A Pennsylvania bartender received an order for a Negroni with one big twist—the customer wanted an espresso shot in it. While it sounds unusual, the drink is actually not all that uncommon.
Christian (@cocktails_with_christian), who runs a bartending TikTok, said that he received an order for a “freaky little cocktail” on a Saturday night. He created a video to show his audience how he made the drink. The video received more than 148,000 views.
Negroni With A Twist
Christian says that he got a service ticket he wanted to “share with the world.”
“ It was a Negroni, but it wasn’t just a Negroni,” the bartender says. He then breaks down the ingredients that went into the drink.
“ One ounce of Campari, 1 ounce of sweet vermouth, 1 ounce of gin. That’s where it all stays normal. As I was reading the ticket, my brain broke when I got a little bit further in, because they wanted me to add a shot of espresso to it,” Christian says.
The unusual combination made Christian realize he was making an “espresso Negroni.” He started making his usual Negroni, but he stirred the drink “for dilution” and added ice to cool the espresso in it.
The bartender says that the Negroni he made the night prior reminded him of a stout. “ So we’re drinking a gin cocktail, but it smells like a very nice beer. I don’t know. I thought it was really cool,” Christian adds.
In the comments section, he said the drink tastes “like a left-hand milk stout.”
Can You Add An Espresso Shot To A Negroni?
The espresso Negroni, which is a riff on the classic Negroni, isn’t necessarily uncommon. In fact, there are a wide variety of guides on how to make the cocktail.
2foodtrippers, a food and drink blog that posted a recipe for the drink, said it has “bitter, bold and beautiful” flavors. The publication recommended a 1:1:1:1 ratio of Campari, sweet vermouth, espresso, and gin and said the drink was well suited for brunches and as an aperitivo. While Christian uses a lemon expression in his version, 2foodtrippers opted to add an orange twist.
MyBartender, a drink blog, said that the espresso Negroni “marries the boldness of espresso with the bitter-sweet symphony of gin, vermouth, and Campari.” The publication also recommended a 1:1:1:1 ratio with an orange twist.
Other Recommendations
In a world where orders for cocktails and spirits can be relatively particular and drink orders can be confusing, viewers got creative with recommendations. Those in the comment section who were familiar with the drink had a number of alternative suggestions for Christian to try.
“Café negroni very tasty, but you can make it better by doing 3/4oz pours with gin, Campari, sweet vermouth and coffee liqueur, no coffee shot needed,” one viewer said. “Use a good one like mr blacks nothing too sweet!”
Other viewers recommended alternative spirits such as mezcal and coffee tequila instead of gin.
Then there were viewers who had recommendations for entirely different drinks.
One commenter said to “try 1.5oz of brandy, 1oz of espresso shot, 0.5oz sweet vermouth and 0.5oz cherry heering all shaken and topped with whipped cream.”
Another commenter mentioned in passing that they had a recipe for a drink that tasted exactly like carrot cake. Christian replied and asked for the recipe. “Let me hear it,” the TikToker said. So far, he hasn’t received a response.
BroBible reached out to Christian via contact form and TikTok direct message.