Drinks

Negroni

June 28, 2013 by Jennifer

I’ve been dying to make a couple cocktails with Campari for awhile now. Between the label on the bottle, the color of the spirit, and the fact that it’s been around since the late 1800’s, I thought it would be another cocktail with a subtle fruity taste. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Campari, which was created in 1860 by Gaspare Campari, is made with a variety of spices and herbs and tastes more like Orange Bitters than Cointreau. It definitely takes some getting used to. So please, don’t do what I did and make this cocktail your first foray into Campari, if you do, it will probably be your last. Since that’s how I feel about the spirit, you’re probably wondering why on earth it’s part of my Friday classic cocktails. Well, mainly because it is a classic, and if you develop a palate for the strong aperitif, the Negroni will forever be at the top of your list. If however, you’re like me, I’d suggest starting with a more gentle approach and mix the Campari up with some orange juice. You still have the bitter orange flavor, but it’s definitely a lot more subtle.  And the best news is, you’ll not only develop a palate for the strong spirit, you’ll learn to love the Negroni and several other cocktails that use it, just like I did.

Like so many of the classics, this one was created shortly after World War I when Count Camillo Negroni, who was a regular at the Casoni Bar in Florence, Italy, ordered an Americano with gin and no soda. Pro-American goodwill in the wake of World War I had established the Americano as the cocktail of the moment, but once Casoni barflies started ordering their Americanos ‘the Negroni way’, a classic was born. A strong classic, but a classic nonetheless. And since it is a pre-dinner drink, be careful how many of them you enjoy before the meal. Too many, and you may never make it to the dinner table.

Negroni

Ingredients:

  • 1 oz. gin
  • 1 oz. Campari
  • 1 oz. sweet vermouth

Directions:

  1. Pour the ingredients into a chilled old fashioned glass. Stir until combined. Add a slice of orange peel for garnish and serve.