"A proper Negroni is as perfectly and tripodically balanced as, say, a water molecule. "
- Jonathan Miles
The Negroni is an incorruptible drink. While the martini can be perverted by nefarious substances like apple pucker and vodka and many places make Margaritas by simply drizzling a little tequila in a cup of sugary mix, a Negroni is a Negroni. It has three ingredients (gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari) and their proportions are set in stone. It's a straight 1 to 1 to 1. There is nothing to add or subtract, no technique to screw up. If your bar has the ingredients, the drink can be made. If one piece is missing, the whole thing is off.
Most bars have gin of some sort, and though it may be old and slightly off, they'll have some sweet vermouth, too. Campari is slightly more difficult to spot, though I must say I've been seeing it out and about quite often recently. Which doesn't mean that it's exactly used that often. From bartenders I've talked to, Campari is usually the pariah of the bar, the one bottle that most of them would never touch.
Why? Well, Campari by itself has a slightly sweet front that is immediately overtaken by a lasting bitter note that rings for what feels like minutes in the back of your mouth. What looks like Shirley Temple cocktail in the glass, is bitter enough to make your tongue quiver, and your whole body shake. If you are not used to the taste, it can seem like a horrible joke.
Campari is an Italian bitter (honestly called that) that's usually consumed as an apéritif. It's meant to awaken your taste buds, and get you ready for a meal. In Italy it is often mixed with club soda, for a refreshing and slightly fizzy drink. When sweet vermouth is added to the equation, you have an Americano. And when Count Negroni, an Italian nobleman wanted something a little stronger than an Americano, the club soda was discarded and gin took its place. Sounds like a ridiculous story, but cocktail historian Gary Regan actually backed this one up. It's one of his favorite drinks, and it's definitely one of mine.
It's a slow sipping drink and one of them is usually taxing enough on your taste buds to not need another. Like many acquired tastes, it breeds addiction. It started for me when I worked at LeNell's, a now defunct liquor store in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, which specialized in boutique liquors and an intense bitter collection. My boss used to sprinkle bitters into her water. When she was feeling sick she used to chug it like NyQuil. Whether you find that bitterness attractive or repulsive probably depends on how many times you've had the drink. After a few weeks of employment, I was hooked.
Much like excessive use of hot sauce or salt, I started sprinkling bitters in everything (gin, whiskey, water, it didn't matter). I craved that brazen, mouth puckering flavor. It awakes everything it touches. And that's really where the magic in the Negroni lies. Though too aggressive to sip comfortably by itself, something happens to Campari when mixed with the botanicals found in Gin and all the spices and herbs found in Sweet Vermouth. The drink becomes this stunningly complex puzzle, which seems to dart off in unexpected and exciting ways. Each sip revels something new. It's astonishing that so many different flavors can blend so seamlessly.
Blake and I didn't really have that much to experiment when we set out to make a perfect Negroni. Though a few lost souls on eGullet recommend adding a 1/2 ounce more of Gin than is traditional, we found that screwed everything else up. About all we could recommend was taking the extra step of stirring the drink over ice, and then straining it into a rocks glass filled with more ice. It leaves the liquid with a slightly heavy and more viscous texture. It's ready to sip, carefully, and slowly.
The Negroni
1 ounce Gin
1 ounce Sweet Vermouth
1 ounce Campari
Pour into a shaker filled with ice and stir for thirty seconds. Strain into rocks glass filled with ice. Serve.
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I’m a long-time reader of your blog, great work. LOVE Negronis and everything about Campari, straight on the rocks with a twist of orange is a great winter warmer.
I’m from Milano, so Negroni is in my blood. Literally. I think I have more Negroni than blood in my bloodstream right now.
Jason: Thanks. Glad to see there are other people out there that love Campari.
Chiara: Ha! That’s very apt. I’m working on my Negroni intake.
Ah, the hallowed Negroni. As a bartender, one of my proudest claims to fame is that I’ve gotten about 2/3 of the staff to drink campari for their staff drinks, the Negroni being up there in terms of often-est ordered. Crucial step missing though, from your post—the orange (or lemon, depending on your pref.) twist and rim. Whether or not you drop the twist in the glass (people seem to be split on this), I think the citrus oils twisted onto the surface and rubbed on the rim of the glass take the Negroni from great to astronomical.
