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    Home » Recipes » Cocktails

    French Negroni Cocktail Recipe with Gin

    Published: Aug 11, 2023 · Modified: Oct 18, 2023 by Emily Laurae · This post may contain affiliate links.

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    French negroni.

    Delight your senses with a floral and berry-forward French Negroni. Made with only 4 ingredients, this refreshingly bitter and complex cocktail makes you feel like you're enjoying each sip while gazing on the French Riviera with a baguette and cheese board nearby. 

    French negroni in a glass with ice.
    Jump to:
    • ⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
    • ❓ French negroni vs. classic negroni
    • 🍴Ingredients 
    • 📖 How to make a French negroni
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips
    • 💭 Recipe FAQs 
    • More Delicious Cocktail Recipes
    • French Negroni
    • 💬 Comments

    Nothing quite says “classic cocktail” like the negroni. This bitter (in the best way) gin cocktail has been experimented and played with for as long as it's been around. 

    This French negroni is my take on another favorite cocktail of mine, the white negroni. This variation includes notes of bergamot, lavender and blueberry - alongside the purple butterfly pea blossomed hue of Empress Gin it's truly a delight for the senses. 

    I recommend pairing this bitter cocktail with salty snacks and sweet treats. The complexities and bitter qualities will cut right through tomato and ricotta tartine and rosemary salted caramel macarons for dessert. Nothing quite says “summer” like bold flavors, colorful cocktails, and playful recipes!

    ⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

    Aside from having a french inspired flavor palate and a pastel purple hue served in an iridescent rocks glass, this simple French negroni recipe is also:

    • Made With Only 4 Basic Ingredients (or 5, if you’re feeling fancy and want to add a garnish!) 
    • Quick & Easy - Measure, pour, add ice, stir, and strain. The whole process takes 5 minutes or less!
    • More Floral & Fruity Than A Traditional Negroni - Made with a delicious addition of bergamot, blueberry, and lavender notes

    ❓ French negroni vs. classic negroni

    These two cocktails have three things in common: 1. Both are made with equal parts of three ingredients, 2. Each one features gin, and 3. They’re complex and bitter tasting.

    A classic negroni is made with gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari while this French Negroni is made with gin, Luxardo Bitter Bianco, bergamot liqueur and a touch of blueberry lavender simple syrup. 

    My variation on the white negroni recipe helps to really take the berry and floral notes up a notch!

    🍴Ingredients 

    Ingredients needed to make a French negroni.

    A traditional white negroni recipe is made with equal parts gin, Suze, and Lilet Blanc. My version for a French Negroni, however, makes a few easy switches:

    • Empress Gin - I love the flavor and hue that Empress Gin creates in this cocktail. Gin is the liquor of choice in most negroni variations but it’s sometimes replaced with vodka, mezcal, sparkling wine, whiskey, and cynar. If you want to replace the gin, I would recommend sticking to vodka, sparkling wine, or cynar.
    • Luxardo Bitter Bianco - This is an aperitivo with forward floral notes and hints of citrus and herbaceous aromas.
    • Bergamot Liqueur - The bottle is beautiful and the flavor added to this french negroni is truly divine. It’s refreshingly bitter, fruity and crisp.
    • Blueberry Lavender Simple Syrup - A great way to amplify the berry and floral flavors of the French Riviera! Purchase this simple syrup, or easily make your own with the recipe noted below. If you're looking for an in-depth tutorial, head on over to my Simple Syrup infusions page!

    📖 How to make a French negroni

    Mixing ingredients into a mixing glass with ice.

    Step 1: Mix. Add all of the ingredients into a mixing glass with ice & stir.

    Pouring ingredients into a rocks serving glass.

    Step 2: Strain and serve. Strain the cocktail into a serving glass with ice, and enjoy!

    👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

    • Chill the mixing glass to make sure the ingredients cool down without melting the ice too much.
    • Add ice to the mixing glass last to prevent too much dilution.
    • Use fresh, large ice cubes when serving to prevent premature dilution. An ice-filled rocks glass is the perfect glass of choice for this recipe. 
    • Don’t over-stir. Start with 20-30 seconds and taste the drink. If you want it to taste a little softer, stir for another 10 seconds. In total, stirred drinks shouldn’t be stirred for more than about 50 seconds or they’ll become overly diluted.
    • Wanting to add a lovely garnish to add to your french negroni cocktail? An orange twist, orange peel, or lemon twist would be a great addition to your cocktail! 
    • Take a note from the popular negroni sbagliato and add a touch of soda water to the negroni for a french twist! 

    💭 Recipe FAQs 

    What does a French negroni taste like?

