July 31, 2025

How to Make Negronis for a Crowd

HOSTED | By Ink – Italian Dinner Party Edition

The Negroni is a classic for a reason. Strong, stylish, and bitter in the best possible way. It tastes great, looks cool, and makes you feel like you’ve got your life together — even if you definitely don’t.

And when you’re hosting? Even better. Negronis are made to be pre-batched. No shaking, no muddling — just pour and serve.

The Classic Ratio

The beauty of the Negroni is its simplicity. Equal parts:

– Ink Gin
– Campari
– Sweet (red) vermouth

For one serve:
30ml of each. Stir over ice until chilled, strain into a short glass with fresh ice, garnish with orange. Done.

How to Batch Negronis

Hosting a dinner party? Save yourself the faff and mix them ahead of time in a jug, bottle or carafe.

Hosting tip: For bonus style points, decant into a vintage crystal decanter (check your local op shop). Sit it in a bucket of ice and let guests help themselves. It’s very nonna-but-make-it-chic.

Optional: Pre-dilute to Save Time

Negronis are strong, so they’re usually stirred over ice to add a little dilution. But when batching, you can do that step ahead of time.

Add 10–15% cold water to your batch so all you need to do is pour over ice and garnish.

Important: If you pre-dilute, keep the batch as cold as possible — in the fridge, freezer, or on ice — so it stays fresh and balanced.

Batching Cheat Sheet (Equal Parts)

Serves	Ink Gin	Campari	Sweet Vermouth	Optional Water (10–15%)
2	60ml	60ml	60ml	~20ml
4	120ml	120ml	120ml	~40ml
6	180ml	180ml	180ml	~60ml
8	240ml	240ml	240ml	~80ml
10	300ml	300ml	300ml	~100ml

Batching a Full Bottle

Go big or go home, right?
If you’re using a full bottle of Ink Gin, here’s how that scales:

Bottle Size	Ink Gin	Campari	Sweet Vermouth	Optional Water (10–15%)	Approx. Serves
700ml	700ml	700ml	700ml	210–315ml	23–25 drinks
1L	1000ml	1000ml	1000ml	300–450ml	33–35 drinks

How to Serve

If pre-diluted:
Pour roughly 90ml straight from the decanter over fresh ice in a short glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

If not pre-diluted:
Measure 90ml / serve into mixing glass filled with ice - don't do more than 3 serves per glass. Stir down well to chill and dilute, then strain into short glasses with fresh ice. Garnish with an orange twist.

Either way — no shaking, no stress.

Negronis are the ultimate host hack: bold, balanced, and ready when you are.

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Ink Bitter Orange Gin

$89.00

Ink Bitter Orange Gin is tailor-made for Negronis. With assertive citrus, aromatic botanicals and a warm spice backbone, it cuts through the sweetness of vermouth and the bitterness of Campari with perfect balance. Bold, zesty and unapologetically orange, it gives the classic cocktail a vibrant, modern twist.

Classic Negroni Recipe: 30ml Ink Bitter Orange Gin, 30ml sweet vermouth, 30ml Campari. Add all ingredients to an ice-filled mixing glass. Stir until well chilled, then strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Ink Gin

$82.00

The original Ink Gin also works beautifully in a Negroni. Try it in a classic - while the red Campari overpowers the soft butterfly pea colour, it still delivers that signature Ink flavour. Alternatively, mix things up with a Negroni Bianco. We give it a twist using Pampelle, a French grapefruit liqueur.

Negroni Bianco: 30ml Ink Gin, 30ml Pampelle, 30ml Lillet Blanc. Stir over ice until well chilled. Strain into a glass over fresh ice and garnish with a twist of grapefruit peel.