Negroni Week 2022: Drink the Best Negroni Cocktails in Hong Kong for a Good Cause

The winds of autumn call for a move away from light tropical tipples and towards darker cocktails with some sense of body to them, and there is no cocktail that satisfies like the robust and faintly remedial negroni. A city-wide initiative spotlighting this cocktail that’s full of character, Negroni Week is returning to help steer drinking towards a good cause, with international organisation Slow Food being named as this year’s beneficiary.

From the classic combo to newfangled twists on the negroni, quench your thirst for this winning blend of Campari and vermouth at these bars in Hong Kong this Negroni Week, falling from Sept. 12 to 18. If you scroll to the bottom of our list for the last drop and still feel a hankering for more, check out the full listing of participating venues in the city by typing Hong Kong into the official directory here.

Honky Tonks Tavern

Hip watering hole Honky Tonks Tavern is kicking off the week tonight with a “Closer Than Ever”-themed big bash where multiple renowned bartenders will appear for special guest shifts. A one-of-a-kind endeavour, each hour between 7 PM and 10 PM will see a pair of mixologists doing double duty by serving a doctored negroni as well as a specialty Campari-based shot whilst handcuffed together.

The talent-studded lineup begins with The Diplomat’s John Nugent and Simone Rossi of Darkside, followed by Honky Tonks’ own Edgar alongside Lorenzo Antinori from Four Seasons’ Argo bar, then Shady Acres resident mixer Magnus Ribbing with Lorenzo C of The Dispensary, and finally, Mario Calderone of Duddell’s handcuffed to founder of Mostly Harmless Ezra Star. All proceeds from this evening will be donated to Mind Hong Kong, a non-profit advocating for improved mental health resources and care in the city. Don’t miss this all-star assembly!

Come back throughout the week to sink your teeth into their Negroni Week menu of Arancini Bolognese, the Italian Hero platter of cold cuts, and Mushroom Spinach Arancini. These Italian-inspired eats have been designed to go with three special Honky Tonks negroni offerings that are also available for the duration of the week.

Location: Honky Tonks Tavern, Man Hing Lane, Central, Hong Kong

Aqua

Having perfected the mix of Japanese and Italian cuisines in their menu for over two decades now, Aqua has matched their location change to Tsim Sha Tsui with a revamped bar list of dazzling new cocktails under the helm of bar director Lorenzo Coppola. Showcasing an intermingling of cultures and palates is their Negroni N5, designed to retain all the essential Italo elements with just a bit of a kick that takes you to the land of the rising sun using umami bitters and green-tea infused tequila.

Location: Aqua, 17/F, H Zentre, 15 Middle Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

The Daily Tot

Turning Negroni Week into a month full of cheery drinking and charitable giving, Singular Concepts is extending their period of donations throughout September, with HK$10 from each negroni’s proceeds going towards Women for Women International.

Dialling up on the Caribbean flair, their in-house signature Banana Negroni is a regular menu item that inflicts a bit of tropical pizzaz into the dark classic with some banana infused rum. For the month’s celebrations, the bar will be introducing the Popcorn and Pandan Negroni, which uses Campari infused with popcorn, sweet vermouth, and a pandan leaf filled with rum to round it all off.

Location: The Daily Tot, Shop E, LG/F, Felicity Building, 58 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong

Te Quiero Mucho

Available at vibrant Mexican-inspired canteen Te Quiero Mucho, and at other Ovolo Hotels concepts all over Australasia, The Decadent Count is a hybrid cocktail that fuses two seriously stylish drinks. Incorporating elements of the espresso martini into a negroni that’s been elevated with Campari-infused cacao nibs, the drink makes use of caffeinated flavours from St Remio Coffee.

Location: Te Quiero Mucho, The Sheung Wan, 286 Queen's Road Central, Central, Hong Kong

Terrible Baby

A few glasses too many of any alcohol will have you seeing double but talk about seeing quadruple and Terrible Baby has got you covered—at least when it comes to negronis. Remixing the combo into four new variants, their concoctions include the Terrible Negroni with rosa for some summertime sweetness, the aged Four’s Style Negroni that uses an in-house blend of rum with refreshing bitters and spices, Tropic Thunder with natural sugars and sours from honey mixed with passion fruit and fresh orange, as well as the Negroni Classico that reinforces the adage of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Location: Terrible Baby, 4/F, Eaton HK, 380 Nathan Road, Jordan, Kowloon

Zzura

Having just celebrated their first year in the tail end of August, Zzura is stepping on the gas straight into September by entering Negroni Week head on. Their specially crafted Fenugroni draws from an array of sultry spices that bring out a colourful kaleidoscope of aromas. Infusing some eponymous fenugreek, with sprinkles of chai masala, a grapefruit peel in place of the typical orange twist, and mixing in Ninth Wave gin with Mancino Bianco, this multi-layered cocktail is one that leads with taste to whisk you away to a faraway destination.

Location: Zzura, 2/F, Amber Lodge, 23 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong

25:00

Cocktails at 25:00 (Twenty Fifth Hour) have been designed to tell stories. Reimagining negronis through new tales, the bar’s Negroni Week additions show a multitude of blends that pull from beyond the playbook of Campari mixes. There is the Sicily Breeze, which draws from sumptuous savouries in the island cuisine using tomato and basil that are balanced with the fragrances of Amaro Montenegro and elderflower.

Those who prefer a darker take that accentuates the edge of Campari will enjoy The Gentleman, which adds in flavours of coffee in a unique way. Using coffee-bean infused Havana 7yrs rum, Rosso Dark, and cacao, the resulting cocktail coats your tongue with richness. Opposite of the spectrum is The Jobilee, which uses sweet citrus and aromatic bitters to accentuate the liquorice-esque taste of a classic negroni with that special Twenty Fifth Hour thumbprint.

Location: 25:00 Twenty Fifth Hour, 13/F, Luk Yu Building, 24-26 Stanley Street, Central, Hong Kong

Tell Camellia

Also part of Singular Concepts group, Tell Camellia will parallel Barcode, Bianco & Rosso, and The Daily Tot to offer up Negroni Week selections for the whole month of September. Portions of their proceeds will also be going towards Women for Women International to help further support for marginalised women with limited access to healthcare and barriers to fostering their wellbeing.

Keeping up to the overarching tea-concept that ties the bar together, Tell Camellia will be shaking up Spiced Teagroni negronis using the leafy brew as a base, and upgrading it with spices, dark rum, and sweet vermouth. Be sure to swing by on Sept. 21 from 8 PM onwards for some Singular Concept-style negronis in four ways, each unique to their corresponding bar, with guest appearances from the venue’s resident mixologists behind Tell Camelia’s bar.

Location: Tell Camellia, LG/F, H Code, 45 Pottinger Street, Central, Hong Kong

COA

Whilst the idea of mixing a negroni with the punch of tequila may come across as uncouth to some, there’s no better place than COA to disprove this assumption and beautifully marry the two. Using tequila reposado to enhance the chocolatey notes of a negroni, their Cacao Husk Rosita melds together a unique blend of Campari, signature vermouth blend, and cacao husk. Aged in a bottle for up to hours before being served, the flavours blossom to serve an unconventional negroni that brings an extra bit of fun to Negroni Week.

Location: COA, Shop A, LG/F Wah Shin House, 6-10 Shin Hing Street, Central, Hong Kong, Central, Hong Kong