You might have heard: Negroni Week is rapidly approaching. Yes, Negroni Week is a real thing: from June 2-8, participating bars will donate a portion of their Negroni sales to the charity of their choice. So when Imbibe asked us to participate by creating our own take on the Negroni, we were more than happy to oblige. You might recall that, last summer, we featured the Negroni, a combination of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth that’s a perfect bitter-sweet cocktail for summer. So mark Negroni Week this year with a minty spin on the deeply herbal Negroni: the Gemello Malvagio.– Andrew

Illustration by Shauna Lynn for Oh So Beautiful Paper

The Gemello Malvagio (The Evil Twin)

1 oz Genever
1 oz Fernet Leopold Highland Amaro
1 oz Carpano Antica

Combine all your ingredients and stir well with ice, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist and enjoy.

There’s something about the Negroni’s delicious simplicity that seems to invite variations. You could replace the gin with whiskey and enjoy a Boulevardier. Or maybe swap out the Campari for another Italian amaro, like the artichoke-flavored Cynar, to play around with those rich bitter herbal flavors. Or you could balance Aperol, a lighter and sweeter amaro, with Punt e Mes, a sweet vermouth with a touch of bitter. All it takes is finding the right balance of spirits, bitter, and sweet in equal parts and you’ve got your very own take on the Negroni.

For our Gemello Malvagio,* we went with Genever – sweeter and maltier than dry gin – and Leopold Bros. Highland Amaro in place of Campari. Leopold Bros., who also make probably my favorite Absinthe Verte, have made a bitter and intensely aromatic Fernet with rich undertones of mint. We balanced all those intense flavors with Carpano Antica, a delicious but mellow and sippable sweet vermouth. The result is, as the name suggests, something like the Negroni’s dark twin, with deep malty and minty notes.

So give one a try at home – and don’t forget to see if your favorite bar is participating in Negroni Week next week. If you do make one at home, you can use #osbphappyhour to share photos of these (or your own creations) on Instagram.

Photo Credits: Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper

* I’m pretty sure this is Italian for “the evil twin,” but since I don’t actually speak Italian, I make no promises.