White Negroni
ClassicThe Negroni gone pale and floral, built on French bitters.
Softer and more floral than the original, but no less bitter. Suze brings a clean, almost medicinal gentian bite with roots and citrus pith; Lillet Blanc answers with honey, orange, and a light quinine hum; and the gin threads juniper through the middle. Bracing and elegant, with a long dry finish.
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Gin
- 0.75 oz Suze
- 0.75 oz Lillet Blanc
- Lemon peel · optional garnish
Method
- 1
Add the gin, Suze, and Lillet Blanc to a mixing glass with ice.
- 2
Stir until well-chilled, about 20-30 seconds.
- 3
Strain over one large cube in a chilled rocks glass.
- 4
Express a lemon peel over the surface and drop it in.
The Story
The White Negroni was built in 2001 by British bartender Wayne Collins, who was tasked with making a Negroni using only French ingredients for a drinks fair in Bordeaux. He swapped Campari for Suze, the bitter gentian aperitif, and sweet vermouth for the honeyed Lillet Blanc. The result kept the Negroni's bittersweet architecture while turning it pale gold and unmistakably French. Audrey Saunders put it on the menu at New York's Pegu Club, and the drink quietly became a modern standard.
Recipe card
The whole recipe in one shareable image.
