Habanero Pineapple Infused Negroni Spritz
The deep bitter flavors of a perfect negroni, infused with pineapple and habanero for a fruity twist, and lightened up a bit with a soda spritz for a refreshing summer cocktail. I could sip these on the porch all summer long! Using this combination of fruits added to the bitter complexity of the drink in a fantastic way!
The inspiration for this drink recipe
It’s easy to see that a negroni is my favorite drink, but sometimes in the summer I am looking for something a little more refreshing. I decided to add seltzer to the negroni but I wanted a little more punch. Enter another one of my favorite things – habanero! I infused the habanero into the negroni mixture, but I thought I would need something else to help bring out the fruity side of a haberno that I love. Dried pineapple was the perfect choice to lend itself to the bitter flavors in the negroni and amp up the fruit flavors of he habanero!
Prepare the habanero pineapple infusion
Make sure you get rid of the seeds of the habanero or it might be too spicy. Unless you really like it hot! For me, a drink only needs a slight heat to be perfect. Too much can make it weird. Pineapple, habanero, and dried orange into the infuser.
Make the negroni mixture
I did a little extra gin in this since there will be ice and soda. 1.5 parts gin, 1 part campari, and 3/4 part sweet vermouth. Then add the infusion chamber and let it sit for a few days. This is the infuser I used if you are interested.
Make the Habanero Pineapple Infused Negroni Spritz
Add about 1/3 cup of the habanero pineapple infused negroni to the glass with ice, then top with soda and garnish! You could also add some simple syrup to this to balance it a bit more. I added it to the recipe but I think I liked it slightly better without.
This is a great drink to make for a party cause you can pour them so easily. Just as long as your friends love bitter drinks!
Twists on the habanero pineapple infused negroni spritz
I almost did this with habanero and banana because it is one of my favorite combinations, and I think the creamy flavor of the banana would take some of the bitter edge off of the drink. I also think most people might want a splash of simple syrup in this to balance it a bit more, but I like the bitterness. You could also serve this without the spritz part, just over ice. If I was doing that, I would do one part of each alcohol in the infusion.
For more on making the perfect negroni, check out this post. For more on infusing drinks, I like this guide!
If you love making negronis like I do, check out my brown butter negroni, this guide to making amaro at home, or these negroni glazed wings!
Habanero Pineapple Infused Negroni Spritz
Equipment
Ingredients
Infuse
- 1.5 cups gin
- 1 cup campari
- 3/4 cup sweet vermouth
- 2 rings dried pineapple
- 1 habanero sliced and seeds removed
- 1 slice dried orange
Finish
- simple syrup
- soda water
- ice
- dried pineapple and orange
Instructions
- Mix the gin, campari, and vermouth in an infuser and add the orange, pineapple, and habanero to the infusion chamber.
- Allow to sit at room temperature for a few days or up to a week.
- When ready to use, fill a glass with ice and add about 1/3 cup of the alcohol mixture to the glass. Add in a splash of simple syrup. Fill with soda water, then garnish with the dried fruit.