Negroni Week 2026 runs September 21–27, with Campari activating its Stay Bitter campaign through a new ensemble called The Bitter Nine — a group of nine creative voices from entertainment, fashion, food and beverage, and hospitality, led by actor and producer Alan Cumming. The initiative anchors the aperitivo brand's push to build bar-level traffic and brand affinity around what Drinks International ranks as the world's number-one best-selling classic cocktail.
The Campaign Logic
The Bitter Nine concept draws from Campari's own advertising heritage — specifically a 1970s campaign built around the idea that only a self-selected few truly appreciate the brand's signature bitterness. Cumming and his eight collaborators each bring distinct interpretations of what the brand calls a "Stay Bitter" mindset: individuality and the willingness to stand apart. "The Negroni has Campari's bitterness at its heart, and The Bitter Nine is about celebrating the people who aren't afraid to have a little bite themselves," Cumming said. For bar operators, the celebrity-anchored creative gives staff a ready-made conversation hook during one of the year's highest-volume cocktail-focused promotional windows.
Bartender Funding at Scale
Beyond the marketing, the hospitality industry angle is Campari's continued partnership with Slow Food through the Slow Food Negroni Week Fund. In 2025, more than 15,000 bars and restaurants across 97 countries participated in Negroni Week, collectively raising more than $700,000. Those funds supported education scholarships and community-based food and beverage projects worldwide. For 2026, the fund again directs money toward scholarships, Negroni Week Innovation Awards, and Slow Food Exchanges — including direct grants for hospitality professionals. Operators who register venues with Negroni Week put themselves inside that fundraising framework, which can serve both community positioning and staff development goals. Campari's media partner for the activation is Imbibe magazine, which co-organizes the week.
For U.S. venues, Campari is also running a consumer rebate offer: guests who order a Campari Negroni in select markets can receive up to $15 back via receipt submission, a promotional mechanic designed to lower the trial barrier and lift on-premise Negroni volume during the week. Operators looking for broader context on aperitivo and bitter spirits trends can find additional beverage industry analysis on this site, while those interested in how spirit-brand partnerships are reshaping the bar program landscape can explore our restaurant beverage coverage.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
