Negroni fans rejoice: Negroni Week is here

If you’re like us, you won’t need an excuse to hold a Negroni aloft and celebrate the existence of this much-loved bittersweet Italian cocktail. If you’re looking for one, however, you’ll be happy to hear Negroni Week is upon us. From 18 to 24 September, this three-ingredient orange-hued sipper is getting a week of festivities in its honour, staged in bars and restaurants across Australia and right around the world. And if you’re yet to warm to this sometimes-polarising cocktail – it’s just gin, vermouth and Campari, after all – this is your chance to really embrace it in all its glory. 

The celebrations are all for a good cause, too. Negroni Week has partnered with Slow Food to support the organisation’s many causes, including raising money for the Negroni Week Fund, which goes straight into community-led projects. These are all about supporting and promoting projects that advance cultural and biological diversity, and focus on food and beverage education and knowledge exchange. So, handing over your hard-earned for a beautifully made Negroni should feel even better during this big week.

So, where to? If you’re in Melbourne, there’s a heap of participating venues, including Whitehart Bar, Her, Dom’s Social Club, Black Pearl and Siglo, to name just a handful. They’re all putting their own twist on the iconic drink, and in some cases also hosting events, so be sure to head to your favourite bars’ websites and socials to see what’s doing. 

It’s a similar story in our other capital cities, from Darwin’s Hanky Panky, Hobart’s La Sardina Loca and Perth’s Rockpool Bar & Grill, to Bar Rosa, The Gresham, Yoko and CRU in Brisbane, La Lune Wine Co in Adelaide, and Bar Beirut and Molly in Canberra. But this isn’t even scratching the surface of all the top participating venues, so be sure to search your hometown in the Negroni Week event finder to see what’s going on near you.          

Sydneysiders are also spoilt for choice, with the likes of Piccolo, Bar Conte, Le Foote and Earl’s Juke Joint among the many bars putting the Negroni front and centre in a range of ways. But one event we’re especially excited about is happening at the CBD’s Rockpool Bar & Grill, with a star guest mixologist coming to town. 

Direct from London hotspot Kwãnt (#31 in the World's Top 50 Bars in 2021), mixologist Giusy Castaldo is joining the Sydney bar team for a two-night guest stint over 19 and 20 September to serve up three special cocktails for Negroni Week. The Sunflower Negroni, High Five and Story promise a delicious fusion of modern and classic cocktails, while a selection of canapes have been designed to pair perfectly with them. Giusy will also head to Melbourne after that and take over the bar at Society on 24 September.