Our Cocktail of the Month adds roasted coffee to the classic Negroni, combining Great Bustard Gin, Campari and coffee-brewed sweet vermouth for a rich, bittersweet autumn serve.
History: Svegliato means “awake” in Italian. Bartender Salvatore Calabrese created the Negroni Svegliato by brewing coffee with sweet vermouth in place of water. The coffee adds another layer of flavour while preserving the familiar gin, bitter aperitif and vermouth structure. Our recipe follows the equal-parts version served by Cicala in Philadelphia.
Downton Twist: For our version, we use Great Bustard Gin. Its herbaceous character, citrus and warming ginger and cardamom complement the roasted coffee and bittersweet orange.
Coffee-brewed Cocchi Vermouth di Torino brings sweetness, roasted coffee bean aromas, with chocolate and caramel notes depending on your choice of beans.
We used a Moka Express hob espresso coffee maker, where the vermouth replaces water in the pot. This extracts the coffee directly into the vermouth, giving the cocktail its distinctive roasted character.
A fresh orange peel releases fragrant oils across the surface and completes the drink.
It is a rich, spirit-forward cocktail with roasted coffee, bittersweet orange, gentle spice and a long herbal finish.
Ease of Making: Easy, once you have prepared the coffee vermouth.
Glass Type: Rocks glass.
Taste: Roasted coffee, bittersweet orange, warming spice and herbal.
Recipe:
- 30ml Great Bustard Gin.
- 30ml Campari.
- 30ml coffee-brewed sweet vermouth.
- Orange peel to garnish.
Making your Coffee-Brewed Vermouth:
- Fill the lower chamber of your Moka Express with Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, keeping the level below the safety valve.
- Fill the filter basket with ground espresso-roast coffee, without tamping it down.
- Assemble the coffee maker and place over a low heat.
- Remove from the heat once the brewed vermouth has collected in the upper chamber, before prolonged sputtering.
- Allow to cool, then transfer to a clean bottle and refrigerate.
Method:
- Add the gin, Campari and cooled coffee-brewed vermouth to a mixing glass.
- Fill with ice and stir for approximately 20–30 seconds.
- Zest the glass rim with orange peel.
- Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube.
- Garnish with the orange peel.
Variations:
- For a gentler coffee flavour, use 15ml coffee-brewed vermouth and 15ml plain sweet vermouth.
- For a more gin-led serve, use 40ml Great Bustard Gin, 25ml Campari and 25ml coffee-brewed vermouth.
- Try decaffeinated espresso-roast beans for a version with less caffeine.
