Rosita
The tequila Negroni that Gary Regan rescued from a 1970s bar book.
Time
4 min
Difficulty
Easy
Glass
Rocks
Method
Stirred
The Method
How to make it
- 01
Combine tequila, Campari, both vermouths and the bitters in a mixing glass.
- 02
Fill with ice and stir 25–30 seconds until well chilled and properly diluted.
- 03
Strain over one large cube in a rocks glass.
- 04
Express a lemon twist over the surface, then drop it in.
Bartender's Tip
Reposado, not blanco. You want the barrel's vanilla to bridge the gap between agave and Campari — blanco leaves a gap you can taste.
A Little History
The Rosita first appeared in Mexican-inspired bar books in the 1970s and sat forgotten until Gary Regan printed it in The Joy of Mixology in 2003. It has been a sleeper favourite ever since: the aged agave in a reposado meets Campari's bitter orange the way gin never quite does, and the split vermouth keeps the whole thing lean rather than syrupy.
