As the world isolated itself in quarantine over the last year or so, search engine Google exploded with enquiries about recipes for both food and drink. many recipe searches were done on Google. As you might expect, among the drink searches, a lot were enquiring about alcoholic cocktail recipes, but there were also a fair number of non-alcoholic drinks recipes that were also researched.

According to the analysis done by non-alcoholic brand Lyre’s, the most awarded non-alcoholic spirit company in the world, one of the more popular searches was for the non-alcoholic Negroni, which saw search numbers double during the lockdown.

Ten years ago, a non-alcoholic Negroni was like vegetarian Carolina BBQ: unthinkable. Now, with every component available in alcohol-free form, you can get the bitey, bitter goodness of a  full-flavoured negroni without a drop of booze.

And this is the time of year you would do it. If we were in normal times, next week would probably be Negroni Week (it, of course, has been postponed this year until September, as it was last year). So we thought we would take the opportunity to show a couple of Negroni non-alcoholic recipes, so you no longer need to pester the lovely people at Google.

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Lyre Negroni

It was 1919, and Count Camillo Negroni decided his favourite cocktail the Americano needed a little something extra. He swapped out the soda water for gin and thus the Negroni was born. This classic aperitif may look like a sweet, Italian orange treat, but like a gate-crashing pack of weasels – it’s crafty, a little bitter and full of surprises.

Ingredients

• 30mL (1oz) Lyre’s Dry London Spirit
• 30mL (1oz) Lyre’s Apéritif Rosso
• 30mL (1oz) Lyre’s Italian Orange

Instructions

Stir briefly over fresh cubed ice.

Glass: Old Fashioned

Garnish: Orange Slice

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Lyre’s Rosa Negroni

Innovation is imperative, mio amico. Like an extendable back scratcher that goes where no itch has scratched before. Or detachable pants for those agile outfit adjustments. Or perhaps a humble Negroni with a fragrant coastal twist, an inspired choice for impressing associates. Magnifico!

Ingredients

• 45mL Lyre’s Italian Spritz
• 15mL Lyre’s Dry London Spirit
• 30mL Lyre’s Apéritif Rosso
• 4 fresh raspberries

Instructions

Stir briefly over fresh cubed ice.

Glass: Old Fashioned

Garnish: Lemon wheel, Rosemary sprig

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Lyre’s Contessaa Negroni

This delicious concoction is a wonderful version of the famed Negroni. The Lyre’s Contessa replaces the heavy bitter amaro for the lighter, orangey Italian Spritz, and the Aperitif Dry substitutes the Rosso. It’s more like the Negroni’s funky second cousin.

Ingredients

• 1 Part (30mL/ 1 Fl Oz) Lyre’s Apéritif Dry
• 1 Part (30mL/ 1 Fl Oz) Lyre’s Italian Spritz
• 1 Part (30mL/ 1 Fl Oz) Lyre’s Dry London Spirit
• 2 drops tonic bitters (optional)

Instructions

Stir briefly over fresh ice

GLASS: Old fashioned

GARNISH: Lemon slice

For more information and recipes from Lyre’s, go to lyres.com