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Colely Negroni

2 oz Gin (1.5 oz works well)
1 oz Campari (Coffee bean-infused--see note)
1⁄4 oz Sweet vermouth, Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
1⁄4 oz Fernet Branca
1⁄4 oz Sherry, Lustau East India Solera (original calls for medium amoroso)
Instructions

Stir with ice, strain into coupe, orange twist (discarded)

Notes

A surprisingly sophisticated Negroni variant where all of the components blend seamlessly together, but in an unexpected way. Keep in mind that I am not a coffee lover, but I very much like the way the coffee infusion worked here.

The coffee bean-infused Campari is a ratio of ~1 part whole coffee beans to 16 parts Campari. (e.g. 1 tablespoon of beans in 8 ounces of Campari). Infuse for 3 hours, shaking/stirring periodically, then strain/filter.

Medium amoroso is a medium oloroso sherry and I have only identified a single extant bottling. Lustau East India Solera is a more widely available cream sherry with the same grape varietal composition and nearly the same proportions. It has been chosen as a substitute despite being somewhat sweeter.

History

This drink was published in 2016 under the name "Colely Negroni." However, in Dec. 2024 it was published to slightly different specs and different spelling as the "Coley Negroni" by the same bartender. I have no idea which is correct.

The genesis is unclear, but these likely are different iterations of the same cocktail. The 2016 version with Fernet/sherry/vermouth appears as almost an approximation of the later Averna/vermouth combo--although the volumes of the later variant are noticeably higher.

Cocktail summary
Created by
Erik Eastman, The Rabbit Hole, Minneapolis, MN
Year
2016
Is an
authentic recipe
Reference

https://imbibemagazine.com/recipe/colely-negroni/

Curator
Not yet rated
User rating
5 stars
(1 rating)
Yields Drink

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Comments
Robbyfresh commented on 4/22/2025:

This sounds interesting. I need to mix up some coffee-Campari to check it out.

As to the name, my guess would be that “Colely” is a misprint. Surely with the Fernet this is named for Ada “Coley” Coleman, right? Also, as to the sherry: Maestro Sierra Amoroso is technically a medium oloroso, which means it is slightly less sweet than a cream sherry. Amoroso is apparently sweetened with 10% PX while the East India Solera is 20% (other creams can be even higher), so as pointed out by OP that substitution could affect the balance slightly if used in the same proportions

Shawn C commented on 4/23/2025:

I have suspected a misprint as well, but it has been nearly 9 years since publication without any correction. You are likely correct as to the name's reference to Ada Coleman (creator of the Hanky Panky), and it is unfortunate that the newer version "Coley Negroni" in Punch doesn't even include Fernet since that would have been the original inspiration. It does make an interesting study in how cocktails evolve over the years, even in the hands of the creator.

With respect to the Amoroso, I agree with you, but concluded the cream sherry was close enough since only 1/4 oz is used. My guess was/is that the Amoroso would be to the sweeter end of the very wide sugar spec for medium, which would put it close to Lustau East India. I did actually consider a 50:50 split of the cream sherry with an oloroso but the volume was so small that I skipped it.

Egads! I just realized that after looking at the other cocktail recipe multiple times I accidentally listed the gin as 1.5 oz rather than the 2 oz called for. Guess I need to fix that...but my notes say I made it with 1.5 oz too, and that is how I rated it. So I'll suggest 1.5.