September 12 to 18 is is Negroni Week, a good time to find the bars and restaurants worldwide that are celebrating it–or not–and enjoy any of the classic Negronis and creative variations in support of Slow Food, which fosters a world in which everyone can enjoy food and beverage that is good for them, good for the people who produce it, and good for the planet.
The Negroni’s origin story is almost as interesting and popular as the many cocktails that it has inspired. It seems that Pascal Olivier Count de Negroni finds himself at the Hotel Baglioni, Florence, 1919 and wants more bite to his Americano – the classic concoction of Campari, sweet vermouth and club soda – so he asked the bartender Fosco Scarselli to swap soda for gin and the legend was born.
If you’re not familiar with the Negroni, it is all the rage and quite simple — equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari plus ice and an orange twist. There are different variations favored by James Bond, Stanley Tucci and other paragons of hipness, but nearly every version features Campari — a bitter Italian liqueur that hints at sweetness and orange zest. Because nothing on the market tastes like Campari, there really is no replacement for it, although those who have recently fallen for the liqueur need to try its cousin, Cynar (made from artichokes!). But beware, Cynar is not for those who don’t like a bitter taste!
This week marks the 10th annual Negroni Week (Sept. 12-18), when bars and restaurants around the world donate a portion of Negroni sales to support Slow Food International and the organization’s quest to prevent the disappearance of local food cultures and traditions. You can find one of the two dozen Boston area spots participating at negroniweek.com/find/. To help you celebrate at home, here are the Campari standards and a few modern takes. Here are just a few of them.
The Negroni
First things first, the Negroni and Boulevardier below are made the same way: add the boozes, stir with ice, strain over more ice or serve up, and add orange twist (or an olive if you’re brave). This means they are easy to make — again, you just need the liquors in equal parts — but their Italian history and bright orange color give them a worldly, endlessly cool appeal. In a Negroni, use any quality gin and sweet vermouth. Sipsmith London Dry Gin is a perfect classic style gin with a fairly traditional botanical profile (you want your gin to taste like gin and contrast with the very botanical Campari). Experiment with different vermouths or go right to the excellent Cinzano 1757 Rosso di Torino.
A Boulevardier replaces gin with bourbon. What’s the difference? The Negroni is for when it’s hot, the Boulevardier for cool weather. The former is light and leans into the citrus, so it’s more refreshing. The latter winks at the Manhattan, a winter standard. Use any bourbon you like. Maybe Vermont’s Village Garage Bourbon, which is made from Green Mountain State corn and rye, or Bully Boy’s American Straight Whiskey (45% corn, 45% rye, 10% malted barley).
Crown Heights Negroni
This tweak adds a bit of hibiscus liqueur Sorel, the first and only shelf-stable sorrel liqueur, which has its roots in a flower-based drink popular in the Caribbean. The Crown Heights is four parts gin and one part each Sorel, Campari and sweet vermouth, chilled, stirred and strained into a couple glass. Created by Del Pedro, a legendary Brooklyn bartender and owner of Tooker Alley, the cocktail is wonderfully gin forward with a welcome mix of Caribbean spices.
American Werewolf
Negroni too sweet for you? Congratulations, you have graduated to the world of intensely bitter beverages. The American Werewolf is two parts gin, one part sweet vermouth and one part Bruto Americano — a California aperitivo liqueur from St. George Spirits that can compete with the deepest, darkest Italian amaros (amaro translates to bitter). Bruto Americano gets its punch and kiss from the gentian flower, California-grown Seville oranges and a mix of other herbs and roots. The results make this cocktail bite harder than a Negroni. Serve up or over ice, bark at the moon.
Bottled Negroni
Nobody can bottle a Negroni without Campari. Sorry, scratch that, nobody but local distiller Bully Boy can bottle a Negroni without Campari. To create the masterpiece, Bully Boy uses two varieties of sweet vermouth from BroVo spirits in Washington and their own housemade Amaros and Estate Gin. It took co-founder and head distiller Dave Willis over a year to reverse-engineer Campari. Absolutely worth the time.
