Blended/Slushy/Frozen Negroni

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Only a month late for Negroni Week! I’ve been asked for this recipe and method for a couple of years now in person and on Reddit, and have finally gotten around to writing it down. Thanks for bearing with me.

This wasn’t supposed to be a drink that I ever shared, it’s just been my summer drink of choice at home and after work for many years now. But after casually mentioning here and there, people started asking me about it. And if you happened to be in Germany during Negroni Week, you might have been handed one of these during my week-long road trip.

Purists will tell you this isn’t a Negroni and they’re correct… but they’re still wrong. The Blended Negroni epitomizes everything that a Negroni stands for: it’s refreshing, it’s bitter, and it’s perfect before or after dinner. This blended version is all that… but with a little more.

(This image is courtesy of Verena Borell. Click here to check her work out at No Cheers, No Story.)

Concerning the ingredients, it does contain the three necessary ingredients required to be called a Negroni. As for the orange juice, something additional was needed to give the blended version a little more… meat. Orange juice is the perfect addition to the Negroni. And as for the simple syrup, I know it sounds like a lot, but it’s absolutely crucial for delivering mid-palate flavor in blended drinks. You’re essentially going to be adding half a pint of water to this Negroni, and sugar is going to keep it from tasting like, well, nothing.

I’m not normally a fan of the “juice of one orange/lime/lemon” measurement in recipes (particularly old classics from when citrus was smaller), but in this case I like it because a) it’s easier than measuring. and b) you’re more likely to have a whole orange lying around the house or the bar than you are a bottle of freshly-squeezed OJ. If that’s not the case, just use two ounces and call it good.

As for the ice, I know weighing your ice cubes sounds kinda dumb. But if you’re using one of those silicone Tovolo ice cube trays like I do at home, each cube weighs roughly 1 oz/30 grams. So toss about eight of those bad boys in there and you’ll be all set.

Blended Negroni Print Me

  • 1 oz/30 ml gin
  • 1 oz/30 ml sweet vermouth
  • 1 oz/30 ml Campari
  • juice of 1 orange
  • ¾ oz/22.5 ml simple syrup
  1. Combine gin, sweet vermouth, Campari, orange juice, and simple syrup in a blender
  2. Add approximately 8 oz/250 g ice
  3. Blend until smooth, adding additional ice as needed
  4. Serve in a frozen glass
  5. Garnish with an orange wedge

Recipe printed courtesy of jeffreymorgenthaler.com

13 Replies to “Blended/Slushy/Frozen Negroni”

  • Will says:

    Any reason I couldn’t batch this recipe? I’m thinking pre-batch (everything but ice) morning of an upcoming party and then 6 oz pours + 8 oz ice into blender.

  • I just got in from a hot day outdoors, weeded, pruned, and watered the garden among tasks, starting to think about dinner, but have felt so warm that food mostly does not appeal (I know hunger will strike, so forward thinking and planning is necessary to get a jump on it). I was sitting for a minute in a wingback chair, near a fan, with a glass of water, to veg for a minute upon re-entry to cool interiors. I happen upon your ig story about the frozen negroni, which led me here to your site once again, and now I have the answer both to a delicious way to further cool down, and to whet the appetite. Cheers mate!

  • Johan Karlfeldt says:

    If I was to chose only one beverage for the rest of my life, it would be Negroni. Tried this during Sunday cooking. Amazing! Thanks for the extension of this delicious drink.

  • Nathan says:

    Hey Jeff,
    Been following you for a bit from down here in Austin, Tx. Thank you for being such an excellent representative for our trade, and for this blog, as it has greatly informed my ascension in the craft.
    My restaurant recently acquired a granita machine (evidently a few cuts above the 80’s/90’s nightmare monstrosities I associate with “frozen drinks”) for a new place we’re opening soon, and I tested her out on our brunch service with an adaptation of your blended recipe with great success. So I share:
    One Liter each: Fresh Squeezed OJ, Water, Dry Gin, Cocchi Torino, Cappelletti (I love the stuff, use Campari if you must), with 8oz of a housemade grapefruit simple. Don’t forget to flip all the switches. Definitely a delicious route to an impromptu Sunday afternoon nap.
    Salud!

  • Kyle D says:

    Hi Jeff, thanks for sharing! I’m used to seeing your blended drink recipes calling for using crushed/pebble ice to achieve a more consistent blended drink, do you still recommend that?

    • Jeffrey Morgenthaler says:

      Definitely. As always, it depends on the power of your blender. If you’re using a strong commercial blender, you can get away with throwing whole cubes in there. But if you’ve got a normal home blender, crack or crush that ice first. A home blender is just going to spin and spin with those big cubes in there.

  • Adam says:

    Made this one with a couple of alterations; it turned out fantastic!!

    2oz orange juice (fresh squeezed)
    1.25oz nolet’s silver gin
    1oz carpano antica
    1oz gran classico
    .75oz 2:1 simple
    240g ice

    Blended it all in my Vitamix until no large chunks of ice were left. The resulting drink was thick and slushee/slurpee-like; definitely need a straw for this one. So well balanced and refreshing! Thank you, Jeffrey!

  • Jennifer says:

    *nergoni

  • Oh man! It was 102F yesterday and its 97F today in Charlottesville VA. This is perfect for this weather. Thanks for sharing.

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