CHELSEA GRILL, LONDON
As the evenings draw in and autumn properly settles over London, this month’s Negroni Society takes us to the King’s Road for a suitably smoky take on the classic.
For October, we’re joining forces with Chelsea Grill, a neighbourhood restaurant where fire, smoke and bold flavours sit at the heart of both the kitchen and the bar.
Their contribution to this month’s Society is the Souchong Negroni, a darker, smoky take on the drink we know and love, and one that feels particularly at home at this time of year.
CHELSEA GRILL
Opened on Chelsea’s King’s Road in 2025, Chelsea Grill is built around a simple philosophy: fire, smoke and top-quality ingredients.
At the centre of the restaurant is its bespoke grill, with a menu shaped by cooking over fire and a focus on carefully sourced meat, fish, seafood and seasonal produce. Led by Head Chef Anton Vasilyev, the kitchen makes use of techniques including ageing, brining, cooking in ash and, of course, plenty of time over the flames.
That same willingness to play with bold and sometimes unexpected flavours carries through to the bar.
Led by Bar Manager Mickey Robinson, Chelsea Grill’s cocktail programme takes familiar classics and gives them a distinctly culinary twist. Previous creations have combined everything from burnt butter and miso to fig and rooibos tea, green pepper and jalapeño, and even caramelised onion.
So, when it came to their Negroni Society serve, something smoky felt rather fitting.
THE DRINK
At the heart of October’s serve is Souchong tea, bringing its distinctive smoky character to a combination of Hepple Gin, Asterley Bros Estate Vermouth, Campari and cacao bitters.
The Souchong introduces deep, woody notes of smoke, while the cacao bitters add another layer of richness – a subtle dark chocolate character that works beautifully alongside the bitterness of the Campari. Our Estate Vermouth brings sweetness, spice and its complex botanical character into the mix, balanced by the bright, aromatic backbone of Hepple Gin.
Together, those flavours take the familiar foundations of a Negroni somewhere deeper. Smoke, bitter orange, herbs, spice and cacao all weave through the drink, while still allowing that unmistakable Negroni character to shine through.
The result is bold, warming and just a little darker, a Negroni made for the beginning of autumn.
And coming from a restaurant where fire, smoke and bold flavours play such a central role, we couldn’t think of a more fitting October serve.
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TO SERVE YOUR SOUCHONG NEGRONI
- Pop the pouch in the freezer for 40 minutes until nicely chilled.
- Pour into an ice-filled tumbler or old-fashioned glass.
- Garnish with a slice of orange, slipped into the glass
DRINK!
THE RECIPE
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100ml Campari - Cold infuse the Lapsang Souchong for 1 Hour
- 25ml Hepple Gin
- 25ml Asterley Estate Vermouth
- 25ml Lapsang Campari
- 2 Drops Smoke & Oak Bitters
- 12 Drops Cacao Bitters
To recreate this delightful Negroni variation, simply follow the instructions below:
- Add the ingredients above to an ice-filled cocktail shaker and stir for 60 seconds until well-chilled and slightly diluted.
- Pour into an ice-filled tumbler or old-fashioned glass.
- Garnish with a slice of blood orange and serve
- If you want to prebatch your drinks to serve quickly later, just add another 10ml water to the ingredients above, to ‘pre-dilute’ the blend