NEGRONI

The whole cocktail blog thing is still super new to me so I am going to be hitting some more of the classics to help me find my style and get a little better feel for everything.I think a Negroni is a perfect way for me to do that because it represents the way that I take on all the new interests in my life.

When I come across something I enjoy I tend to dive right in relentlessly learning as much as I can. So obviously I did the same thing with cocktails and the gateway that lead to the onset of my obsession was a Negroni.

I new about the world of cocktails and that I enjoyed a manhattan the few times that my mom made them, but it was not until my friend Sam had me taste a Negroni that I really realized there was a whole range of flavors to explore. After that I started to watch videos, read books, experiment, try making the classics and now here I am starting a cocktail blog.

The Negroni is said to have been created in the early 1900’s when Count Negroni asked his bartender to replace the soda water in his Americano for something a little stronger. It has a great balance between bitter, sweet and complex as all three ingredients contribute equally to create one of my favorite cocktails.

The ingredients you choose always have quite an impact on the final drink, but that may be even more than usual in the Negroni. Campari is the constant in the classic version but the gin and vermouth that you select can give flavors anywhere from dry and complex to sweet and floral.

I prefer to use a vibrant and floral gin with a vermouth that has a good bit of sweetness and some complexity. Here I use an awesome gin called Tommy Rotter which is pretty much only available in the Western NY area, but I encourage you to see if there are any distillers near you making gin and give them a try!

I then used Cocci di Vermouth which is one of my favorites for its’ honey sweetness balanced with flavors of light herbs, warm winter spice, and dried fruits.

This is a cocktail that can serve as a great base for experimentation and already has many variations. I often make mine with a touch less Campari than the gin and vermouth to let them come through a bit more, so experiment with the ratios you like and try substituting ingredients out for others.

PRINT RECIPE

Ingredients

• 1 Oz Gin - (I prefer a light floral gin)
• 1 Oz Sweet Vermouth
• 1 Oz Campari
• 1 Orange Peel

Instructions

• Add the liquid ingredients to a mixing glass.
• Add ice and stir until desired chill and dilution is reached.
• Strain into a chilled cocktail glass or a rocks glass with ice.
• Express the oils from the orange peel onto the drink and drop in for garnish.

Tag me at @mydrinkinghobby when you make this!