Properly Sauced: Three Negroni Riffs For Negroni Week
By Staff in Food on Jun 4, 2014 3:30PM
Across the web, it’s touted as the ideal drink for impressing your date, boss, or bartender. Almost by osmosis, the drinker of a Negroni becomes as elegant and layered as the drink itself.
The generally accepted story behind the Negroni attributes the cocktail to Count Camillo Negroni, a character straight out of a spaghetti western. After a spell spent exploring the American West and living as a cowboy, The Count returned to Italy. Sometime around 1920 in Florence, he ordered an Americano with the request that gin be substituted for soda, and thus the Negroni was born.
Yet, after investigating his lineage, a member of the Negroni family, Noel Negroni, swears Count Camillo never existed. According to Noel, the true inventor of the Negroni is Pascal Olivier de Negroni de Cardi, a general from the French army. A much less compelling, though perhaps more legitimate figure, the general created the cocktail to aid with an upset stomach.
Regardless of which tale you prefer to believe, the palatable and challenging balance of a Negroni is undeniable. The simplicity of the build - equal parts of gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth - encourages experimentation. Without further ado, three riffs on the classic Negroni, just in time for Negroni Week.
The Citroni
a Negroni for the citrus lover
1 ounce gin
1 ounce Cinzano Bianco
1 ounce Campari
½ ounce Disarrono
2 dashes of Angostura Bitters
2 dashes of Fee Brother’s Orange Bitters
Fill a low ball glass with ice, build your drink, and stir. Garnish with an orange peel.
The Sweet Negroni
This version contains less alcohol and comes across less bitter, sweeter, and more herbal, particularly with notes of clove
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce Cinzano Bianco
1 ounce Lillet Blanc
½ ounce clover honey syrup
½ ounce gin
2 drops Angostura bitters
Build your drink in a tall class with ample ice. Stir for at least 30 seconds to dilute the drink, and then strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with an orange peel and candied ginger.
The Amaro Negroni
A Negroni for the amaro lover; feel free to add more Cynar if you’d like to go deeper and more herbal
1 ounce gin
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce Cinzano Rosso
½ ounce Cynar
Bitter Truth Pimento Dram
This can be made up or served in a low ball glass. Rinse your cup and ice with Bitter Truth Pimento Dram. Add all liquid ingredients and stir well. Strain ice out if serving up for no other reason than ice looks silly in a coupe, or serve on the rocks. Garnish with flamed orange peel and a cherry.