Plan ahead for weekend cocktails: It’s Negroni Week, celebrated the second week of September.

The cocktail, made with gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, was invented at the Bar Cassoni (now the Caffè Cavalli) in Florence, Italy, in 1919. Count Negroni asked for a stronger version of the Americano, a cocktail, dating to the 1860s, also created in Italy, by Gaspare Campari.

If the name sounds familiar, Campari invented the eponymous apéritif wine that year (photo #2).

Here’s more history of the Negroni.

Negroni Week was established in 2013 by Imbibe Magazine and Campari, as a celebration of one of the world’s great cocktails and a charitable money-raiser.

According to a poll of bartenders worldwide to determine the world’s most popular cocktails, Drinks International, founder of the International Spirits Challenge, named the Negroni as #2 among the world’s top 10 cocktails.

Ready? Call some friends and plan for a cocktail hour. Food pairings are below.

Food Trivia: Campari is a bitter Italian liqueur made from the infusion of herbs and fruit in alcohol and water. Drinks with bitters began as medicine for stomach problems. An apéritif with bitters was considered a preventative measure against any digestive issues.

The use of bitters goes back to ancient Egypt and was further developed during the Middle Ages. Here’s more about it.

Negroni food pairings are below.
 
 
RECIPE: NEGRONI COCKTAIL

The Negroni is made in 1:1:1 proportions of gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. There are many variations of the cocktail today. Check out these in L.A. Magazine, and our own Pomegranate Balsamic Negroni (photo #3).

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE ingredients in a shaker with ice.

2. STRAIN into chilled coupe or serve over ice in a chilled rocks glass.

3. GARNISH and serve.
 
 
NEGRONI FOOD PAIRINGS

Because the Campari gives the cocktail a distinct bitterness, it needs to be paired with strongly-flavored foods.

If you only want to have one dish, make it charcuterie platter along with strong cheeses, such as:

 
More choices:

 
Easy to buy and serve:

 
For something sweet:

 
 
> MORE GIN COCKTAIL RECIPES
 
> THE HISTORY OF COCKTAILS
 
> HOME COCKTAIL TIPS FROM PROFESSIONAL BARTENDERS

[1] The Negroni is usually garnished with an orange twist (photo © Vlady Nykulak | Unsplash).

[2] Campari is a bitter liqueur that’s key to a Negroni—and also a Boulevardier, Campari Spritz and numerous other cocktails (photo © Tim Sackton | CC BY SA 2.0-License).

[3] A Pomegranate Balsamic Negroni. Made with pomegranate balsamic vinegar, this Negroni will have guests wondering what the “special ingredient” is. Here’s the recipe (photo © Sid Wainer & Sons).

[4] From the early 1900s, Campari worked with some of the most celebrated poster artists. Here’s an exhibition of them (photo © Luiz Fernando Reis MMF | CC BY SA 2.0 License).