Short answer: a White Negroni is gin, a blanc aperitif wine and a gentian liqueur, stirred with ice and strained over fresh ice with a lemon twist. A common build is 1 1/2 ounces of gin, 1 ounce of the aperitif wine and 1/2 ounce of the gentian liqueur. For the non-alcoholic version, pour a 200ml bottle of Phony White Negroni over ice.
Liquor.com credits the White Negroni to British bartender Wayne Collins, who created it in 2001 at VinExpo, a beverage trade show in Bordeaux, France. He wanted a gin Negroni without the red bitter or the sweet vermouth, so he replaced both with French ingredients: a gentian liqueur for the bitter part and a wine-based blanc aperitif for the vermouth. The drink comes out pale gold instead of red, and it is still bitter.
The classic White Negroni
Collins first mixed it in equal parts, like the original Negroni. Liquor.com, whose measures are below, notes that the common recipe today uses more gin and less of the gentian liqueur.
White Negroni
Ingredients
1 1/2 ounces gin
1 ounce blanc aperitif wine
1/2 ounce gentian liqueur
Lemon twist
Method
Add the gin, aperitif wine and gentian liqueur to a mixing glass with ice.
Stir for 15 to 20 seconds, until well chilled.
Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.
Garnish with the lemon twist.
Difford's Guide keeps the original equal parts, 1 ounce of each, stirred in an ice-filled old-fashioned glass and finished with a pink grapefruit twist, the garnish Collins specified. With twice as much gentian liqueur, that version is the more bitter of the two.
How it differs from a Negroni
A Negroni is equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, stirred and served over ice with orange. The White Negroni keeps the gin and the method and changes the other two. The gentian liqueur does the bittering that Campari does in the red drink, and the blanc aperitif wine does the vermouth's work; a blanc vermouth will stand in for it if that is what you have. The garnish changes from orange to lemon.
Liquor.com describes the result as bitter and bracing, but also light and floral, with a hint of sweetness. For the red original, the guide to Negroni ingredients covers all three and how to pour them.
The non-alcoholic White Negroni
The Phony White Negroni is the St. Agrestis version, bottled ready to drink. It starts from the same 30-botanical base as the Phony Negroni, turns up the gentian root and citrus, and is then clarified, which gives it a Champagne-like quality. In the range it is the pale one, floral and dry. It is made in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in 200ml bottles at under 0.5% ABV, and it won Double Gold at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Phony White Negroni
Ingredients
One 200ml bottle of Phony White Negroni, chilled
Fresh ice
Lemon twist, optional
Method
Fill a rocks glass with fresh ice.
Pour the Phony White Negroni over the ice.
For the classic's garnish, express the lemon twist over the glass and drop it in.
There is nothing to measure. It is made ready to serve, over ice or straight from the bottle.
When to pour it
Pour it where you would pour a Negroni before dinner, when you want something brighter. It is also a good glass for a toast. If you want bubbles, the non-alcoholic Negroni Sbagliato tops a Phony Negroni with non-alcoholic sparkling wine.
Questions
What is in a White Negroni?
Gin, a blanc aperitif wine and a gentian liqueur. A common build is 1 1/2 ounces of gin, 1 ounce of the aperitif wine and 1/2 ounce of the gentian liqueur, stirred with ice, strained over fresh ice and finished with a lemon twist.
What is the difference between a Negroni and a White Negroni?
Both use gin. The White Negroni replaces Campari with a gentian liqueur and sweet vermouth with a blanc aperitif wine, so it is pale gold instead of red, and lighter and more floral to drink. It is garnished with lemon or grapefruit peel rather than orange.
Who invented the White Negroni?
Liquor.com credits British bartender Wayne Collins, who created it in 2001 at VinExpo, a beverage trade show in Bordeaux, France.
Is there a non-alcoholic White Negroni?
Yes. The Phony White Negroni from St. Agrestis is under 0.5% ABV and comes ready to drink in 200ml bottles. Pour it into a rocks glass over ice.
White Negroni Recipe, Classic and Non-Alcoholic
Short answer: a White Negroni is gin, a blanc aperitif wine and a gentian liqueur, stirred with ice and strained over fresh ice with a lemon twist. A common build is 1 1/2 ounces of gin, 1 ounce of the aperitif wine and 1/2 ounce of the gentian liqueur. For the non-alcoholic version, pour a 200ml bottle of Phony White Negroni over ice.
Liquor.com credits the White Negroni to British bartender Wayne Collins, who created it in 2001 at VinExpo, a beverage trade show in Bordeaux, France. He wanted a gin Negroni without the red bitter or the sweet vermouth, so he replaced both with French ingredients: a gentian liqueur for the bitter part and a wine-based blanc aperitif for the vermouth. The drink comes out pale gold instead of red, and it is still bitter.
The classic White Negroni
Collins first mixed it in equal parts, like the original Negroni. Liquor.com, whose measures are below, notes that the common recipe today uses more gin and less of the gentian liqueur.
White Negroni
Ingredients
Method
Difford's Guide keeps the original equal parts, 1 ounce of each, stirred in an ice-filled old-fashioned glass and finished with a pink grapefruit twist, the garnish Collins specified. With twice as much gentian liqueur, that version is the more bitter of the two.
How it differs from a Negroni
A Negroni is equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, stirred and served over ice with orange. The White Negroni keeps the gin and the method and changes the other two. The gentian liqueur does the bittering that Campari does in the red drink, and the blanc aperitif wine does the vermouth's work; a blanc vermouth will stand in for it if that is what you have. The garnish changes from orange to lemon.
Liquor.com describes the result as bitter and bracing, but also light and floral, with a hint of sweetness. For the red original, the guide to Negroni ingredients covers all three and how to pour them.
The non-alcoholic White Negroni
The Phony White Negroni is the St. Agrestis version, bottled ready to drink. It starts from the same 30-botanical base as the Phony Negroni, turns up the gentian root and citrus, and is then clarified, which gives it a Champagne-like quality. In the range it is the pale one, floral and dry. It is made in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, in 200ml bottles at under 0.5% ABV, and it won Double Gold at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition.
Phony White Negroni
Ingredients
Method
There is nothing to measure. It is made ready to serve, over ice or straight from the bottle.
When to pour it
Pour it where you would pour a Negroni before dinner, when you want something brighter. It is also a good glass for a toast. If you want bubbles, the non-alcoholic Negroni Sbagliato tops a Phony Negroni with non-alcoholic sparkling wine.
Questions
What is in a White Negroni?
Gin, a blanc aperitif wine and a gentian liqueur. A common build is 1 1/2 ounces of gin, 1 ounce of the aperitif wine and 1/2 ounce of the gentian liqueur, stirred with ice, strained over fresh ice and finished with a lemon twist.
What is the difference between a Negroni and a White Negroni?
Both use gin. The White Negroni replaces Campari with a gentian liqueur and sweet vermouth with a blanc aperitif wine, so it is pale gold instead of red, and lighter and more floral to drink. It is garnished with lemon or grapefruit peel rather than orange.
Who invented the White Negroni?
Liquor.com credits British bartender Wayne Collins, who created it in 2001 at VinExpo, a beverage trade show in Bordeaux, France.
Is there a non-alcoholic White Negroni?
Yes. The Phony White Negroni from St. Agrestis is under 0.5% ABV and comes ready to drink in 200ml bottles. Pour it into a rocks glass over ice.
The Phony White Negroni comes in 6, 12 and 24 packs, and the build-your-own pack mixes it with the other flavors in one order.