. On this occasion I went with Sipsmith 30, Suze 30 (haven’t been able to source salers for comparison) 15 each Lillet and bonal. Very satisfying digestif.

2 replies

John CARR

13th December 2024 at 13:23

Revisiting with proper indigents. Very pleasant and, for my money, significantly less bittersweet than a regular negroni (I’m looking at you Campari 👀). Sampled the newly acquired bottle of Suze and found it very pleasant indeed. But then I had also just sampled Bonal also, which is generous on the bitter element, tho not outrageously.

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