The Negroni Is the Most Versatile Cocktail
The Negroni is autumn encapsulated in liquid form. You know the basics: It’s a classic aperitif that blends equal parts vermouth, Campari, and gin; the gin adds an herbal bouquet while the vermouth is light and sweet. Campari, an Italian liqueur and a type of bitters, adds hints of spice and citrus. It’s perfect. The recipe was widely shared first in Italy but is now an essential item on every respectable cocktail bar’s menu.
How popular is the Negroni? There’s a whole week in September named after it. At Mister Paradise, where I celebrated at an event in honor of the release of the Botanist’s Distiller Strength Gin, neon red lights bathed the partygoers in a Campari-hued glow. The Botanist enlisted bartenders from some of the best bars in New York City, like Shinji's, Milady’s, and Congress Bar, to create new, unique takes on the classic Negroni. Over an excited din, I kept an open mind sampling all four new editions and was pleased to discover that the cocktail could take on a wide variety of forms and flavors. It could be savory with the addition of tomato-infused bitters, or rich with umami thanks to a dash of sake.
Dante in New York City’s West Village boasts an expansive Negroni selection for anyone willing to broaden their tastes. Its façade is adorned with evergreen flowers, but golden leaves litter the sidewalk. Inside, fifteen expressions of Negronis grace the cocktail lineup, including a Chocolate Negroni, a Caffe Negroni, and a Mezcalito Negroni. “It’s an acquired taste,” owner Linden Pride says. “It takes a bit of time to learn to appreciate it. It’s got such a distinctive and special taste. There’s nothing more transportive than a Negroni.”
Even if the classic trinity of the Negroni doesn’t float your boat, you can find innovative spins on the drink that can cater to your favorite taste profile, be it spicy, caffeinated, or chocolatey. And if you’d prefer to celebrate Negroni season at home, below I gathered up some of the best new Negroni recipe remixes for your own taste test.
Chocolate Negroni
(Dante, West Village)
Ingredients:
1 oz The Botanist Islay Dry Gin
.75 oz Campari
.75 oz Punt e Mes
.25 oz Tempus Fugit Dark Cacao
2 dashes chocolate bitters
Garnish: Grated chocolate
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in rocks glass with ice and stir. Shave chocolate finely over top to garnish.
Meguroni #2
(By Masahiro Urushido of Katana Kitten)
Ingredients
.75 oz iichiko Saiten
.75 oz Caffo Red Bitter
.75 oz Choya Kokuto Umeshu Liqueur
.25 oz Genever
Glassware: Sake glass
Garnish: Kinome
Directions
Combine all ingredients and stir. Strain over a large ice cube. Twist of lemon and discard and garnish with kinome.
Asada Negroni
(Created by Kip Moffitt of SUPERBUENO)
Ingredients
1 oz Grilled Pineapple Skin Infused Espolon Blanco*
.75 oz Cinzano 1757 Rosso Vermouth
.5 oz Campari
.5 oz Ancho Reyes Barrica
Dash of saline
Garnish: Orange coin (slice), ancho chili powder
Directions
Combine the ingredients in a mixing glass and stir. Fill a rocks glass with crushed ice. Strain the cocktail over the ice. Place an orange slice on top and lightly dust the slice with ancho chili powder. Add two straws.
*Grill pineapple skins until they are charred and caramelized. Let them cool, then infuse with Espolon Blanco tequila for at least 24 hours. Strain the infusion before using.
Olive Branch
(Created by Beverage Director, Marshall Minaya at Valerie)
Ingredients
1.5 oz Staple Gin
.75 oz Campari
.5 oz Method Dry Vermouth
.25 oz Cocchi di Torino
3 dashes Bitter Truth Olive Bitters
1 dash Scrappy’s Chocolate Bitters
Garnish: Skewered Castelvetrano Olive & Orange Twist
Directions
Chill a double rocks glass. Add all ingredients to a chilled rocks glass. Add 3 cubes and stir to ¾ dilution, and top with fresh ice.
Golden Heart
(Created by Darwin Pornel at Mister Paradise)
Ingredients
1 oz mango-infused The Botanist Distiller’s Strength Gin
1.5 oz blanc vermouth
.25 oz gentian apéritif
.25 oz Italian bitter orange apéritif
.2 oz white verjus
10 drops saline solution (4:1)
Instructions
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass over ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube. Garnish with fresh mango cut into a nickel-sized slice and three atomizer sprays of cold brew concentrate
You Say Tomato
(Created by Izzy Tulloch at Milady’s)
Ingredients
1.25 oz The Botanist Distiller’s Strength Gin
1 oz tomato-infused Italian red bitter apéritif
.75 oz tomato-infused French blanc apéritif
.25 oz corn liqueur
Instructions
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass over ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over a large ice cube.
Garnish: side of everything bagel chips
Bitter Isle
(Created by Bobby Adler at Shinji’s)
Ingredients
2 oz The Botanist Distiller’s Strength Gin
.5 oz Junmai Ginjo sake
.5 oz orange leaf syrup*
Instructions
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass over ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a chilled Nick & Nora glass.
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