Campari Mobilises Over 1,000 Southeast Asian Bars for 14th Annual Negroni Week Celebration

Campari Mobilises Over 1,000 Southeast Asian Bars for 14th Annual Negroni Week Celebration

Campari, the Italian red apéritif brand, has partnered with Imbibe Magazine for the 14th edition of Negroni Week, running from 21 to 27 September 2026. More than 1,000 bars, pubs and restaurants across Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore will participate in the celebration of the world's top-selling classic cocktail.

The initiative, which began in 2013 with approximately 120 participating venues, has grown into a global movement spanning more than 70 countries and raising over $5 million for charitable organizations since its inception. For the 2026 edition, funds raised will be distributed through Slow Food to support the hospitality community, with focus on preserving cultural and biological diversity, promoting food and beverage education, and fostering equity and wellness in the industry.

Participating bars will run promotions, serve Negroni variations and host special events throughout the week, with many venues extending celebrations beyond the official dates. The festivities reflect Southeast Asia's rapidly maturing cocktail culture, with Thailand alone securing 10 bars in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025 top 100, while Jakarta has emerged as one of the region's fastest-growing cocktail destinations with four venues in the 2026 top 50.

International Guest Shifts and Opening Celebrations

Opening parties launched on 21 September across multiple markets. In Bangkok, Monica Berg and Alex Kratena from Tayēr + Elementary London, ranked No.5 in World's 50 Best Bars 2025, led sessions at Stella at Capella on 21 and 22 September following a masterclass. Their London venue has gained international recognition for its progressive, ingredient-led approach to cocktail creation.

Singapore's opening event at Milli Lounge inside the National Gallery featured Demitria Dana Paramita, co-founder of Jakarta's Hats Bar, which placed No.77 in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026 and received the Campari One To Watch award. Manila's launch at The Back Room, Shangri-La, paired the team from Hong Kong's Penicillin, No.49 on the same list, with Kiki Moka from Jakarta's The Cocktail Club. Taipei opened at Uncommon with industry professionals and media, while Taiwan concluded festivities in Kaohsiung at ROMA ROMA.

Throughout the week, Campari's guest shift circuit brought 12 acclaimed bartenders to close to 20 shifts across a dozen cities. Giorgio Bargiani of The Connaught Bar and Erik Lorincz of Kwānt London joined the lineup, with Lorincz continuing from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City. Asian talent featured prominently, including Hiro of Bee's Knees and Cris Song of Pony Up Shanghai, Campari Red Hands APAC Champion 2025, both appearing in Ho Chi Minh City. Matteo Cadeddu of Opium Bangkok poured in Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City, while Joash of Off Track Singapore travelled to Shanghai and Macau.

A bar exchange between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur saw Paramita continue from Singapore to Cabinet 8 by JWC, a new entry at No.65 in Asia's 50 Best Bars 2026, on 23 September, while Sam Yap completed the reciprocal shift at Hats Bar, Jakarta, on 24 September.

Regional Activations and Creative Programming

Bartenders, artists and bar teams across the region developed Negroni experiences extending beyond cocktails through art, merchandise, music and bar-hopping programmes designed to move guests between venues.

In Thailand, a collaboration with Thai artist Karoon Jeamviriyasatean, known as ZilluStation, transformed four bar-hopping routes through Songwat, Sathorn, Soi Nana and Chiang Mai into hand-drawn cityscape maps, printed as a limited-edition T-shirt collection with all proceeds directed to charity. Taiwan launched a Negroni Passport in Taipei and closed it in Kaohsiung, where each Negroni purchase earned one stamp toward prizes including pins, glassware, branded clothing and a grand prize drawn live on the final night.

Vietnam's passport programme offered additional rewards, with sufficient stamps granting access to the guest shift at Lai La, Ho Chi Minh City, on 25 September, where a red door, a neon sign reading No Negroni Without Campari and a DJ carried the event past midnight. Manila's Red Shift deployed six bartenders across six neighbouring bars simultaneously, with each serving two drinks, creating a coordinated neighbourhood-wide pour.

Market Growth and Commercial Impact

The scale of these regional celebrations reflects both the cocktail's commercial appeal and the strategic importance of the aperitif category to Campari Group. The company reported organic sales growth of 2.9 percent in Q1 2026 and maintained full-year guidance of 3 percent organic growth, with market share gains in 95 percent of its markets. The aperitifs portfolio, which includes Campari and Aperol as central pillars of long-term growth strategy, increased 2.1 percent in the quarter.

The global Negroni market, valued at approximately $1.7 billion in 2024, is projected to reach $2.73 billion by 2033, representing a compound annual growth rate of 9.1 percent. Industry data shows the Negroni ranks consistently among top cocktails for average check value, selling for an average of $16 in U.S. outlets in 2024.

Armando De Paolis, Managing Director of Asia Partnership Markets at Campari Group, stated that Negroni Week has evolved beyond celebrating an iconic cocktail into recognition of the people shaping its story. He emphasized the role of bartenders, mixologists, bars, restaurants and consumers in forming a community that continues reinventing the cocktail while maintaining its unmistakable red foundation.

The Negroni's Origins and Legacy

The Negroni originated around 1919 in Florence when Count Camillo Negroni requested his Americano cocktail be made with gin instead of soda, inspired by London's gin scene during a recent visit. The bartender honored the request and added an orange garnish rather than the lemon wedge of the Americano, creating what became known as Count Negroni's Americano. The original recipe of equal parts Campari, sweet red vermouth and London dry gin remains unchanged more than a century later. According to the Drinks International Cocktail report 2026, the Negroni is the top-selling classic cocktail in the world's best bars, and the International Bartenders Association lists Campari as an official ingredient.

Participating venues, guest shifts and events can be found at www.negroniweek.com and through Campari's regional social media channels.