"Bitter, sweet, dry and refreshing all at once", a classic negroni is quite simply a "perfect cocktail", said Nate Erickson in Esquire.
Today marks the beginning of Negroni Week, an annual celebration of the "carmine-coloured" tipple, and while the negroni is a staple of summer drinks menus, there's "never really a bad time to whip one up". Equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, finished with a twist of orange peel, it "couldn't be easier to make".
The negroni dates back more than a century, to when Count Camillo Negroni walked into a cafe in Florence and "pleaded for something stronger" than an Americano – a heady mix of Campari, sweet vermouth and soda water favoured by American tourists visiting Italy during Prohibition. The story goes that the bartender swapped the soda for gin, added an orange garnish and "the negroni was born".
Since then, there have been countless twists on the classic drink. Switching gin for mezcal, for example, adds "pleasant smokiness" to the cocktail, while replacing it with whiskey creates rich, warming notes", said Justin Sullivan in delish.
"Play around" with rye, bourbon, rum and just about any spirit you can think of to make your own "negroni riff", Dante's head bartender Stacey Swenson told Food & Wine. "Just remember the drink's three components: bitter, sweet, and strong."
If you like gin, remember it needs to be "bold" to compete with the strong flavour of Campari. And always twist the orange peel over the glass in order to release the oils and create "the most aromatic drinking experience". |