A Golden Mezcal Negroni

Smoky, sweet, bitter, a little weird, and very delicious.

One of the ongoing general theories of this newsletter is that most cocktails that can be made with gin can be made just as well, and sometimes better, with mezcal. 

Sometimes this is a bit tricky, and requires some formula fiddling, as with the Mezcal Martini. But sometimes, all you really need to do is swap in mezcal for gin, as with a Mezcal Negroni. 

And sometimes, well, the use of mezcal suggests some new and intriguing possibilities, as in the case of the White Negroni. 

The White Negroni is one of those relatively rare modern drinks that has had some staying power: It’s 20-odd years old, but you’ll still find it on bar menus all over the country, and probably in Europe too, since its origins are linked to France.

One of the better drinks I’ve had at a bar this year was the White Negroni at Eastern Standard in Boston—a batched cocktail prepared freezer-bottle style, like yesterday’s BBF Negroni. It’s a good drink, and deserves its place in the canon. 

The original White Negroni combined gin, Lillet, and the straw-colored gentian liqueur Suze in a somewhat unusual ratio: 

• 1 ounce Lillet Blanc

• ¾ ounce Suze 

• 1 ½ ounce gin

My preferred version, however, ditches the ounce of Lillet for ¾ ounce of Dolin Blanc vermouth, a sweeter white vermouth that, in my opinion, does a better job of integrating the gin and the Suze. 

The use of Lillet is notable, however, and it got me thinking.

In the 1980s, Lillet was reformulated to remove a bitter quinine note. Tastes during that era had moved in a less bitter direction, and Lillet responded by changing their flavor.

This is why some older cocktails that originally called for Lillet, like the Corpse Reviver No. 2, are now made with another ingredient—Cocchi Americano (not to be confused with Cocchi di Torino sweet vermouth), which is a sweet fortified wine that retains a subtle bitter note that’s said to be reminiscent of the original Lillet. 

So for my Mezcal White Negroni, I wanted to fold in that slight bitter note, using it to offset the smoke of the mezcal and to accent the weird, earthy, root-forward bitterness of the Suze. 

The result is a strange yet incredibly tasty cocktail that should appeal to fans of both White Negronis and Mezcal Negronis, but might also help sell Suze skeptics on a bottle that I know from experience not everyone likes. 

The final, er, twist is a grapefruit peel for garnish, which gives the drink a funky, bitter, citrus note that pairs nicely with the smokiness of the mezcal. 

Admittedly, the name is somewhat misleading: It’s not a truly clear or white cocktail.

This might be better described as a Golden Mezcal Negroni. But that doesn’t sound too bad, does it? 

Golden Mezcal Negroni 

• ¾ ounce Suze

• ¾ ounce Cocchi Americano 

• 1 ½ ounce mezcal, preferably Del Maguey Vida 

INSTRUCTIONS 

1. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. 

2. Add ice, then stir briefly to chill.

3. Strain into a rocks glass over a single large piece of ice.

4. Garnish with a fat strip of grapefruit peel, twisted over the top of the drink, then dropped into the mix. 

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