Knowing your bourbon-laced heart, have you tried the boulevardier? it’s essentially the same thing, but with the bourbon a little bit heavier so that it’s not quite equal three parts, and there’s a little more room for experimentation w/ the vermouth (i.e., make it dry instead of sweet, or perfect, even).
then, for my scotch loving soul, there’s the Ol’ Pal—Scotch, campari, and dry vermouth. This is one of my absolute most favorite cocktails, the smokiness of the scotch really interacts with the Campari exquisitely.
Wonderful post (are any of them not?) and the advocates of the orange twist speak truly: Those oils elevate beautifully.
Since you all are so fond of the drink, please consider this:
Take one 750ml bottle of gin (the $7.99 Admiral Joseph’s at Trader Joe’s works perfectly, but suit yourself) and empty it into a nonreactive bowl. Next, tie ten Earl Grey tea bags together and submerge them in the gin. (Tying them to a fork helps keep them down.) Wait exactly 2 hours. Remove the bags, and pour the gin back into the bottle.
Now make a Negroni, but using the tea infused gin. You’ll find the bitter orange of the bergamot and roughened edges of the tea don’t merely complement the campari and vermouth, they transfigure the drink. (I know it sounds heretical, but honestly, give it a shot. You won’t regret it.) Enjoy!
mike treff: I’m so proud of you and your Campari crusade. What a noble cause!
I do understand the orange twist, and it is definitely a crucial step. If I have the fruit hanging around, then I’ll think about adding it. This time, I found myself thirsty without the want to hit the store. It is better with orange.
I have had the boulevardier. They make a mean one at my local cocktail bar The Whistler. That actually inspired me to pick up another bottle of Campari. Need to get some bourbon now. Never heard of a Ol’ Pal, though. I’ve had disastrous luck with Scotch cocktails. But that’s just me.
Eric: That’s nuts. I like that you are elevating the Admiral Josephs to nobler heights. I might waste a bottle of that just to see if you are right.
Do you have any other tricks for cheap booze?
Work on it, work on it! Negroni is very addictive so it’s easy to end up with lots of it in your bloodstream. Whenever I’m homesick (I live in Florida now) I drink a Negroni and feel as if I was sipping it by the Duomo
a few simple upgrades:
Aviation for Beefeater
Punt e Mes (or if you’re feeling flush, Carpano Antica) for Martini & Rossi
Aperol for Campari
and then you’ve got a fuckin’ Negroni.
Amo i negroni ! I love a Campari and soda, too. Chiara, I am right there with you. Oh, to be in Milano. Bitters and bitterness in general are lost on most Americans. Thanks, Nick, for reminding us of the wonders of bitters.
Chiara: I like that. I suppose it’s wherever you first have the drink. For some reason whenever I drink a Negroni I think of Brooklyn, but that’s not quite as romantic as gazing on the Duomo.
Gunter: I love Aviation Gin. I haven’t experimented enough with Punt e Mes, but I need to pick up another bottle. I had a great Manhattan the other day with it, and I was really happy with it.
Jennifer S: I could down that bottle of Campari in a few days with a nice stock of soda water. But I’m trying to make it last. It’s such a soothing drink.
Perfect post on my wedding anniversary. I’ve been a big fan of Campari since living in Italy – can’t get enough of the bitterness. This seems like a perfect bridge between a Trevisan spritz and another firm favourite, the Gimlet. Can’t wait to try it out.
Pardon me while I move this soap box into place…
@mike treff – I was looking for just the drink you described as the Ol’ Pal. In fact, the whisky used for this drink is rye, not scotch. Perhaps. we should call the scotch version Ol’ Treff and just enjoy it for what it is.
@Gunter – I applaud your efforts to upgrade the Negroni, but substituting Aperol for Campari is a different drink. It’s not an upgrade. It’s a new and more subtle cocktail. Mind, I swap Aperol for Campari all the time and always enjoy the result. I just believe it’s important to maintain the integrity of named cocktail recipes.
And finally, a Martini is a Martini as much as a Negroni is a Negroni. All of the swill that’s served to frat boys and fraternity sisters off the “martini” list has nothing to do with a real Martini. And as DrinkBoy opined, if all you want is ice-cold gin, then have ice-cold gin, but don’t call it a Martini.