The Negroni, a strong Italian-born classic with a huge and committed fan club, fits every season and most occasions.
“It’s bitter, it’s sweet, it feels like it has a bit of salinity to it,” said Isabel Tulloch, the head bartender at Milady’s in New York City. “There’s that beautiful orange expression that makes it a little bit juicy.”
But start playing with the classic Negroni recipe — gin, red bitter aperitif (often Campari) and sweet vermouth — and a host of adjacent alternatives appear.
Drop the gin entirely, and you’re now holding a Milano-Torino. Dating to the 1860s, the Milano-Torino, or “Mi-To,” is named for where its key ingredients originated: one part Campari (from Milano) and one part sweet vermouth (from Turin). Served on the rocks with a slice of orange, it’s lower in alcohol than the Negroni, though the Milano-Torino still benefits from some dilution.
