It’s that time of the year again. Bring out the gin, vermouth and Campari, and get ready to celebrate Negroni Week, happening this year from Sep 16 to 22 with more than 160 participating bars and restaurants across the world – Singapore included.
This year’s Negroni Week is themed around cinema, a dual-pronged nod to both the longstanding connection between global cinema (especially its official partnership with Festival de Cannes since 2022) and the iconic Italian aperitif, Campari, and the innate theatricality of bartending.
It’s only fitting, then, that this year’s Campari-centric theatrics kick off with the final of Red Hands Asia, a competition bringing together some of the strongest mixology teams in all of Asia. The goal? Creating innovative cocktails that play on all five senses at once, with the goal of representing their respective bars at the grand finale in Milan.
Five local powerhouses – Atlas Bar, Basilico Bar, Smoke & Mirrors, Sugarhall and The Backdrop – will battle it out on day one of Negroni Week, with the eventual top dog being announced on opening night.
Naturally, this’ll lead into a week of Negroni-powered celebrations with exciting guest shifts across town. These include a bar takeover of buzzy Neon Pigeon by the L’Antiquario’s (44th on World’s 50 Best Bars 2023) founder Alex Frezza, who’ll be ringing up Napolitan cocktails for one night only on Sep 17; a party at Enclave Bar on Sep 18, complete with live swing dancing by Lindy Hop and complimentary shaves for Movember by gentlemen barbers Hounds of The Baskerville; and a collaborative guest shift at members-only wine club 67 Pall Mall on Sep 20 with Campari Group Ambassador, Bystrik Uno, who’ll be mixing up cocktails with Campari and a small-batch Vietnamese spirit, Lady Trieu Gin.
Do look out for the Wugroni, a baijiu-based spin on the classic cocktail that’ll be making an appearance this Negroni Week at any of over 20 participating bars, thanks to Campari’s partnership with China’s Wuliangye Group.
Stay updated with the Negroni Week schedule here.
