Recipe

• 1 oz Barrel-Aged Gin
• 1 oz Suze Amaro
• 1 oz Dolin Blanc (or other white, sweet vermouth such as Lillet Blanc or Cocchi Americano)
• Top with Seltzer or Tonic
• Garnish with lemon twist

Stir the gin, Suze, and vermouth with ice until chilled. Strain into a glass with fresh ice. Top with your sparkling of choice. Express the oil of a lemon peel over it all and garnish with the peel.

* * * *

It’s Easter! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

The Church’s highest feast is one of joy, celebration, and abundance. This season isn’t content with a muted sip; it needs something golden, bright, and effervescent. The Easter Negroni takes the classic trinity of spirit, amaro, and vermouth and transfigures it into something new—bubbling with life, radiant in hue, and rich with meaning.

We begin with barrel-aged gin. Gin is already the most botanical of spirits—alive with florals, herbs, and brightness. But here, that spirit of life is placed in a barrel, entombed in wood, where it rests in shadow and silence. When it emerges, it is changed. The gin carries the golden hue and deeper resonance of the cask, just as Christ emerged from the tomb radiant and transformed.

The white, sweet vermouth provides the base. Unlike a dry vermouth, this one is fortified and sweetened—a reminder of communion wine, the body of Christ made strong and whole in resurrection. Its sweetness sings of new life, while its fortified character grounds it in sacramental reality. Resurrection is not abstract or ethereal; it is embodied, tasted, and shared.

Into this brightness we add Suze, a bitter gentian liqueur. Easter does not erase the cross. Even in glory, the Risen Christ still bears his scars. So too, this amaro adds a golden bitterness, a reminder that resurrection is not naïve joy but joy shot through with the memory of suffering. The bitterness is not banished—it is transfigured, contributing depth to the drink’s radiance.

Finally, we top it with bubbles. Whether seltzer or tonic, the effervescence is essential. It lifts the whole cocktail, giving it levity, lightness, and a sense of rising. The drink itself becomes an embodied proclamation: Christ is risen, and we rise with him.

Spritz it all with bright, shimmering oils from lemon peel and garnish it with a crown.

This is a Negroni reimagined for the resurrection—complex, scarred, radiant, and effervescent. May it be a toast to the joy of Easter, the sweetness of resurrection life, and the hope that even our scars can shine like gold.

Ingredient Notes

For the gin, you really do want a barrel-aged one here. Aged gins often come in golden hues and have softer, rounder edges than their crisp, dry counterparts. The oak adds depth and warmth without obscuring the botanicals. In my testing, I used Philadelphia’s own Bluecoat Barrel-Finished Gin which has beautiful spice and vanilla notes, as well as Barr Hill Tom Cat Gin, which is slightly drier but with honeyed sweetness. Each lends its own experience but go with whatever barrell-aged gin you can find.

For the vermouth, Dolin Blanc is an easy, widely available go-to, but Lillet Blanc will give you a lighter, citrus-forward profile, while Cocchi Americano leans a bit more bitter and herbal. Any sweeter, white, fortified wine in this family should do the trick—just avoid dry vermouths, which won’t give the needed weight or sweetness.

For the amaro, Suze is unique in its golden color and earthy bitterness. Gentian-based amaros are hard to substitute, but if you can’t find Suze, Avèze or Salers Aperitif are close relatives. They’ll shift the profile slightly, but keep the same bitter, floral backbone.

For the sparkling topper, a plain seltzer keeps things crisp and lets the cocktail shine, while tonic adds a little more sweetness and complexity. Try both and see which version feels more like Easter to you.

Recipe Card