Gingin White Negroni

A White Negroni is one of those wonderful inventions born out of necessity over anything else. Over 20 years ago Wayne Collins, an English bartender living in Bordeaux, France at the time, had run out of Campari and Sweet Vermouth. Being the resourceful man that he was he substituted Suze Liqueur and Lillet Blanc and before he knew it a delicious new cocktail was born. The result is a more subtle and earthy drink that is a refreshing change on the original.

It wasn't a rip-roaring success straight away, taking a number of years before it became a staple cocktail in a bartender's repertoire. Perhaps because of the difficulty of sourcing the French ingredients at the time. It was only when the upmarket cocktail clubs of New York started serving this exotic drink, aided by some eager Suze smugglers, that the White Negroni started taking the cocktail world by storm.

It's popularity didn't go unnoticed by the big alcohol players at the time, and eventually in 2012 Pernod Ricard took the decision to import Suze to America. From there on out the White Negroni became a classic in its own right and has been a firm favourite at the gin club on a Friday night.