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Cocktail History
The White Negroni is a modern cocktail that was created by Wayne Collins in London, England. According to The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH, he was attempting to recreate the magic of the classic Negroni but with a different bittering agent and sweetener when making the recipe. He landed on this light yellow concoction that also calls for gin but uses Suze in place of Campari and Lillet Blanc in place of sweet vermouth.
Cocktail Ingredients
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:
London Dry Gin: This is a type of gin made with juniper berries, botanicals, and alcohol that has been infused with flavor through redistillation without artificial ingredients or colors. We used Broker’s Premium London Dry Gin because it’s versatile and high proof. For a low-proof version of this drink, try MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin in place of the gin.
Lillet Blanc: This is an aromatized wine liqueur made in France with Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon grapes, citrus, florals, honey, baking spices, and water. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Apéritif Dry in place of the wine liqueur.
Suze: This is an apéritif made in France with gentian root, citrus, herbs, and alcohol.
Lemon Peel: This is the peel of a lemon that has been cut into a strip.
Bartending Tools
To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:
Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.
Mixing Glass: This is used to hold the ingredients while they’re being stirred. We used the Viski 17 oz Cocktail Mixing Glass.
Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. We used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.
Peeler: This is used to remove the garnish peel from the citrus. We used the OXO Good Grips 2-Piece Peeler Set.
Cocktail Pick: This is used to hold the garnish. We used one from the I-MART Stainless Steel Cocktail Pick Set.
Tasting Notes
The White Negroni features unique gentian aromas along with lemon zest, it has the light sweet taste of Lillet at first, and it follows through with a bitterness and flavor that’s definitely bold but less bracingly obvious than Campari. The whole experience is completed with the strength and dry juniper-pepper notes of Broker’s Gin, which gives the drink a solid backbone without tampering with the existing flavor profiles.
Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: As with any Negroni, we both had very different opinions of this one. Kendall wasn’t a huge fan of the Suze and ended up preferring the classic recipe over this one, while Alex found it to be a fascinating and unique alternative to the original that was a great pick for Negroni Week.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“I tried a White Negroni a few weeks ago after finally purchasing a bottle of Suze, but I made it with the 1:1:1 ratio like the classic Negroni. As it turns out, the White Negroni isn’t supposed to be 1:1:1, but I didn’t realized that at the time. I like it a lot, more than the equal parts one I made; it has definite Negroni characteristics but with more differences than similarities. The Suze brings its own herbal bitter flavors that are very different from Campari, and the Lillet brings sweetness but not anywhere close to the same flavor profile as the Carpano Antica I typically use in Negronis. Overall, this is a very enjoyable drink, but unfortunately it’s not quite great enough to unseat The Red Champion.”—
Kendall’s Take: ⭐
“To be completely honest, the taste of this drink reminds me a bit too much of rubbing alcohol, and I actually think I prefer the original Negroni to this even though I can’t take the bitterness of that one either. After a year of tastings, I’m just not a fan of these yet.”
Recipe
This cocktail recipe was adapted from The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks by the editors of PUNCH and Megan Krigbaum.
Add gin, Lillet Blanc, Suze, and cubed ice to a mixing glass.
Stir for 30-45 seconds.
Strain into a lowball glass over a clear ice cube.
Garnish with lemon twist.
Ingredients
Directions
Add gin, Lillet Blanc, Suze, and cubed ice to a mixing glass.
Stir for 30-45 seconds.
Strain into a lowball glass over a clear ice cube.
Garnish with lemon twist.
Make It a Mocktail: Use MONDAY Zero Alcohol Gin in place of the gin and Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Apéritif Dry in place of the wine liqueur to try a low-proof version of this drink.
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More Negroni Cocktails
If you like this cocktail recipe, here are a few others similar to a Negroni we’ve tried that you may enjoy:
Boulevardier: A bourbon cocktail made with sweet vermouth, Campari, and an orange peel
Cocoa Negroni: A gin cocktail made with sweet vermouth, Campari, cocoa bitters, a chocolate orange wedge, and an orange twist
Rhubarb & Gingerbread Negroni: A gin cocktail made with sweet vermouth, Campari, gingerbread syrup, and an orange peel
Old Pal: A rye cocktail made with dry vermouth, Campari, and an orange twist
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