There are few classic cocktails as custom-made for spring as the Negroni. The unquenchable three-ingredient concoction takes pride of place each year for Campari’s Negroni Week, giving Sydneysiders and locals the chance to drink and do good at the same time.
Sydney’s best bars join the rest of the world for the event each September, twisting the classic Negroni recipe—one part gin, one part Campari, one part sweet vermouth—with all sorts of ingredients to tease out many different dimensions for this punchy bright red beauty.
Negroni Week, founded in 2013, is about more than just sipping on the timeless creation. A portion of all sales from every Negroni sold (for participating bars) goes straight to Slow Food: a global organisation that’s committed to providing “access to good, clean and fair food” in more than 160 countries.
Some of Sydney’s best bars have put their best foot foward to help celebrate, serving both special and classic Negronis all week. Here are five of our favourites.
Where to grab a Negroni in Sydney this week
1. Gowings Bar
The big-wig cocktail bar of the CBD. Located in the theatrical QT Sydney hotel, opposite Pitt Street Mall on Market Street, Gowings Bar is always a reliable option for when you need a boozy pick-me-up. This year, the bar is doing up both a Classic Negroni for $24 and a luxurious version for $36. The latter switches the base and mixer, elevating the flavour profile with Monkey 47 gin and the artisanal Oscar 697 Rosso.
Address: 1/49 Market St, Sydney NSW 2000
Contact: (02) 8262 0064
Opening Hours: Monday (5:30pm – 10pm); Tuesday – Friday (12pm – 10pm); Saturday (5:30pm – 10pm)
2. Bar Conte
You’d hope Bar Conte would be showing off for Negroni Week. After all, the Surry Hills bar bills itself as a “dedicated Negroni bar” with all different twists and turns. The extensive list of Negronis track the cocktail and its many different expressions through history. Take seat and work your way through several of the 20+ Negroni (and Negroni-adjacent) concoctions.
Address: 340 Riley St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Contact: (02) 7254 1170
Opening Hours: Monday – Wednesday (7:30am – 3pm, 4pm – 10pm); Thursday (7:30am – 3pm, 4pm – 12am); Friday – Saturday (7:30am – 12am)
3. a’Mare
Crown Sydney’s signature Italian restaurant is a masterful scene of theatrical tableside cooking and sumptuous Italian classics. Trust them to come up with one of the most luxurious Negroni offerings in the city, touting several special Negronis presented in classic Campari soda bottles and poured tableside into an ice-cold glass. The Campari & Citrus is the way to go if you’re drinking al fresco; the cocktail comes with a special snack of blood orange, lemon, lime and finger lime jelly to elevate the entire profile.
Address: Crown Sydney, Level 1/1 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo NSW 2000
Contact: (02) 8871 7171
Opening Hours: Monday (12pm – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 9pm); Tuesday – Wednesday (5:30pm – 9pm); Thursday (12pm – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 9pm); Friday – Saturday (12pm – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 9:45pm); Sunday (12pm – 2:30pm, 5:30pm – 9 pm)
4. Green Moustache
North Sydney favourite Green Moustache has shaken up five different takes on the crimson concoction, all served until Negroni Week wraps on the September 22. If you want that sweet, classic barrel aged number then you’ll only be peeling $16 out of your bank account, while the others a bit pricier, like the $25 Coffeeroni (North of Eden gin, Campari, coffee-washed Aperol, Martini Rosso sweet vermouth) and the $23 Mexigroni (Gracias a Dios Agave gin, Suze Gentian liqueur, Ancho Reyes chilli liqueur).
Address: Level 10/100 Miller St, North Sydney NSW 2060
Contact: (02) 8904 9108
Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday (11:45am – 10pm); Friday (11:45am – 10:30pm); Saturday (11:30am – 10:30pm)
5. Grain Bar
Four Seasons’ swanky Grain Bar is switching its usual focus on rare whiskies to jump on board Negroni Week with four classy editions created to tackle four major profiles to try and suit all tastes. You’ve got the $27 classic to wedge you into the mood, as well as a $29 boozy and smokey number using campari, bourbon, PX sherry and bitters, as well as a lighter, fruiter $29 version that brings in grapefruit, line, sugar and eggwhite.
Address: 199 George St, The Rocks NSW 2000
Contact: (02) 9250 3118
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday (4:30pm – 11pm)
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