Actor Marko Petrić reveals the secret to the perfect holiday Negroni

There are moments when the winter cold almost instinctively pulls my thoughts back to warmer days and places. For instance, to the late afternoon wanderings through Tuscan streets that I was lucky enough to experience earlier this year, to the laughter, hum and lively conversations echoing through those narrow passageways. Alongside that trip, the Negroni became one of my favorite drinks.

It is no surprise, because I was at the source of a cocktail created in Florence in 1919, when Count Camillo Negroni asked a bartender to strengthen his classic Americano by replacing the soda with gin. He wanted more intensity, flavor and character. The bartender added an orange slice, and the rest became legend. Let us not forget Campari, the other main figure in this story, created as an aperitif full of bitter herbs and botanical extracts. It represents a drink with a clear identity from the very beginning, which is exactly what has kept it on favorites lists for so many years.

Bitter, yet very elegant in flavor and striking in color, the Negroni still feels like a small teleportation back to the moments when I enjoyed sitting on the terraces of those charming Italian restaurants, watching the world pass me by. It has become a sip that evokes summer, travel, ease and that distinct Italian lightness of living we all want to claim for ourselves, if only briefly. Which is why I suggest that while you are warming up in your homes, drifting through your own memories and searching for a small ritual to elevate your evening, you make your own Negroni. Simple, classic, elegant and always slightly theatrical in the way it blends bitterness, sweetness and citrus.

This time, someone who knows how to create atmosphere both in front of the camera and behind the bar guides us through the ritual. Zagreb based actor Marko Petrić showed us his way of preparing a Negroni, one that carries all the elements of Italian elegance along with his subtle personal signature.

Marko first encountered the Negroni in 2018 in Split, in a friend’s bar, where he discovered how much one glass can transform an evening. “I told him, Surprise me, give me something I have never tried…” Right after the first sip, he knew it was exceptionally good. He has been a big fan ever since. And if he could change a detail the way Camillo Negroni once did, he would swap the gin for prosecco. As an actor, we asked him which film he associates most with the Negroni. It always reminds me of The Talented Mr. Ripley, that scene in which Matt Damon believes he has finally infiltrated Jude Law’s life, only for the easygoing Philip S. Hoffman to appear out of nowhere with a glass in his hand. I can easily imagine that it is a Negroni in that glass, and that I am drinking one while watching the film, he explains as he completes his special holiday Negroni recipe.

Negroni recipe

Ingredients

• 30 ml gin
• 30 ml Campari
• 30 ml sweet (rosso) vermouth
• Ice cubes
• Orange slice for garnish

Preparation

Fill a mixing glass with ice to the top. Add Campari, then vermouth, then gin. Stir gently with a cocktail spoon so the ingredients combine while the ice stays cold and clear. Strain into a low old fashioned glass and garnish with an orange slice.

And as you sip yours, remember that this glass holds the flavor of Italian history, elegance and the moment we decide to try something stronger.

Negroni Essence: Marko’s Holiday Twist

One word to describe the Negroni? Character, says Marko Petrić. If a regular Negroni has character, its holiday cousin also has soul. For Negroni Essence, Marko added winter aromas and festive notes.

Ingredients

• Ice
• 30 ml Campari
• 10 ml sweet (rosso) vermouth
• 10 ml gin
• 30 ml apple and cinnamon tea
• 10 ml vetiver

Preparation

Fill a mixing glass with ice to the top. Add Campari, vermouth, gin, apple and cinnamon syrup and vetiver. Stir gently. Pour into a tall glass filled with ice and enjoy the festive version of a classic that easily tempts you to take another sip.

TEAM:
Creative director: @minakitic – Milena Kitić
Production: @films1.618 i Teona Milićević
Director: @mara1.618 Mara Prpić
Photo: @marko.zb
Style: Ana Nikačević
Location: Boogielab Zagreb

This article was created in collaboration with the Campari brand