The Negroni cocktail dates back to the early 20th century in Italy. It is made from three equal parts of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. The Negroni has come a long way since then, and we have a couple variations in our recipe archives like this Negroni Sour.

Creative bartenders have been riffing on the ingredients for decades. And, we recently tasted another interesting tweak of this classic cocktail.

The White Negroni was invented in 2001 by British bartender Wayne Collins at VinExpo in Bordeaux, France. He wanted to create a Negroni variation that kept the gin but switched out the other two ingredients. He replaced them with a gentian liqueur and Lillet Blanc, a wine-based aperitif. The gentian is a bittering agent, and the Lillet Blanc replaces the vermouth.

Our recipe uses Salers Aperitif for the gentian liqueur and Lillet Blanc, which brings floral notes and flavors of orange peel, honey and herbs.

White Negroni Recipe
Yields one cocktail

Ingredients
1-1/2 ounces Glendalough Irish Gin
1-1/2 ounces Salers Aperitif
1-1/2 ounces Lillet Blanc
Fresh lemon wedge
Lemon Twist for garnish

Directions
Mix all the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Ad a squeeze of fresh lemon and stir gently.

Strain the cocktail into a martini glass and garnish with a lemon twist.