Mezcal Negroni: Bitter, Sweet and Smoky

With its fusion of Italian and Mexican liquors, the Mezcal Negroni is a riff on the original Negroni. It's like the classic but better... and smokier!

Mezcal NegroniPhoto by2foodtrippers

Have you ever tried a Mezcal Negroni?

That simple question has taken us down a mixology journey that started with the purchase of a bottle of mezcal. It hasn't ended yet. This is a drink where new and old worlds collide - a unique concoction where the Zocalo meets the Piazza Navona to create a cocktail that's arguably better than the original.

Thanks to its bitter, sweet and smoky flavors, the Mezcal Negroni is currently our favorite Negroni. If you enjoy sipping a complex cocktails with a smoky edge, it might be your favorite Negroni too.

What Is the Mezcal Negroni?

The Mezcal Negroni is essentially a Negroni crafted with mezcal instead of gin. That seemingly simple switcheroo creates a cocktail that's simultaneously bitter, sweet and smoky.

With one sip, you'll wonder where this cocktail has been all you life. But then, after that intial sip, you'll be happy that you've found it. Crafting a Mezcal Negroni at home will make you even happier since it's so easy to do.

History of the Mezcal Negroni

We'd love to tell a story about how an Italian bartender moved to Mexico and melded his home country's most iconic cocktail with his adopted country's equally iconic liquor. But that would be a Mezcal Negroni fable.

Since our research didn't reveal a difinitive origin story for the Italy-meets-Mexico cocktail, we don't know which mixologist deserves credit for the ingenious move of replacing gin with mezcal. It's possible that credit goes to a creative customer - after all, the original Negroni was created when Camillo Negroni requested an Americano crafted with gin instead of soda water more than a century ago.

Ingredients

You need the following items to craft a Mezcal Negroni at home:

• 1 1/2 ounce Campari
• 1 1/2 ounce mezcal
• 1 1/2 ounce vermouth (sweet)
• orange peel or wheel (garnish)
• ice cubes (for shaking)
• jumbo ice cube (for serving)

If you're already a Negroni drinker, then you probably already have bottles of Campari and sweet vermouth in your liquor cabinet. However, you may need to buy a bottle of mezcal. If that's the case, be aware that mezcal isn't cheap. Here's a quick description of each liquor:

• Campari is a complex Italian liqueur that derives its bitter tones from 50+ secret ingredients that include herbs, aromatic plants and fruit. Famous around the world for being the primary Negroni ingredient, the versatile Italian liqueur has an ABV of 25%.
• Mezcal is a Mexican liquor that's produced from agave plants that are slowly cooked in underground fire pits before the resulting juice is fermented and distilled. This unique process gives mezcal its distinctly smoky flavor. Mezcal's ABV ranges from 40 to 55%. (The Montelobos bottle we bought has a 43.2% ABV.)
• Sweet vermouth is an aromatized fortified wine that derives its sweet yet complex flavor from dozens of herbs and spices. Popular brands include Carpano, Cinzano, Cocchi and Martini & Rossi. Regardless of the brand, sweet vermouth typically has an ABV of 16 to 22%. (Our bottle of Carpano Classico has a 16% ABV.)

How to Craft a Mezcal Negroni

Once you gather the necessary ingredients plus a few basic bar tools, the first step is to measure equal amounts of Campari, mezcal and sweet vermouth. As always, we use a Japanese jigger to ensure accurate measurements and minimize spillage.

Pour each liquor directly into a mixing glass.

Add a handful of ice cubes and stir the three liquors with a bar spoon until they're chilled and combined - approximately 20 seconds.

Drop a jumbo ice cube into lowball glass and then strain the mixed cocktail into the glass.

Pro Tip: Using a jumbo ice cube is key for this cocktail since the bitter, sweet and smoky flavors of the Mezcal Negroni evolve as the ice cube slowly melts.

Garnish the crafted cocktail with an orange peel or wheel.

We garnished this Mezcal Negroni with a dehydrated orange wheel. Bonus points if you do the same.

Variations

The Mezcal Negroni's 1:1:1 ratio is a tried and true formula that's hard to beat. The same goes for its orange peel/wheel garnish. Instead of messing with these elements of success, consider the following variations:

• Experiment with different mezcals to create your personal perfect Mezcal Negroni.
• Craft another Negroni variation like the Espresso Negroni, White Negroni or Boulevardier.
• Craft a different mezcal cocktail like the Mezcal Old Fashioned, Mezcal Sour or Mezcal Mule.

This recipe was originally published on 2foodtrippers. Consider subscribing to 2foodtrippers if you enjoyed it.