Negroni, but made with no Campari? $!@$?

Almost by definition, a Negroni is made with Campari, right? Of course, that was how it was first made, a hundred years ago. And until recently, no one thought to mix a Negroni and then age that cocktail in a barrel until perfect. Too short in the barrel and not much happens but too long and the flavors get muted and perhaps the oak-induced notes overwhelm the other flavor of the cocktail. 

A decade ago, we started aging our first Negronis using the traditional brand ingredients in the original proportions. But quickly we started to swap in new ingredients and formulas that would elevate the taste of the finished cocktail, after aging in a barrel. Though lots of trial and error (yes, we dumped a lot of liquid down the drain), we were able to develop a better tasting, barrel-aged Negroni.

But we were limited to what was available from our local specialty store or special order. When we decided to launch Barrelsmith as a business, we hired a flavor scientist with decades of spirits industry experience. We paired his knowledge of specialty ingredients and worldwide suppliers with our flavor/barrel aging experience to formulate the best ingredients from individual flavors. 

And that’s why there is no Campari in our Negroni!