There are few drinks that come with a built-in personality. A martini is clean, a mojito is eager, an old fashioned always insists on reminding you of your dad. The negroni, however, manages to be bitter and bright, louche yet disciplined – the friend who shows up late to dinner but brings the best gossip. No surprise then that it gets an entire week to itself.
Negroni Week 2025 runs from September 22-28, and Bangkok, never one to pass up a reason for excess, is throwing itself into the ritual. 239 bars across Thailand will lean into the holy trinity of gin, Campari and vermouth, while tossing in their own twists: smoked, clarified, lengthened with fizz, or simply poured over ice the way Count Camillo Negroni allegedly preferred it back in Florence.
But this isn’t just about Instagram-friendly glasses balanced against marble countertops. Negroni Week has always been revelry and responsibility. Since its beginnings in 2013, it’s been tied to fundraising, and this year the beneficiary is Slow Food, the movement campaigning for sustainable eating and the safeguarding of culinary traditions. In other words, while you’re sipping, you’re also (technically) saving the world.
What’s lovely about the negroni is its refusal to be tamed. Some drinks fade into the background; the negroni never does. The Campari hits with bitterness, the gin keeps it sharp, the vermouth rounds it out. It’s democracy in a glass, equal parts, no hierarchies.
So, if you can’t recall how many you had last year – and frankly, who could – September offers you a clean slate. Think of it as a civic duty with a citrus twist. Go out, find your favourite, and maybe raise a toast to the idea that something as simple as three ingredients, stubbornly stirred, can still feel like an event.
Negroni Week returns from September 22-28, with 239 bars across Thailand putting on special menus and hosting different events. If you’re looking for the nearest spot taking part, the full list is at www.negroniweek.com/find.