Negroni the Perfect Cocktail

It is widely thought that in 1919 in the Caffe Casoni in Florence, Italy a gentleman by the name of Forsco Scarselli was asked by his customer and friend to sharpen up his favourite cocktail the Americano. He did this by adding gin instead of soda water. In that moment a new cocktail was born that has become legendary. This drink was named after the barkeep’s friend a certain Count Camillo Negroni. 

The origin story of the Negroni is not without its variations and as Jennifer Boylan of the New York Times reported in June 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/opinion/negroni-2019.html citing a further reference, that the drink was in fact created in Senegal in 1870 by one General Pascal Olivier Comte de Negroni. 

Whatever the drinks origin not many will argue what a fine cocktail it is. However, as with all classic food and drink recipes the actual ingredients and ratios will be up for debate and subject to personal taste. 

The basic recipe involves equal measures of gin, Campari and sweet red vermouth. This gives the drink a bitter but sweet and refreshing taste. The liquid ingredients are poured over a generous amount of ice in a tumbler. At this point my good friend stirs it with his special spoon, 12 times I think, and then it is garnished with a slice of orange. 

There is no argument about the Campari,but when it comes to the gin and vermouth the decisions are more complicated and subject to personal taste. 

Gin

For me the gin needs to be a citrus variety. It shouldn’t be heavily flavoured as this upsets the balance of the drink. For instance a gin that I own flavoured with Kaffir lime overpowers the vermouth. A staple like Bombay Sapphire works well but I have found a couple of my own favourite gins work really well. The first is a gin made on the outskirts of the New Forest called Conker Gin and the second is a gin made from an original recipe in North London called The Old Bakery. 

Vermouth

There are many sweet vermouths on the market each and as a 1/3 if the drink the complexities that they provide affects the taste.  Most recipes suggest good all rounders such as Carpano Antica or Martini Rosso. My favourites include Cocchi Americano Di Torino which produces a smooth well balanced negroni or the extra bitter Punt E Mes which was bought for me recently. An interesting English vermouth is a spiced variety produced by Sacred Spirits of Highgate, London. This provides a fabulous complexity to the drink adding the taste of thyme, cloves and wormwood whilst strengthening the orange citrus flavours. 

Whatever you us once you have mixed and imbibed your first negroni all other cocktails will feel inferior and you will drink them wishing you had had a negroni. 

Bottoms up...