Mixology Monday XI - Negroni
I must admit this up front. I struggled with the tiki gods to not include a warm and most likely flaming tiki drink in this month’s edition of Mixology Monday, Winter Warmers, hosted by our friends over at Imbibe Unfiltered. I was even playing around with how to photograph the blue flames dancing from my spoon to the glass, but I forced myself to look elsewhere. (Don’t worry, intense pictures of fire will grace the pages of Kaiser Penguin soon!).
After an exhausting summer of tiki creation, I was up for simple fare as the cold weather strolled in. I had mostly been enjoying our wonderful Chairman’s choices of wine and sipping some of my favorite winter spirits: Chartreuse, Pernod, and Fernet Branca, but such delights soon gave way to cocktail creation. Just as my arms ached for a properly shaken drink, my fingers cringed at the thought of many icy Ramos Gin Fizzes. The new cocktails started coming in a flurry, and I couldn’t stop the grip that Festivon had upon me.
- Last Word
- Cocktail A La Louisiane
- Singapore Sling (Recipe comparison forthcoming when I can find some good quality creme de cassis to try out Trader Vic’s recipes. Any ideas on a brand?)
- Old Fashioned (Also a recipe comparison on the way … if I can survive the sheer number of variations.)
- Lucien Gaudin
I think one of the reasons I really like Chartreuse at Christmas time is the color. I originally thought it was all the alpine herbs I so joyously inhaled, but maybe it’s just that bright green hue that lured me in. You know, when I chose the Negroni for this edition of MxMo, I was thinking about how the orange aroma reminded me of holiday baking and how the bitterness warmed my soul. On second thought, maybe I just chose it because it’s red.
Negroni
- 1 1/2oz gin (I was, and still am, very excited to have gotten my hands on a bottle of Blue Coat gin, produced in Philadelphia.)
- 1 1/2oz Campari
- 1 1/2oz sweet vermouth
- orange peel, for garnish
Stir with crushed ice, and strain into a rocks glass. Squeeze the orange peel (with or without flame) to release its oils.
Flavor
One of my favorite aspects of the Negroni is how wonderfully the orange aroma comes through as you sip. The dry finish is very welcoming and leaves a hint of orange and campari that tingle the roof of your mouth.
12 Responses to “Mixology Monday XI - Negroni”
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Joe
Said this on January 12th, 2007 at 4:17am:Nice picture Rick (as usual). I lust for more whiskey drinks…I loved your Rob Roy and Bobby Burns drinks…
Dean
Said this on January 14th, 2007 at 3:06am:Uhhhh - Campari; I’m convinced it’s what the Devil drinks. I just can’t get past it’s bitterness.
This drink is actually kind of interesting - strange how it’s sweet while in your mouth, but then that bitterness takes over after swallowing.
It actually tasted better the longer I drank it. Probably the best use of Campari I’ve tried, but I wouldn’t ask for it in a bar.
Still looking for a way to get rid of that big bottle of Campari.
Rick
Said this on January 14th, 2007 at 3:42pm:If you don’t like Campari, you’d hate Fernet Branca. I really like intense and interesting flavors, but I used to hate licorice flavored drinks (including those containing pastis). I now love it, though. How? I sipped Pernod everyday for a month.
Try it with campari if you dare.
Lady Amalthea
Said this on January 16th, 2007 at 12:12am:Well, I love Pernod but I’m not usually a big fan of orange-flavored drinks. I do like bitter drinks, though, so the Negroni sounds appealing. I’ll have to try one next time I have the opportunity.
Andy
Said this on January 18th, 2007 at 1:24pm:Marie Brizzard Cassis de Bordeaux (pretty sure thats the name of it) is supposed to be one of the better Cassis liqueurs out there, and it’s only about $17 or so where I’ve seen it. With as little as cassis is used thats not a bad deal. I’ve been planning on picking some up to replace the ho-hum DeKuyper brand I currently have, I’ll let you know how it is.
Rick
Said this on January 21st, 2007 at 1:04pm:Thanks for the tip Andy. I’ve had an increasingly hard time finding Marie Brizard products in PA, and I’ve heard that others are experiencing the same in other states. Is Marie Brizard having troubles? Is there anyone else who produces such a fine array of quality liqueurs?
I have an email into one of their distributors to find out what’s going on. I’ll report back if I hear anything.
Doug P
Said this on January 23rd, 2007 at 8:14pm:I picked up a 375 ml bottle of “Mathilde” brand Cassis recently when it was on sale at BevMo (probably not available in PA, sadly). Seems like good stuff to me, although I think most of it will go into my flatmate’s champagne glass since there aren’t too many cocktails that use it. I’ve never seen the Vic’s Singapore Sling recipe using Cassis, I guess I’ll have to Google that and give it a try.
Andy
Said this on January 24th, 2007 at 5:32pm:I can now report that Marie Brizzard Cassis de Bordeaux is absolutely wonderful, much richer and smoother than the DeKuyper I was previously using. Accept no substitutes!
Rick
Said this on January 24th, 2007 at 6:43pm:Andy,
Thanks for the comment! I haven’t heard back from the Marie Brizard distributor, but I’ll be sure to report when I do.
Jay T
Said this on January 25th, 2007 at 5:01pm:Negroni’s are great; but you should add a few drops of Orange Bitters to the recipe.
Ouroboros
Said this on February 6th, 2007 at 1:18am:I do love a Negroni.
But in winter, I’ve found mixing it on rum (substituting for gin, short the sweet vermouth a little), creates a sweet warmth.
horvilleur
Said this on May 28th, 2007 at 1:55pm:excellent cocktail, the negroni!
it’s actually quite popular in italy… by the way, did you know that a 1 lt. bottle of campari sells for about the equal of $10 USD? here they are almost $30! oh, the madness.