    A French negroni is a complex cocktail with floral, herbaceous, fruity and refreshingly bitter flavors. 

    Should you stir or shake the cocktail?

    Stirring the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice will thoroughly chill the cocktail without diluting it. Shaking, on the other hand, will melt some of the ice and whip air into the cocktail. In the end, a shaken negroni will not have the same smooth qualities and some of the bitter flavors will be lost.

    What kind of gin is best in a negroni?

    The most important rule is to use a gin that you enjoy sipping. The classic choice in a negroni is a juniper-forward gin because the earthy notes are complementary to the complexities in this cocktail.

    More Delicious Cocktail Recipes

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      Rose Old Fashioned Cocktail: A Floral Twist on a Classic Sip (Quick & Easy!)
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      Smoked Old Fashioned Cocktail (with Video)
    • Chocolate old fashioned in a rocks glass.
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      Lillet Blanc Alternatives: What to Use When You're Out

    If you try the recipe for this French Negroni, please leave a 🌟 review and share your creation with me on social media! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest - for more delicious recipes sent straight to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter! 📧 

    French negroni in a glass with ice.

    French Negroni

    Delight your senses with a floral and berry-forward French Negroni. Made with only 4 ingredients, this refreshingly bitter and complex cocktail makes you feel like you're enjoying each sip while gazing on the French Riviera with a baguette and cheese board nearby. 
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
    Course: Beverages
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Servings: 1 Cocktail
    Calories: 111kcal
    Author: Emily Laurae

    Equipment

    • Mixing Glass
    • Cocktail Spoon
    • Cocktail Strainer
    • Iridescent Rocks Glass

    Ingredients

    • 1.5 Oz Empress Gin
    • ¾ Oz Bergamot Liqueur
    • ¾ Oz Maraschino Liqueur
    • ¼ Oz Blueberry Lavender Simple Syrup , infuse with 1 tablespoon of culinary lavender
    • Lemon garnish, optional

    Instructions

    • Add ingredients into a mixing glass with ice
      1.5 Oz Empress Gin, ¾ Oz Bergamot Liqueur, ¾ Oz Maraschino Liqueur, ¼ Oz Blueberry Lavender Simple Syrup
    • Stir to both combine and chill ingredients
    • Strain into serving glass with ice, garnish if desired and enjoy!
      Lemon garnish

    Video

    Notes

    Frequently asked questions
    • What does a French negroni taste like? A French negroni is a complex cocktail with floral, herbaceous, fruity and refreshingly bitter flavors. 
    • Should you stir or shake the cocktail? Stirring the ingredients in a mixing glass with ice will thoroughly chill the cocktail without diluting it. Shaking, on the other hand, will melt some of the ice and whip air into the cocktail. In the end, a shaken negroni will not have the same smooth qualities and some of the bitter flavors will be lost.
    • What kind of gin is best in a negroni? The most important rule is to use a gin that you enjoy sipping. The classic choice in a negroni is a juniper-forward gin because the earthy notes are complementary to the complexities in this cocktail.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 111kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 0.04g | Sodium: 0.3mg | Potassium: 1mg | Iron: 0.01mg
    Enjoyed this recipe?Mention @emilylaurae or tag #emilylaurae!

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    About Emily Laurae

    Emily is the recipe developer, writer, and food photographer behind Emily Laurae. After finishing Pastry School and working as a chef in the restaurant industry, she created this blog to share those skills with home bakers and creators all over the world!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Yasmin

      February 16, 2025 at 4:40 pm

      How do I achieve that pretty iridescent effect? The drink looks different in the crystal mixer than in the glass w cube.

      Reply
      • Emily Laurae

        February 26, 2025 at 5:21 pm

        It's actually the cocktail cups that allow for the iridescent effect! I've linked them - I hope you enjoy!

        Reply
    2. Cathy James

      May 19, 2024 at 1:31 pm

      In the ingredients it calls for Luxardo Bitter Bianco but the instructions note Luxardo Maraschino liqueur. Guessing it’s the Bianco but could you please clarify? I would love to make this!

      Reply
      • Emily Laurae

        June 07, 2024 at 5:22 pm

        Ooo thank you - good catch, it's Luxardo Bitter Bianco!

        Reply
        • Cathy James

          June 03, 2025 at 4:58 pm

          I’ve made it both ways now. Bitter bianco and Luxardo. Both delicious! Thank you. Got the glasses also - beautiful!!!!

          Reply
          • Emily Laurae

            June 05, 2025 at 11:39 am

            Love hearing this Cathy - and gosh those glasses are wonderful aren't they?! Cheers!

            Reply
    5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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