Few cocktails have traveled quite as well as the Negroni. Born out of an Italian count’s request for a stronger Americano, the three-part combination of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth has gone from Florentine aperitivo staple to one of the world’s most classic cocktails.
The story begins in Florence in the 20th century with Camillo Negroni, an Italian aristocrat and somewhat of a traveler, gambler, and adventurer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Rather than following the usual path of politics or military service, he became known for a cosmopolitan, bohemian lifestyle and spent a considerable amount of time outside Italy, with stints in the US. Negroni apparently developed a penchant for American-style cocktails during his travels.
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Around 1919, Negroni was a regular at Caffè Casoni on Florence's Via de' Tornabuoni. During one visit, he reportedly ordered an Americano (Campari, sweet vermouth, and soda water) but wanted something stronger. He asked the bartender, Fosco Scarselli, to replace the soda with gin.
Scarselli apparently made the change and added an orange garnish to distinguish the drink from an ordinary Americano. That combination became associated with Count Negroni and eventually took on his name, creating the Negroni.
That’s how the story goes, at least, although cocktail historians have pointed out that the exact circumstances of the drink’s invention aren't definitively documented (Camillo Negroni's brother, General Pascal Olivier de Negroni, has sometimes been claimed as the cocktail's true namesake).
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Since its creation, the Negroni has climbed in popularity. In fact, it was named the world's bestselling classic cocktail for three consecutive years from 2022 to 2024 in Drinks International's survey of the world's leading bars, with a quarter of participants naming it their number-one classic in 2024. It slipped to third place this year in the bestselling-classics ranking, but its popularity has also spawned Negroni Week, which in 2025 brought together more than 15,000 venues across 97 countries and raised more than $700,000 for Slow Food.
Negroni Week runs from September 21 to 27 this year, and there are myriad venues taking place, offering wild and wonderful riffs on the timeless classic as well as the original concoction. But for the best places around the world to sip a Negroni, read on.
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Caffè Giacosa
Florence This Florentine cafe, found on the Via de' Tornabuoni, is the very same site where Count Negroni first asked the bartender to strengthen his Americano with gin – thus creating the Negroni. It’s become a rite of passage for cocktail enthusiasts, to visit the birthplace of the drink, but it’s also a staple of Florence’s cafe culture. The interiors are resorted from period photography with soared arched ceilings, rich wood paneling, and a striking curved bar in deep blue velvet.
Naturally, the Negroni features pretty heavily on the menu and there’s an entire section dedicated to it – including crossovers like the Bloody Negroni (made using a nine-hour reduced tomato sauce infused with cocoa, white chocolate, and miso to create an umami depth, and garnished with a frozen cherry tomato coated in white chocolate and kimchi powder) and the Cosmo Negroni, as well as Negroni tasting flights.
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Camparino in Galleria
Milan Perhaps the most important Negroni stop outside of Florence, Camparino in Galleria was opened in 1915 by Davide Campari, son of Campari founder Gaspare Campari. It sits beneath the striking iron-and-glass roof of Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, overlooking Piazza Duomo.
Its original Art Nouveau interiors were created by notable Italian craftsmen, including cabinetmaker Eugenio Quarti, metalworker Alessandro Mazzucotelli, and artist Angelo d'Andrea, whose mosaic remains one of the bar's focal points. More than a century later, it’s one of Milan’s most cherished aperitivo spots; when it first opened, a system supplied soda water right from the cellars – meaning Campari and soda could be served consistently chilled. The bar continues with that tradition today, serving the Campari Seltz. The Negroni is another staple of the menu and currently serves it with Campari (obviously), 1757 Vermouth di Torino Rosso, and Bulldog Gin.
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Dante
New York In New York’s Greenwich Village, Dante has become something of a Negroni temple outside of Italy. It originally opened as Caffè Dante in 1915 and became a hangout for Italian immigrants, artists, and writers. It was then reborn a century later as an Italian-style aperitivo bar.
The Negroni is a pretty vital part of its identity – it has a whole ‘Negroni Sessions’ section which treats the drink’s recipe as something more fluid and to be tinkered with (which is exactly how it was invented in the first place) and the menu is built around the many interpretations. The original Sessions saw 12 variations, and the current options include a Chocolate Negroni, Negroni Bianco, and a Vintage Negroni made with 1960s spirits.
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Echo Lake
New York In Brooklyn, Echo Lake is a new rum bar run by Paul McGee (the bartender behind the famed Lost Lake bar in Chicago) and Chloe Frechette (former executive editor of Punch). The interiors are retro and elegant, with high ceilings, warm lighting, and a huge tropical fish tank.
