White Negroni Recipe: Gin, Lillet Blanc and Suze

White Negroni

Pale gold instead of ruby red, and bitter in a completely different way. Suze brings the earthy, root-like bitterness of gentian, Lillet adds honey and orange blossom, and the gin holds the whole thing together with juniper and citrus.

4.2Editors’ rating

Taste4.3

Balance4.3

Easy to make3.6

Popularity40

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GlassRocks glass

TechniqueStirred

DifficultyEasy

Time3 min

StrengthStrong (approx. 25 % ABV)

OriginFrance, 2000s

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Ingredients

1¼ oz London dry gine.g. Tanqueray · Gordon's · Beefeater · Bombay Sapphire · Sipsmith
¾ oz Lillet Blanc kept in the fridgeBuy on Amazon →
¾ oz Suze gentian liqueurBuy on Amazon →

Garnish: Lemon twist · Ice: One large cube

Method

Put gin, Lillet Blanc and Suze in a mixing glass.
Fill with ice and stir for about 20 seconds until well chilled.
Strain over one large ice cube in a rocks glass.
Express a lemon peel over the drink and add it as a garnish.

Watch it made

White Negroni

Taste

Dry and bitter with earthy gentian, honeyed citrus and floral notes, backed by juniper. Strong, clean and very aromatic.

History and origin

The White Negroni was created by the British bartender Wayne Collins in 2001, during a trade fair in Bordeaux. Wanting to make a Negroni but working with French products, he replaced Campari with Suze, a gentian based aperitif, and sweet vermouth with Lillet Blanc, the aromatised wine from the Bordeaux region.

The drink spread through London bars in the following years and is now one of the best-known variations on the Negroni. Proportions vary: Collins' version used more gin than the classic equal parts, and many bars still do, because Suze is intensely bitter and can easily dominate.

Bartender tips

Taste Suze on its own first: it is very bitter. If the drink is too sharp for you, reduce it to 15 ml.
Lillet is a wine and goes stale once opened. Keep it in the fridge and use it within a few weeks.
Other gentian liqueurs such as Salers or Avèze work too, but each has its own sweetness, so adjust to taste.

Variations

Equal parts White Negroni: Use 30 ml each of gin, Lillet Blanc and Suze for a more bitter, rounder drink.
Dry vermouth version: Replace Lillet Blanc with a blanc or dry vermouth for a more herbal, less fruity profile.