Negroni Week 2026: Our Favourite Padstow Negroni Recipes

Negroni Week is back, which gives me a perfectly respectable excuse to spend rather more time than usual thinking about one of my favourite drinks.

At its heart, the Negroni is beautifully simple: three ingredients, traditionally in equal measures, stirred with ice. But it’s also remarkably accommodating. Change the gin, vermouth or bitter element and you can take the same basic structure somewhere completely different.

That has always been part of the appeal for me.

This year, Tyler and I have been experimenting with the formula rather enthusiastically, using spirits from across our range, different vermouths, Padstow Verde and a few less conventional finishing touches.

In fact, throughout Negroni Week we’re serving eleven different versions at the distillery on South Quay and at 17 Duke Street, from reassuringly classic interpretations to some rather more adventurous ones.

For those mixing at home, here are some of our current favourites.

The Negroni Diablo

A distinctly greener Negroni, with plenty of herbaceous character from Padstow Verde and a carefully judged kick of chilli.

25ml Ultramarine by Padstow Distilling
25ml Padstow Verde
25ml Spiced Knightor White Vermouth

The white vermouth is muddled with pickled Jabanero peppers and a little of the chilli liquor before mixing.

Stir the three ingredients thoroughly with ice, then strain into a frozen rocks glass over four fresh ice cubes.

Finish with a Jabanero pepper.

The Classic Negroni, Rediscovered

Sometimes you arrive at something new by going back to where you started.

We originally made our Classic Negronis with Padstow Gin St George’s Well Original, finished with fresh orange peel.

It soon became clear, however, that macerating the orange peel directly into the gin made a noticeable improvement to the finished drink, bringing the citrus into the heart of the Negroni rather than simply adding it as a garnish.

And so Padstow Gin Zest of Orange was born.

25ml Padstow Gin Zest of Orange
25ml Campari
25ml Mirafiore Rosso Vermouth

Stir thoroughly with ice until chilled, then strain over orange ice ball(s) and finish with an orange wedge.

There are plenty of ways to reinterpret a Negroni, but when I want a classic one, this remains very difficult to improve upon.

The Negroni Verde

Padstow Verde grew out of my longstanding fascination with the balance of bitter, sweet and aromatic that makes a good Negroni work, so this one feels particularly close to home.

Instead of the familiar red bitter aperitif, Padstow Verde brings its own herbaceous character of Alexanders, gentian, citrus, wormwood and spice.

The result is recognisably a Negroni, but decidedly greener in both appearance and flavour.

25ml Padstow Gin St George’s Well Original
25ml Vermouth Torino Mirafiore
25ml Padstow Verde

Stir all three ingredients with plenty of ice until thoroughly chilled, then strain over fresh ice and garnish with orange peel.

Simple, distinctive and perhaps the most obviously Padstow interpretation of the lot.

The Spiced Orange Negroni

A perennial favourite and one that inevitably comes into its own as the evenings draw in.

25ml Padstow Gin Spiced Cranberry & Orange
25ml Campari
25ml Knightor Rosso Vermouth

Stir thoroughly with ice and strain over fresh ice.

This year we’ve shifted the finishing touches up a gear too. Freeze whole star anise into your ice balls before serving, or add a cinnamon stick for another layer of warming spice.

By December we inevitably start referring to this as our Christmas Negroni. In September, perhaps we can show a little restraint.

The Figroni

One of our returning favourites, but with a 2026 adjustment.

Last year’s Figroni used Campari as its bitter component. Since then, with Padstow Verde now firmly established in the range, we’ve found it works even better here, bringing a greener, more herbaceous character that sits beautifully alongside the distinctive aromatics of Fig Leaf Gin.

25ml Padstow Fig Leaf Gin
25ml Padstow Verde
25ml Mirafiore Rosso Vermouth

Stir thoroughly with ice until chilled, then strain over fresh ice.

The result is softer, greener and more aromatic than the original version, but still recognisably a Negroni at heart.

The Barrel-Aged Negroni

For something deeper and more contemplative, barrel-aged gin changes the character of the drink considerably.

25ml Padstow Gin Tales From The Barrel
25ml Campari
25ml Ataman Vermouth

Stir thoroughly with ice, strain over fresh ice and finish with a lemon wedge.

The oak-aged character of the gin brings extra savoury depth and complexity, making this a richer, slower Negroni than the classic.

The Pink Grapefruit Negroni

Bright, citrus-forward and rather less traditional in its proportions.

25ml Padstow Gin Pink Grapefruit
50ml Knightor Rosé Vermouth
16g Campari
Six drops Fee’s Grapefruit Bitters

Stir thoroughly with ice, strain over fresh ice and finish with a quarter slice of pink grapefruit.

Fresh, aromatic and particularly agreeable when there’s still a little sunshine around.

The Classic Negroni Method

For most of these recipes, the method is pleasingly uncomplicated.

Add the liquid ingredients to a mixing glass with plenty of ice and stir until thoroughly chilled. Strain over fresh ice into a rocks glass, then add the appropriate garnish.

There is no need to shake a Negroni. A good stir gives you the dilution and chill you need while retaining the drink’s wonderfully smooth texture.

The Negroni Diablo has its own preparation for the spiced vermouth, while several of this year’s recipes use different garnishes and ice to add another layer to the finished drink.

Eleven Negronis, One Week

The recipes above are only part of what we’ve been pouring this year.

At South Quay and 17 Duke Street, our Negroni Week menu has grown to eleven different versions, including the Sloegroni, Figroni, Ginger Negroni, Pink Grapefruit Negroni, Strawberry Negroni, Oak-Aged Negroni and even a Spiced Rum Negroni. 

You can read the full menu here:

Some stay reasonably faithful to the original formula. Others most certainly do not.

That, for me, is rather the point.

The classic Negroni is an exceptional drink in its own right, but its simple structure makes it one of the best cocktails for experimenting with different spirits, bitters, vermouths and botanicals.

If you’re in Padstow during Negroni Week, come and try one with us. Otherwise, pick a recipe, find a mixing glass and give one a stir at home.

I hope you discover a new favourite.

David McWilliam