This apple cider Negroni swaps gin for bourbon and tops it off with fresh apple cider for a smooth, pleasantly sweet cocktail with a bitter Campari edge. It’s a fall drink that takes only a few minutes to build in the glass.
In this version of a negroni, apple cider takes the stage. Far from traditional, this recipe moves ever further from the familiar by swapping in bourbon instead of gin. Nonetheless, be prepared for a wonderful surprise! The drink is smooth and pleasantly sweet, the light burn of bourbon making it the perfect drink to sip next to a roaring bonfire. We recommend it for chilly nights spent in good company.
What Makes a Good Negroni?
A good Negroni is all about balance, quality ingredients, and the right technique. A Negroni is typically gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, but this Apple Cider Negroni swaps gin out for bourbon. This could be controversial among Italians, but its goal is to give a smokier, more complex base. Apple cider would probably overpower gin, or clash oddly with the juniper. Proportions matter, too. A traditional Negroni calls for equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, but you can adjust the recipe. This recipe is two parts bourbon to make sure you get some of that bite through the fullness of the apple cider, but you can make it more or less boozy depending on what you like.
Is This an Apple Cider Boulevardier?
Technically, yes. A drink of bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth is a Boulevardier, a classic that first appeared in print in the 1927 book Barflies and Cocktails by Harry McElhone, who ran Harry’s New York Bar in Paris. The book credits its creation to Erskine Gwynne, an American writer living in Paris who founded a magazine called The Boulevardier. Because the drink is often described as a whiskey Negroni, the two are easy to confuse. Many modern recipes use two parts bourbon or rye to one part each Campari and sweet vermouth, the same ratio as here. The apple cider topper is what makes this one an autumn drink.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Cider Negroni
It’s seasonal. Fresh apple cider is at its best in fall and easy to find at local orchards and farmers markets. It’s simple. Pour, stir, and top with cider in the glass, with no shaker. It’s balanced. The bourbon’s smoky sweetness and the cider’s fruit soften Campari’s bitterness. And it’s cozy. It’s made for sipping on a chilly night, especially by a fire.
Shop Local for This Cocktail
Buy fresh-pressed cider at a local orchard or cider mill and, if you like, a Pennsylvania bourbon from a local distillery.
A safety tip about cider: this is a no-cook drink, so the cider isn’t heated. Unpasteurized cider sold in packages must carry a warning label, but cider sold by the glass at orchards and farmers markets may not, so ask. Children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk from untreated cider. If any of them are among your guests, choose pasteurized cider.
Ingredient Notes: Bourbon, Campari, and Blood Orange
Bourbon. Bourbon brings the vanilla and caramel sweetness, and the light burn that stand up to the cider.
Campari and sweet vermouth. Campari is a bitter Italian aperitif, and sweet vermouth is a fortified wine flavored with botanicals. Equal parts of the two, with a bigger pour of bourbon, is the backbone of both the Negroni and the Boulevardier.
Blood orange. Blood oranges are a winter citrus with a deep red flesh, so they show up from about December into spring. If you can’t find one in early fall, a regular orange wedge works in its place.
Tips for Making an Apple Cider Negroni
Build it in the glass. Pour the bourbon, sweet vermouth, and Campari into a rocks glass filled with ice.
Stir before the cider. Stir the spirits so they’re chilled and blended, then top off each of the two glasses 2 oz of apple cider.
Garnish and enjoy. Add a blood orange wedge.
Drink responsibly. With 2 oz of bourbon, 1 oz of Campari, and 1 oz of sweet vermouth, this cocktail is about two standard drinks before the addition of apple cider.
Looking for more? Try our Apple Cider Manhattan Game Day Cocktail, Cranberry Kombucha Apple Cider Rum Punch, Chocolate Cherry Negroni, and Coffee Old Fashioned. See all of our apple cider recipes, and browse TABLE’s Cocktails and Fall recipes.
Apple Cider Negroni
- Total Time: 5 min
- Yield: 2 cocktails 1x
Description
Bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth stirred over ice and topped with apple cider, garnished with a blood orange wedge.
Ingredients
- 2 oz bourbon
- 1 oz sweet vermouth
- 1 oz Campari
- Apple Cider
- Blood orange, to garnish
Instructions
- Pour the bourbon, sweet vermouth, and Campari into a rocks glass with ice.
- Stir before adding the apple cider to top it off.
- Garnish with a blood orange wedge, light a fire, and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Category: Cocktail, drink
- Method: Stirred, built in the glass
- Cuisine: American, Italian-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cocktail
- Calories: 200
Apple Cider Negroni FAQs
Is an apple cider Negroni the same as an apple cider Boulevardier?
Very close. A Boulevardier is bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth, so this drink is essentially a Boulevardier with a splash of apple cider on top.
Why use bourbon instead of gin?
Bourbon gives the drink a smokier, more complex base, and apple cider might overpower gin and clash with its juniper.
How strong is this cocktail?
The recipe is two parts bourbon to one part each of Campari and sweet vermouth, so it has some bite through the fullness of the cider. You can make it more or less boozy depending on your tastes.
What kind of apple cider should I use?
Fresh apple cider works best. Ask whether it’s pasteurized, and choose pasteurized cider for children, older adults, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems.
Can I use something other than a blood orange?
The recipe garnishes with a blood orange wedge, but a regular orange wedge should work when blood oranges aren’t in season or are unavailable.
About the Recipe Author
Maggie Weaver is a contributor to TABLE Magazine, where she writes cocktail and mocktail recipes, weeknight dinner ideas, and dinner party features, alongside design and fashion coverage. Read more of her work at TABLE.
About the Story Author
Emma Riva is an art writer, author, and curator who came to food and wine writing through TABLE Magazine and now also writes for Chowhound. She is the founder and editor in chief of Petrichor, managing editor of UP Magazine, and author of the illustrated novel Night Shift in Tamaqua. Read more of her work at TABLE.
About the Photographer
Dave Bryce is TABLE Magazine’s contributing architecture, interiors, and food photographer, based in Pittsburgh. He photographed Fallingwater: Living With and In Art (Rizzoli, 2025) and regularly shoots for Pittsburgh Magazine and American Farmhouse Style, working with architects, interior designers, and hospitality brands. See more at davebrycephotography.com.
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