Negroni Cocktail

Negroni Cocktail

NEGRONI

A cocktail which has left its mark on the history of the Italian aperitif and is known throughout the world. Reward yourself with a moment of relaxation and pure pleasure while enjoying the full flavor and simplicity of a Negroni.

Recipe:

20ml Gin

20ml Sweet Vermouth

20ml Campari

1 fresh orange peel

In a mixing glass, pour the gin, Campari and sweet vermouth.

Add ice and stir until chilled

Strain into a rocks glass and garnish with an orange peel or slice of orange

History of Negroni:

The most widely reported version of the drink’s origin is that it was invented in 1919, in Florence, Italy at Caffè Casoni (now closed and called the Caffè Giacosa, currently owned by designer Roberto Carvalli). Legend has it that Count Camillo Negroni invented it by asking his friend, bartender Fosco Scarselli, to strengthen his favourite cocktail, the Americano. The Americano had become a popular drink in Italy due to the amount of Americans swanning around after the First World War.

However the story goes that Negroni changed it slightly (thereby creating one of the most famous classic cocktails of the 21st Century) by requesting gin to be added rather than the normal soda water. The bartender also added an orange garnish rather than the typical lemon garnish of the Americano to signify that it was a different drink. Soon, everyone was coming into the bar and ordering a ‘Count Negroni,’ quickly titled to just the last word.

Camillo Negroni was himself a very interesting figure. Having travelled around America whilst he was in his twenties he ended up as a cowboy for some time. Little did he know that it would be because of his time spent in London, with its prevalent gin scene, that Camillo would go on to create one of the most iconic cocktails of all time.

After the success of the cocktail, the Negroni family founded Negroni Distillery (1919) in Treviso, Italy and produced a ready-made version of the drink, sold as Antico Negroni. It helped that the two main ingredients of the drink were Italian. One of the earliest reports of the drink came from Orson Welles when, while working in Rome in 1947 he described a new drink called the Negroni –

“The bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you.

They balance each other.”

As with many of the classic cocktails of the 20’s, the Negroni is back en vogue and new variations can be seen appearing all the time. With gin and vermouth exploding in popularity, new styles, fresh takes and old classics are being created faster than they can be consumed. There is now a wealth of combinations to explore (even if you stick to the equal part formula)

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