Unusual Negroni (Aperol, Lillet, and Gin Cocktail)

Unusual Negroni (Aperol, Lillet, and Gin Cocktail)
  • Yield:Makes 1 cocktail
  • Active time:3 minutes
  • Total time:3 minutes

[Photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Do you find a traditional Negroni cocktail a little too assertive? Meet the Unusual Negroni, a lighter, mellower variation created by Charlotte Voisey and featured in The Negroni: Drinking to La Dolce Vita, With Recipes & Lore by Gary Regan. Aperol gives this drink a subtly bitter orange flavor, bolstered by the honey-and-citrus flavor of golden Lillet Blanc. Hendrick's Gin, with its delicate botanicals, fits right in with the overall gentle character of the drink.

Voisey's original specs call for the classic equal-parts setup, but I like this drink in a slightly drier style, with an extra bit of gin, as listed below.

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce (30ml) Aperol
  • 1 ounce (30ml) Lillet Blanc
  • 1 1/4 ounces (37ml) Hendrick's Gin
  • Small grapefruit slice or grapefruit twist, for garnish

Directions

  1. 1.

    To serve on the rocks, stir Aperol, Lillet Blanc, and gin with ice in an Old Fashioned glass, then garnish with grapefruit slice and serve. To serve up, stir Aperol, Lillet Blanc, and gin with ice in a mixing glass, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with grapefruit twist.