There’s also a hidden bar beneath – called Undercurrent, it’s a tiny 20-set room that is more like a library housing McGee’s collection of vintage and rare spirits, including rums and historic Amaro. Some of the collections date back decades and cocktails can be made using the curious collection. As for the drinks, cocktail book author Kara Newman has a definitive recommendation: “Echo Lake makes the best damn Kingston Negroni I’ve ever had, made with a funky Jamaican rum.”
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Bar Termini
London Hidden away on the edge of London’s Soho neighborhood, on Old Compton Street, Bar Termini is an homage to 1950s Italy. The bar takes its name from Rome’s Termini station – a juxtaposition considering the space is deliberately small and intimate with just a handful of seats at petite wooden tables or stools along the marble bar. During the day, specialty Italian coffees are served before evening draws in for cocktails.
The Negroni is the focus and there are four versions to choose from: the traditional Classico; the Rosato with carefully infused rose petals; the Superiore with subtle hints of pink peppercorn; and the Robusto, which is sous-vide for hours to create a rich, deep flavor. Each one is served in an aesthetically pleasing, handmade coupe – the glasses are quite coveted and so are available to buy and take home. The same goes for the Negronis themselves, which can be purchased in equally pretty bottles to display in your home bar.
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Bar Conte
Sydney In Sydney’s CBD District, in the stylish Surry Hills suburb, is where you’ll find Bar Conte – the first and only bar in the world that is wholly dedicated to the Negroni. It was founded in 2022 by Italian-born Raffaele Lombardi, his partner Victoria Hampshire, chef Steven de Vecchi and his partner Marta Carrucciu. Lombardi grew up on the Sorrento Coast where aperitivo was part of everyday life and wanted to recreate that routine. The interiors are designed by Lombardi and his partner Victoria Hampshire; and De Vecchi’s menu is also shaped around the Negroni – there’s Sydney Rock oysters with Negroni dressing.
When Conte opened, there were around 20 variations of the cocktail on offer. Right now, there’s more than 40 and that list is "constantly evolving and revolving.” A current offering is the Brera, which is built around Rabarbaro Zucca (a bitter Italian Rhubarb amaro), and the Cremona, which uses the Zucca with vodka, Maraschino, and lemon.
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Freni e Frizioni
Rome On Via del Politeama in Rome’s historic Trastevere neighborhood, right by Piazza Trilussa, is where Freni e Frizioni has been operating since 2006. It resides inside a former mechanic’s shop and leans into its past identity – there's a yellow and black logo with a hammer and a wrench across the bar that sits beneath a glass chandelier; it’s a fun mix of high and low. The bar has also published two books on cocktail culture. They’re playfully called driving manuals, and refer to the ‘tools’ needed to create some of the recipes.
The drinks are just as fun – earlier this year, there was a menu based around stereotypes and what they’d imbibe. The Tourist is for those who think Italy starts and ends with pizza and pasta and contains prosecco, raspberries, elderflower liquor, lemon sorbet, and hard seltzer. The Last Man Standing mixes whiskey, rum, fortified wine, and liqueur. The Journalist is a lighter version of the Negroni and uses coconut water. The menu changes frequently but classics are always available. A current Negroni iteration is the Negroni Mediterraneo which uses Gin Mare, Amaro Santoni, Marsala Florio, bell pepper, and thyme.
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Bar Mauro
Mexico City Opened in late 2024 by brothers Ricardo and Eduardo (aka Yayo) Nava, Bar Mauro is a tribute to their grandfather, Mauro Mendoza. He had an honored daily ritual of having an amaro, vermouth, or a Negroni before lunch – and that ritual became the foundation for the bar. The interiors are cool yet nostalgic – deliberately reminiscent of 1970s Milan with lots of mirrors, tiled surfaces, black-and-white family photographs, and a collection of stickers and beer mats from around the world. And it works: the bar was named second in North America’s 50 Best Bars for 2026.
The Negroni 1929 combines Gin Condesa Clasica, Vermouth Rosso, Campari, cacao nibs, and strawberry; the 1929 is a reference to Mauro Mendoza’s birth year. For Negroni Week, Bar Mauro is taking over Bar 45 at London’s 45 Park Lane hotel on Thursday 24th September. The menu will include the Negroni 1929 but with Tequila Reserva de la Familia Platino, as well as two other tequila-focused iterations: London Calling with Tequila Reserva de la Familia Platino, Cocchi extra dry vermouth, olive cordial, and soda; and Bananero with Tequila Reserva de la Familia Reposado, Campari, Cocchi Barolo Chinato, and banana.
How we chose the best Negroni bars
Each bar featured is independently selected by Elite Traveler’s editors and contributors, informed by first-hand reviews where possible and in-depth research where not. Our curation spans the world’s most luxurious brands, chosen for their uncompromising quality and exceptional craftsmanship.
