Beach Bonfire. Smoky. Bitter. Complex.

Some cocktails are built around tradition. Others start with tradition and then slowly evolve into something new. Beach Bonfire is our take on one of the most famous cocktails ever created: the Negroni.

The classic Negroni is beautifully simple. It is made with three ingredients in equal parts: gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. Bitter, strong and perfectly balanced, it has been a staple of cocktail bars for over a century.

A Negroni With a Sunset Twist

When we started working on this drink, we kept that foundation but began adjusting the ingredients to create something more personal.

Instead of a traditional gin, we use Tanqueray Flor de Sevilla, an orange-forward gin that instantly reminds you of the colours of a sunset. For the vermouth, we use Cocchi Torino, a premium sweet vermouth that brings depth and elegance to the drink.

The biggest change comes with the Campari. Rather than using it as it is, we infuse it with figs, usually for over a week. The figs soften the bitterness and add a subtle sweetness that reminds me of summers in Greece, where you can pick ripe figs straight from the trees, often dripping with honey-like juice.

The Smoke of the Bonfire

Then comes the unexpected ingredient: mezcal.

Mezcal is a smoky spirit made from roasted agave, the same plant family used to make tequila. The agave is traditionally cooked in underground pits, which gives mezcal its distinctive smoky character.

Finally, we sink grapefruit juice into the drink. When served over our large ice cubes, the grapefruit settles slightly at the bottom, creating a gradient of colour. The cocktail almost looks like a sunset in a glass, brighter at the base and deeper red at the top.

A Cocktail I Didn’t Expect to Love

I have to admit something. When Panos first made this drink, I didn’t like it.

I’m not usually a fan of smoky cocktails, and Eirini felt the same way. For a while we even tried to convince Panos to remove it from the menu.

But he insisted the flavours worked perfectly together. According to him, the fig and orange notes would soften the bitterness, while the grapefruit would highlight the smokiness of the mezcal.

So we let him keep it.

The Drink That Proved Us Wrong

It turns out Panos was absolutely right.

Beach Bonfire quickly became one of our best-selling cocktails. Guests love the balance between smoky, bitter and citrus flavours, and it has become one of the drinks people return for again and again.

For me, every time I drink it, it reminds me of surfing trips where the tradition at the end of the day is simple. Build a fire on the beach, sit with friends and watch the sunset disappear into the ocean.

That moment, that feeling, is exactly what this cocktail is meant to capture.

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