FREE NEGRONIS! (that's all this headline really needs to say)

With bitter drinks coming back in a big way, next week celebrates what is arguably the king of all bitter drinks - the Negroni. The mixture of 1 part gin, 1 part sweet vermouth and 1 part Campari may seem like a bit too simplistic. But with the ever growing range of amazing craft gins from micro-distillers all over the world as well as mixers that add their own twists to classics, the amount of different tastes that you can create from a Negroni are almost endless - a damn good reason to launch an entire week dedicated to this classic cocktail. 

Negroni Week was launched by the Oregon-based Imbibe Magazine in conjunction with Campari. They have shaped the week in such a manner that the Negronis you drink will make you feel better in two ways; one because you’re drinking a delicious Negroni and two because you’ll be contributing to people in need. Each bar that participates in Negroni Week dedicates $1 to the charity of their choice for every Negroni purchased. 

With more and more bars signing up to take part, this means that the bitter red drink is leaving a sweet taste in a lot of people’s mouths. When the week launched in 2013, 100 bars signed up to participate. By last year, that number had jumped to 1,300. All told last year, Negroni drinkers helped send $120,000 to charities around the world. 

For this year’s edition being held from June 1 to 7th, 3,530 bars around the world have signed on and are contributing to charities ranging from international relief funds like that supporting the disaster in Nepal to local concerns like one bar in London that is contributing to the Battersea Cats and Dogs Home.

For the celebration, Campari has opened up a Negroni bar in Shoreditch urging drinkers to Rediscover Red in conjunction with an East London art consortium, Moniker Projects. The best news about Rediscovering Red? Negronis are free!