Mediterranean NEGRONI with Olive Oil-Washed Gin

Hi, Friends of Cocktails! It’s the first week of June and that usually means Negroni week, but this year it got pushed to September. That gives us plenty of time to make a few twists on this Italian classic. Today, we’re making a Mediterranean Negroni, using olive oil–washed gin, Carpano rosso, Campari, and a little floral finish with lavender bitters perfume. It’s Cocktail Time!

The classic Negroni was created in 1919 in Florence, Italy, when Count Camillo Negroni asked his bartender to swap the soda in his Americano for gin. He loved it so much that he drank it every day, and soon everyone else wanted “the cocktail that Negroni is drinking.” Now, over a hundred years later, it’s still one of the most popular cocktails in the world, and for good reason—it’s simple, equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, yet endlessly versatile.

For this twist, we’ll start with Slovenian Monologue gin, made by the famous chef Tomaž Kavčič. This gin already has Mediterranean notes from olive leaves, and to push that even further, we’ll fat wash it with extra-virgin olive oil from the Adriatic.

Olive Oil–Washed Gin

• 200 ml · 6.75 oz Monologue gin

• 30 ml · 1 oz high-quality extra-virgin olive oil

To make it, add the gin and olive oil to a sealing bag or jar. Leave it at room temperature, shaking occasionally, for 12 hours. Then put it in the freezer until the olive oil solidifies on top. Strain the gin through a fine strainer and a coffee filter, and enjoy the new Mediterranean flavor.

Mediterranean Negroni

• 30 ml · 1 oz Olive oil–washed Monologue Gin

• 30 ml · 1 oz Campari

• 30 ml · 1 oz Carpano rosso

• Lavender bitters perfume

Add the gin, Campari, and Carpano rosso to a mixing glass with plenty of ice. Stir to chill and dilute the cocktail to the right balance, then strain it over a large clear ice cube in a frozen glass. For garnish, place an olive leaf on top and spray with lavender bitters perfume.

On the nose, you’ll first notice the floral lavender, which pairs beautifully with the olive oil notes in the gin. The classic bitterness of Campari is balanced by the sweetness and floral complexity of Carpano rosso, giving you a Negroni that’s both familiar and Mediterranean.

This one’s perfect to sip while dreaming of September and Negroni week. Until next time, cheers, Friends of Cocktails!