Though the history, origin and birth right of the Negroni is arguable and remains the topic of frequent debate, you can trace its lineage back to another cocktail; the Americano, which in turn is based on the Milano Torino ­– geographically named after its two key components (Campari from Milan and Amaro from Turin).

Like many a classic cocktail, the Negroni is seeing a huge rise in popularity. Maybe this was the reason for the creation of Negroni Week. Between 6–12 June, bars the world over will be mixing, stirring, pouring and championing the mighty Negroni – all in the name of charity. Launched in 2013 as a celebration of one of the world’s great cocktails and in an effort to raise money for charitable causes, this year’s Negroni Week (like those before) will see much imbibing whilst debating the origin of this great creation.

Whatever your beliefs, one fact remains known – the Negroni is an amazing cocktail. Sweet, bitter, alcoholic and loved by many, it was originally designed as an aperitif. A good Negroni is the very definition of balance and simplicity and its continuous popularity should come as no surprise.

I for one have always had some interpretation of the Negroni on my menus – from the current ‘Artichoke Negroni’ with a distillation of artichoke leaf to the classic ‘Ristretto Negroni’, which is slowly dripped through crushed coffee beans over twenty-four hours. Last year I served a ‘Summer Negroni’ which uses the aroma of fresh cut grass in a ‘green’ gin, and there’s always the very Instagramable Nutella Negroni with its double-distilled Nutella gin.

So if you find yourself in one of the many participating bars this year, don’t forget to tweet your drink and tag it with @imbibe #NegroniWeek. Check out www.negroniweek.com for a list of participating venues.