From 21 to 27 September, bars worldwide return to equal parts Campari, gin and sweet red vermouth. The fourteenth Negroni Week is more than a cocktail moment — it is a chance for venues to draw guests, tell a story and contribute to Slow Food’s fund. Slovak bars are joining too.
September in bars feels different from September in an office. Guests still chase the last mild evenings, teams already sense autumn, and owners ask what belongs on the menu before the season fully turns. That is exactly where Negroni Week 2026 lands — 21 to 27 September.
The global initiative from Campari and Imbibe returns for a fourteenth year, linking bars, bartenders and cocktail lovers. Slow Food remains the giving partner: venues join with a contribution to the fund and run their own events, specials or Negroni menus during the week.
In 2025, organizers report nearly 15,000 bars and restaurants across more than 90 countries took part and raised $700,000. Money from the Slow Food Negroni Week Fund supported education scholarships and community and innovation projects in gastronomy and hospitality. Guests are not only ordering a drink — they are buying into a story with a measurable footprint.
For a Slovak venue, three practical angles stand out:
The Negroni’s origin story usually points to around 1919 in Florence: Count Camillo Negroni, as the legend goes, asked for his Americano with gin instead of soda. The bartender marked the drink with an orange garnish, and a classic was born. The International Bartenders Association still recognises Campari in the official recipe. This year’s campaign leans on No Negroni Without Campari while leaving space for modern interpretations.
Registration on negroniweek.com closes Friday, 18 September at noon PST. If you want a place on the global map, the window is tight. Even without formal listing, you can still use the week locally: a special menu, Instagram storytelling, a supplier collaboration, or a night for regulars.
Slovak bars are expected to join as well. The live venue list shifts with registrations — so watch the official map and local tips in the cities where you operate.
Negroni Week is not a debate about whether you “like bitter drinks.” It is a seven-day chance to turn a known classic into footfall, storytelling and a light edge over the competition. Three ingredients, one story, one week. For a bar that wants to be visible in September, it can be one of the simplest seasonal plays of the year.
(Please drink responsibly.)