Classic Cocktails: The Negroni

by Michael Frank

With its bright, bitter and refreshing citrusy tang, the Negroni comes in as one of my favorite summer cocktails. It's perfect for a hot day at the beach or a clean and crisp start to a good meal. Seeing as we're moving into an early summer I figured I’d do my part in getting us all prepared by putting this recipe together.

As with all things that originate in bars, the history of this cocktail is a bit fuzzy with conflicting accounts. Two things that we're rather sure about is that it’s Italian in origin and it's a take on an Americano cocktail (bitter aperitif, sweet vermouth and club soda). The common origin account is that it came into being in 1919 at Caffe Casoni in southern Italy. Being a version of the Americano, the story is that it was a collaboration between bartender Fosco Scarselli and local playboy Count Camillo Negroni to get everyone more liquored up. Another story says it was invented by a man by the name General Pascal Oliver De Negroni, but there isn’t much to the story other than some folk say he invented it.  I've also heard a number of my French friends claim that it isn't Italian at all but French in origin. The only thing that I can say definitely is that this cocktail is a traditional old world aperitif with a distinct hint of classic Americano flavorings. 

Now, as popular as the drink was in Europe it didn't gain recognition stateside until 1947 when it was showcased by Orson Wells. He discovered the classic cocktail while filming Cagliostro and talked about it extensively in media interviews while promoting the film. His theory was that bitters are supposed to be good for your health. So, in theory, the bitters in this drink will balance out with the gin and you’ll be drinking something healthy. For the record, I fully endorse this theory.

 

My Recipe is a traditional styled version mixed up with some of my personal favorites. You will need the following:

For bar tools…
Hawthorn Strainer 643543
Peeler 666555
Rocks Glass 643345
Mixing Glass 666772
Ice Cube Tray 716012
Jigger 666444
Hoffman Barspoon 662225

For consumables…
Gancia Americano 106365
Sloan’s Dry Gin 106275
Dolin Sweet Vermouth 375560
Scrappy’s Orange Bitters 102946
A beautiful orange

Step 1
Take your mixing glass and add your bitters to the bottom of the glass. About three or four dashes will do. The idea is to coat the base of the glass before we start building in everything else. For this recipe I use Scappy’s Orange Bitters because I like the bright acidic taste that comes with them. You can use Angostura or whatever your favorite brand is.

I should also note that adding bitters to the base is not a traditional method for building a Negroni. I do it to add a little bit of an extra complexity to my drinks but it’s certainly not a key ingredient to the cocktail.

Step 2
This is where we add our ice. We want the ice to melt a little bit during the building phase, but not a lot. So, at this point you’re going to really want to make sure you’re working efficiently. When you are ready, add some ice to the mixing glass. 

Step 3
Take 20ml of Dolin sweet vermouth and add it to your mixing glass. You can use any vermouth you want but I would suggest sticking with sweet vermouth. This is a super bitter drink and we really are going to want a little bit of the sugars in there to make it balanced.

 

Step 4
Take 20ml of Gancia Americano and add it to your mixing glass. I’m not using Compari here because I feel Gancia has a little bit more of an aproachable flavor profile while Campari is more focused on straight bitterness. If you want to be a purist use the Campari though.

Step 5
Take 20ml of Sloan’s Dry Gin and add it to your mixing glass. For gin you can use anything but I would highly suggest sticking to dry style gin as you don't wan't to introduce conflicting flavor profiles to your cocktail. If you want to buck tradition you could also substitute gin for vodka. And, if you suddenly just decided you'd like an Americano add your club soda in place of the gin at this point.

Step 6
Put some ice in your rocks glass. Be careful not to overdo it with the ice or you'll have an overflow when you go to transfer your built drink over. I should also probably note that this cocktail will stain just about anything it touches.

Step 7
Take your bar spoon and stir everything in a gentle continuous motion for about 40 seconds. Whatever you do don't shake it. It will bruise the drink, make it watery and also add a weird frothiness to it. Be careful not to overstir, as it will render similar poor results.

Step 8
Place your hawthorne strainer over the top of the mixing glass. Hold it in place with your index finger and gently pour the contents into a rocks glass.

Step 9
Take that beautiful orange, the orange peeler and peel off a good slice of skin directly over the cocktail. Rim the glass with the peel and then gently place it in the center of the glass. You'll want to hover about one inch over the drink when you do the peeling. The oils from the orange skin are just as important as any other ingredient so handle this step with care.


 

Step 10 Enjoy!
You're done, that's it. The best thing for me about this cocktail from a bartender's perspective is that all the key components are in equal parts so I can easily make as much as I want without having to do any math. Something fun to try with this cocktail is to add different flavored bitters to your base or float your favorite liquor on the top. I've also heard that it's great put through a blender, but seeing as I don't have access to one I've yet to find out. As always, If you do discover any fun variations or if you have any questions, I'd love to hear them.

May your cocktail adventures be glorious!