Negroni
Bittersweet, complex and bracing, this drink is one of the quintessential classics. There are countless variations and riffs, arguments over the best ingredients, ratios and styles. I’m not claiming to have the right answers, but this is my take on some of the best Negronis I have had.
Before the Negroni there was the Americano, a classic Italian aperitivo. The story goes that the Negroni was invented when, Count Camillo Negroni was in The Cafe Casoni in Florence and asked the bartender to strengthen his Americano by substituting the soda water for gin, and so the Negroni was born. So before we make a Negroni, lets appreciate the drink that inspired it creation.
Americano
40ml Campari
40ml Sweet Vermouth
Top Soda
Build the ingredients in a rocks glass full of cubed ice. Stir briefly to combine and add a slice of lemon as garnish.
The classic recipe for the Negroni calls for equal parts of a London Dry Gin, Campari and Italian Sweet Vermouth, this is generally served stirred and strained over ice with an orange wedge or peel. Under the powerful bitter-sweet flavour of Campari and the heavy sweetness of the vermouth it is easy for a lot of standard 80 proof gins to be lost in the mix. To fix this I like to opt for a recipe that favours the gin over other ingredients and often sub in a higher proof gin.
Negroni
35ml Gin
25ml Sweet Vermouth
20ml Campari
Stir ingredients in a mixing glass until chilled and diluted. Strain over a large cube of ice in a rocks glass. Express a wide peel of orange over the drink, rub it around the rim of the glass then drop it in.
In this drink your choice of ingredients is imperative, changing any one of them can change the whole palette of the drink.
For a classic Negroni, Campari is the only option for your Amaro. Other amaro may make a great drink but it isn't a negroni.
As mentioned before for me I like to go heavy on my gin or even use a high proof or navy strength gin. Something with a nice bit of spice or pepper as well as some citrus notes is good.
Finally the sweet vermouth, this is where a lot of testing and finding your personal preference comes in. Punt E Mes gives an extra kick of bitterness from its Amaro base if thats what swings your fancy. Antica Formula is heavy and extremely sweet with beautiful warming vanilla and cherry notes, perfect if you prefer it sweet and dark. Cocchi Di Torino lends a bright fruity note with some orange citrus undertones. There are far more options to consider but I like these three as a starting point for experimentation.
Once you've nailed the classic and found your perfect ratio and ingredients it's time to start experimenting with some variations. The perfect place to start is by keeping the concept of a spirit, amaro and fortified wine but swap out which you use to make interesting combinations. Swap the Campari for Fernet and you have a Hanky Panky, swap the Gin for Bourbon and its a Boulevardier, trade your gin for prosseco to make a Sbagliato. Below are a couple of my variations.
The Queens Speech
35ml Cardamon Infused Gin
25ml Campari
15ml Pedro Ximenez Sherry
2 Dash Orange Bitters
Stir ingredients in a mixing glass until chilled and diluted. Strain over a large cube of ice in a rocks glass.
Oaxaca Negroni
25ml Mezcal
25ml Aperol
25ml Coffee Infused Vermouth
Stir ingredients in a mixing glass until chilled and diluted. Strain straight up into a cocktail glass. Flame an orange zest over the drink and discard.
(For the coffee infused vermouth put 20g of coarsely ground coffee into a paper filter, pour 200ml of Sweet Vermouth over the grounds and stir continuously for 90 seconds then allow to drip through.)
