Negroni Week Is Upon Us And Heres Where To Drink

The Negroni is the ideal cocktail. It’s easy to make—its classic form using just three ingredients (gin, Campari, and vermouth) in equal parts, with near-infinite variations. Its flavors are intriguingly complex, but never intimidating; it’s the perfect blend of bitter and sweet, citrusy and herbaceous, boozy and refreshing. There’s never a bad time to drink a Negroni.
But there’s absolutely a best time to drink a Negroni—and that’s right now. As part of a week-long event running June 5-11, 2017, appropriately dubbed Negroni Week, bars and restaurants are stirring up Negronis—many putting their own spins on the classic drink—and donating a portion of the proceeds (generally a dollar per drink) to a charity of their choice.
Participation has grown to include about 6,000 venues worldwide. Since Negroni Week’s inception in 2013, nearly $900,000 has been raised for charitable causes.
To see all of the participating venues, what they’re serving, and which charity they’re donating to, check out the Negroni Week website. In the meantime, here’s a sampling of our favorite participating spots in New York City, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

New York City

Bitters-focused bar Amor y Amargo makes countless Negroni variations, all of which fall under the Negroni Week umbrella, qualifying them for the charitable donation.
Sibling bars The Bennett, Raines Law Room, and Dear Irving are all offering a trio of variations: a classic Negroni; one with made citrus and seltzer; and a spagliato with sparkling wine.
Sip any of four Negroni-style offerings at Porchlight, from a barrel-aged white Negroni to an absinthe-spiked “creole” variation.
Pouring Ribbons is stirring up both a classic and a Kingston Negroni, which swaps in Smith & Cross rum for the gin. Head bartender Joaquin Simo was the creator of the now-widespread drink.
We love The Roof at Park South for their frozen cocktails like a spicy mai tai and an an overproof pina colada, so it’s perfect that they’re offering a summery frozen strawberry Negroni for Negroni Week.
Tacuba Mexican Cantina is one of our favorite low-key hangs, and we always order a Daredevil—essentially a mezcal-based Negroni variant—so we’re psyched it’s their Negroni Week drink.
The Up & Up (our favorite NYC cocktail bar, fwiw) is known for their “insanely good” versions of classic drinks—think gin & tonics and Midori sours. For Negroni Week, they’ve turned their attention to perfecting the Campari-based classic, adding watermelon for a refreshing twist.
Negroni Week is upon us once again, and we are bringing back our Insanely Good Negroni, featuring @citadellegin, @campariamerica, Dolin Blanc vermouth and watermelon! All week long (June 6-12) we will be donating $1 from every Negroni we sell to benefit @littlefreelibrary. Cheers!
A post shared by The Up & Up (@theupandupnyc) on Jun 5, 2017 at 3:21pm PDT

Chicago

Top-notch cocktail spot Broken Shaker’s variation skews light and summery, using white vermouth, adding strawberry and celery bitters and eschewing Campari entirely.
GreenRiver and Annex, the bars from the hospitality heavyweights also behind NYC’s The Dead Rabbit in conjunction with Union Square Hospitality Group, are offering a fairly classic Negroni, tempered with the addition of Gran Classico Bitter.
Tiki bar Lost Lake is serving up a rum-based Kingston Negroni, swapping inAppleton for the gin.
Scofflaw is slinging a classic Negroni using gin from Captive Spirits, a brand-new Seattle-based distillery.
At Small Cheval, you can get chilled Negroni shots—great for washing down one of their famed burgers.
#ngnp2017 #negroniweek
A post shared by WhitechapelSF (@whitechapelsf) on Jun 3, 2017 at 12:46am PDT

San Francisco

Sip a Hopped Campari Spritz at Black Cat. This variation adds grapefruit and lemon, subbing in an IPA for a spritz’s usual prosecco.
Horsefeather is shaking up the Negroni by spinning a classic fizz, using egg white, pineapple riesling syrup, and amaro to render the drink frothy and delicate.
Laszlo Bar is churning up a frozen negroni in its slushie machine, with fresh grapefruit juice added to the classic Negroni components.
The cocktail tricksters at Trick Dog are taking the Negroni into tiki-ish territory, adding citrus juice, cinnamon syrup, falernum bitters, and a dash of rum, and serving it on crushed ice.
Gin-focused Whitechapel is whipping up three “cookie-inspired” Negroni variations—a Lemon Bar Negroni, a Gingersnap Negroni, and a Coconut Macaroon Negroni—each served with a cookie on the side.
#ngnp2017 #negroniweek
A post shared by WhitechapelSF (@whitechapelsf) on Jun 3, 2017 at 12:46am PDT

Los Angeles

At Bestia, you’ll find a variation incorporating tequila rather than gin, and adding white verjus for an extra flavor punch.
The Corner Door has seven inventive offerings, a different one every night. They’re inspired by each of the seven Star Wars films.
Osteria Mozza, the celebrated restaurant from the Batali & Bastianich team and chef Nancy Silverton, is serving up a different Negroni variation each day.
Happening spot The Normandie Club spins the drink summery, adding aquavit and grapefruit juice.
The Normandie Club’s exclusive sister venue The Walker Inn is putting a festive twist on the drink with its Negroni Sgroppino: Negroni sorbet topped with sparkling wine.
#ngnp2017 #negroniweek
A post shared by WhitechapelSF (@whitechapelsf) on Jun 3, 2017 at 12:45am PDT

About the author

Kathryn Maier

NYC Food & Drink Editor

Kathryn has eaten her way around the globe, seeking out local delicacies in more than 40 countries and counting. After receiving a Master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, she began writing about travel, food, and drink, and has held editorial roles at luxury publications including Conde Nast Traveler and the Robb Report. When she's in NYC, she can generally be found on a barstool at one of the city's best cocktail bars or at home sipping fine wine with her cat on her lap.