sweet vermouth - Girl & Tonic

Hibiscus Negroni | A Vibrant Spin on a Bitter Classic Cocktail

by corrie.pennington / September 18, 2020

The Hibiscus Negroni is a sweeter riff on the Negroni, a classic cocktail known for its bitter bite. The hibiscus syrup made by SimplyGala makes it easy to incorporate the hallmark flavor of hibiscus without the fuss of having to make it yourself.

The Hibiscus Negroni is a sweet, floral riff on the Negroni, a classic cocktail known for its bitter bite. The hibiscus syrup made by SimplyGala makes it easy to incorporate the hallmark flavor of hibiscus without the fuss of having to make it yourself.

This post is sponsored by SimplyGala. All opinions are my own.

Y’all know that my passion is to get you (yes you, dear reader) hyped about making cocktails at home. I definitely want you to make *my* drink recipes but I also really want you to try your hand at coming up with your own. Perhaps you’ve already read through my Cocktails 101 post and my 5 Tips for Making Cocktails at Home but you’re still hesitant to actually start experimenting on your own. I get it. I feel ya. No one wants to waste precious ounces of alcohol in a mystery recipe that could end up tasting nasty.

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you buy a product via my affiliate link, I will receive a commission. This is at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I actually like!

One of the easiest ways to start experimenting with cocktail recipes is by exploring the wide world of syrups. If you’re not comfortable trying to come up with a totally new recipe, just put your own spin on a classic by adding a flavored simple syrup. I’ve got several recipes on this blog for ones you can make yourself (you can browse them all here), but my friends over at SimplyGala have several flavors that you can purchase.

I recently discovered SimplyGala syrups and am so glad I did. I make a lot of my own simple syrups for two reasons: 1) I’m picky about ingredients, and 2) I’m pretty frugal. SimplyGala syrups are the answer to my penny-pinching, artificial-flavor-spurning prayers. They have a wide range of flavors at affordable prices with 0 bad ingredients. I recently made a passion fruit Paloma recipe using their passion fruit syrup and woo-wee, it was goo-ood. You can check out that post to learn more about SimplyGala as a company, too.

SimplyGala sent me their hibiscus syrup and I was easy to try it. My first thought was to use it in a Gin Campari Sour. But then I remembered that this week is Negroni Week.

Negroni Week was instituted in 2013 by Imbibe Magazine and Campari as a way to raise money for charities. This year, though, all the funds raised will go towards supporting our friends in the hospitality and restaurant industries. So many bars and restaurants are really hurting due to new COVID rules and restrictions and now we have an easy opportunity to help them. You can read more about #negroniweek and donate by clicking here.

What is a Negroni though? It’s a classic cocktail made with 3 ingredients: gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. I’d go as far as to say that it’s the most polarizing cocktail out there. You either hate ’em or love ’em. I fell in the first category for a long time until I taught myself how to like Campari (you can check out this post to read more about how I did that). A Negroni is still not my preferred way to enjoy Campari… but this Hibiscus Negroni has changed my tune.

Negronis are loved/detested because they’re incredibly bitter. I wanted to balance this flavor and thought that hibiscus syrup would be a great way to do that. If you’ve never tried hibiscus before, it’s got a tart, almost cranberry-like flavor. Using it in syrup form means I could also introduce some needed sweetness to the classic drink. The Hibiscus Negroni still has the signature bitter notes of a traditional Negroni but it’s offset a bit by the tartness and sweetness of the hibiscus syrup. I’m a fan.

One thing I love about SimplyGala’s hibiscus syrup is that there are only 3 ingredients: pure cane sugar + water + hibiscus flowers. No artificial colors, artificial flavors, chemicals, or preservatives. Unfortunately, that can’t be said about other hibiscus syrups out there on the market.

Just browse all the different SimplyGala syrup options— they’re sure to inspire many of your own cocktail creations. If you’re wanting some recipe inspo for your new syrups, check out these 17 easy cocktail recipes that can easily be altered by changing the syrup flavor. Who knows, this time next month I could be reading your new cocktail blog.

