The Humble Negroni
Love Them Or Hate Them, Negronis Are Simply The Hottest Cocktail Around.
When we designed our range of collections, a Negroni Cocktail Kit was a no brainer. The cocktail equivalent of Marmite, there is no drink more divisive.
Described as the cocktails lovers cocktail, the Negroni is short, strong and bitter, yet intriguingly complex with incredible depth of flavour. The perfect aperitif, the drink’s variants are as fascinating as it’s history.
The Milano Torino was the original incarnation of this cocktail, named after the cities where Campari and Martini Vermouth were made. Consisting of equal measures of Campari and Martini Rosso, heaps of ice and topped with soda for an ultimately refreshing long cold drink. So popular was the Milano Torino with the American Tourists of the day that the drink gained the addition of bitters and became known as The Americano. And so it still is known today, however the drink got far more interesting in Florence, 1919 with the influence of Count Negroni.
Count Camillo Negroni had spent a portion of his younger life in rural America, living and working the plains as a cowboy and stockman which gave him a taste for strong liquor. The story goes that upon his return to Florence he enjoyed drinking Americanos with the tourists, though his love for hard spirits eventually led him to ask the barman to mix his drink with Gin instead of soda. The reputation of both the man and his drink quickly spread until customers began asking for Negronis at bars all over Florence.
The Milano Torino is the original incarnation of The Negroni, and makes the perfect low ABV afternoon sipper.
The White Negroni, made with Dolin Blanc and Suze Gentian Liqueur is a super refreshing twist on the classic cocktail.
The drink has become the perfect balance of simplicity and complexity and is quite simply the finest aperitif that has ever been conceived. That said though, even with the classic 1:1:1 ratio of Gin, Vermouth and Bitters there’re an endless number of variations achieved by changing the brand or style of the ingredients.
Virtually any Vermouth will make a great Negroni, we prefer the semi-sweet character of Carpano Antica Formula, but why not experiment with your favourite. The bitters used is almost always Campari, but you can achieve great results with others too – if you find the classic just too bitter try using Aperol for slightly lighter version, or the Suze Gentian Liqueur we use in our White Negroni goes just as well in a classic, though the lack of orange hue does affect the experience for me.
Of all the components to experiment with, oddly the one that has the least effect on the final drink is the Gin. Something big, bold and juniper-forward will always stand the best chance of holding it’s own – lighter, citrus or floral gins would generally be wasted with such aggressive companions.
There is debate among bartenders whether the drink should be served ‘up’ (without ice) or on the rocks, and whether it should be ‘built’ in the glass over ice, or ‘stirred’ in a separate glass filled with ice before being strained into a fresh glass, either with or without ice.
The true beauty of The Negroni is that it can stand up to a lot; whether you lavish it with attention and finesse or whether you measure it out with an egg cup and stir it with your finger – you’re going to end up with a great drink.
The garnish is always simple – a slice of orange, a strip of orange peel or an ‘expressed’ twist. I have read historic recipes for both the Americano and Negroni which call for lemon to be used, but for me this upsets the balance of the drink and seems unfaithful to its origins.
To ‘express’ orange peel simply cut a strip with as little pith as possible (a vegetable peeler is the perfect tool), hold it over the finished drink and give it a swift pinch. The aim of this is for the oil from the skin to coat the surface of the drink, adding flavour and the most incredible scent. To add another level, rub the expressed skin around the rim of the glass for an intense orange flavour with every sip.
The Boulevardier is my personal favourite twist on The Negroni, using Bourbon instead of Gin to add a rich and warm body to the drink.
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