Rum Negroni (a.k.a. Kingston Negroni) Recipe

The classic gin-based Negroni is one of the world’s most well-known cocktails. As a relatively uncomplicated, three-ingredient, equal-parts drink, it’s also a template that lends itself to countless bartender riffs. These can range from simple to incredibly complex, but some of the best come from simple ingredient swaps that maintain the original’s balance and structure.

Among these iterations, the Rum Negroni is a bartender favorite. While gin brings its floral and botanical aspects to a classic Negroni, rums might contribute earthier notes  and spices. A Rum Negroni generally has a deeper flavor profile, but still allows for customization. Aged rums will add common notes of barrel aging to the drink — think vanilla, caramel, and baking spice — while white rum or rhum agricole might lend grassier notes or fruity esters derived from sugar cane. Spiced rums can also bring an interesting dimension, and can be used to create a drink with more perceptible sweetness.

How to Make a Kingston Negroni

There are a staggering number of Rum Negroni recipes out there, each with their own unique tweaks. At its most basic the cocktail simply takes the classic Negroni specs — 1 ounce gin, 1 ounce sweet vermouth, and 1 ounce Campari — and swaps the gin with rum. 

This version, often called a Kingston Negroni, was popularized by bartender Joaquín Simó in 2010 at the former bar Pouring Ribbons in New York City. In his take, Simó favors Smith & Cross, a pot-distilled Jamaican rum notable for its significant notes of spice and tropical fruit,  heady proof — it has a 57% ABV, also called “proof strength.” This version calls for Antica Formula vermouth, as its bolder profile can better stand up to the high-proof rum.

“I usually steer clear of Antica in Negronis, as it tends to be a bit of a bully, especially in equal proportions,” Simó told Food & Wine in 2017. “But Smith & Cross is no shrinking violet, so it stands up to the bombastic chocolate and bitter orange notes in the vermouth while drying out the Campari’s richness and tempering its bitterness.”

“Further evidence that less can sometimes be quite a bit more,” he adds.