If you’ve previously scorned Negronis, give this one a try and tag me on Instagram!

Ingredients for a Hibiscus Negroni

1 oz gin
1 oz Campari
1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1/2 oz SimplyGala’s hibiscus syrup

How to Make a Hibiscus Negroni

Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with a couple large ice cubes. Stir to incorporate. Strain into a lowball glass filled with a large ice cube. Garnish with a lemon peel.

Americano Cocktail | A Classic Campari Cocktail with 3 Ingredients

If you’ve tried Campari cocktails in the past and they haven’t been for you, I challenge you to try the Americano cocktail. The Americano is a softer introduction to the bitter taste of Campari. In my most recent Campari cocktail recipe, I mentioned that I was not a fan of Negronis. Shocking, considering I love both gin & bitter stuff. When I first heard of an Americano, I assumed I wouldn’t like it either. After all, two-thirds of the ingredients are the same. The Americano just switches out gin for club soda. I didn’t think it would make much of a difference.

But it does. Since such a large percentage of this cocktail is club soda, i.e. water, it really tempers the strong bitter profile of Campari. The bubbles in the soda also make it more palatable for someone like me. This drink, along with the Gin Campari Sour, is going to help me train my tastebuds to like Campari.

It’s like when I was in high school and I wanted to like coffee. Growing up, my parents didn’t drink coffee so I really had no exposure to it. I remember being excited to finally try some and was sorely disappointed by my first sip. But I was determined to develop a taste for the stuff. I strategically ordered all the java chip frappés at my local coffee shop (shout out to Jitters) until I could eventually tolerate, then appreciate, the taste of coffee.

While we’re talking about coffee and Campari, now’s the perfect time to point out the fact that there are two Americanos in the drink world: the coffee version and the cocktail version. They taste nothing alike, besides the fact that they’re both bitter and not sweet. An Americano coffee is espresso with additional hot water added to dilute the strong flavor. An Americano cocktail is Campari diluted with soda water to tone it down. Ah. I guess that’s a sign that us Americans like our bitter drinks less intense.

Now, if you already love Campari, then you’ll enjoy an Americano. It’s light and refreshing, the perfect pre-dinner cocktail, known as an apéritif (or aperitivo). Traditionally, apéritifs are cocktails enjoyed before dinner to open the palate in preparation for the meal. The word apéritif actually originates from the Latin verb “aperire” which means ‘to open’. They’re typically dry, bitter drinks with low alcohol content. Vermouth, dry white wines, Americanos and Aperol Spritzes are common apéritifs. This fun post goes into more detail about the culture of drinking aperitivos in Italy.

I feel like now is also an important time to quickly note a difference between all the carbonated waters. Here’s a quick show down of all the bubble h20:

Club soda is infused with carbon and minerals like salt (my HEB brand has sea salt–fancy)
Seltzer usually does not contain any minerals
Sparkling mineral water is typically naturally carbonated and has naturally-present minerals
Sparkling water is carbonated water and can be flavored and sometimes sweetened
Tonic water is carbonated water with minerals and also quinine, a bitter essence derived from the chichona tree & used to treat things like malaria and leg cramps

The first four taste pretty similar and can honestly be used interchangeably in cocktail recipes without much a problem. Tonic water has a very distinct taste and shouldn’t be used in place of another type of sparkling water– unless you know you like the taste of tonic. Just be warned it may not jive with the rest of the drink’s flavors.

If you’ve been looking for a Campari cocktail to win you over, look no further.

The Americano Cocktail is a classic cocktail that's been around for decades. It's bitter, dry, and yet very refreshing, making it the perfect aperitif. The best part about the Americano is that you'll only need 3 ingredients to make it.

The Ingredients for an Americano Cocktail

1 – 1 1/2 oz Campari
1 – 1 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
club soda

How to Make an Americano Cocktail

Fill a Collins glass or highball glass with ice. Pour in the Campari and vermouth. Fill the rest of the glass with club soda. Stir with a straw or bar spoon. Sip and feel so European.

casual cocktails

Tag: sweet vermouth