One gin, one vermouth, one bitter aperitif, an orange peel — the Negroni has barely changed in a century, but for one week each September Dubai's bars try their hardest to reinvent it. Negroni Week runs September 21 to 27 this year, and the city's lineup ranges from miso butter-infused gin to smoked mezcal, with plenty of straight-up classics for purists.

Downtown and DIFC are the densest hunting grounds. At ROKA in Business Bay, four limited pours go Japanese: passion fruit, miso butter gin, sesame whisky with banana wine, and a sake-melon number, from Dhs65. Zenon at the Kempinski has five takes including matcha, spiced mango with Thai chilli gin, and a mezcal-and-coffee smoked version from Dhs75, while Amelia at Address Sky View keeps pouring until September 30 — its Coco Picante uses coconut-washed Campari and Sichuan pepper gin, all Dhs69.

In DIFC, Sexy Fish runs a one-week trio called Vanishing Crimson — tropical rum, raspberry, and a black cardamom-coffee mix — at Dhs40 a glass, the cheapest of the bunch. Chic Nonna offers a three-way personality test: Classic, Indulgent (chocolate) or Escapist (coconut and maraschino), Dhs50 each. ZEA keeps it simple with a Dhs75 signature Negroni that comes with free chef's bites, and The Guild's Aviary hosts a masterclass with bar manager Jefersson Anzola on September 22, ending in a mystery-box cocktail challenge — just 12 seats at Dhs250.

Away from the towers, Anantara The Palm spreads things across a Negroni-themed afternoon tea (from Dhs220) plus guest bartender takeovers on September 26 and 27. Bungalo34 at Nikki Beach launches a five-drink beach menu on September 25 with a DJ, and it runs until October 14 — the longest window of the lot, from Dhs48, including a Champagne-topped Sbagliato and a zero-proof coffee option. Hawkerboi in JLT goes East Asian with plum-umeshu and toasted coconut-banana versions, or a Dhs109 tasting flight of all three. Amaru at Souk Madinat Jumeirah rounds it out with a Dhs249 flight spanning classic, banana-toned Latin and peated Islay whisky versions, soundtracked by live tango and salsa.

Why it matters: Negroni Week is an easy excuse to bar-hop through some of Dubai's best hotel and restaurant venues at set prices, and several menus run past the official dates. If you only manage one night, a tasting flight at Hawkerboi or Amaru gets you the widest comparison for your dirhams; if you want the most inventive pours, ROKA and Zenon are the standouts.

Full details via What's On Dubai.