The Negroni is disarmingly simple – one part gin, one part sweet vermouth and one part Campari, stirred and served over ice – but its balance of botanical bite from the gin, the sweet and spicy tug-of-war from the vermouth and the final bitter punch from the Campari has been bewitching bartenders for years now, even when the martini reigned supreme.
The scarlet-colored cocktail is such a crucial component of any bar program that drinks writer Gary Regan has written an entire book about it, “The Negroni” (Ten Speed Press, $18.99) – just in time for one of the biggest weeks in the bartending world: Negroni Week.
Extending through June 7 this year, Negroni Week – a nationwide event – both celebrates the beauty that is the Negroni and raises money for important charitable causes. Bars all over the U.S. are serving up the classic cocktail, as well as fun riffs on it, and donating the proceeds from each purchased drink to the charity of their choice.
But if you want to make one at home, that’s where Regan’s book comes in. Part history of the storied Negroni (it turns out there was an Italian count named Negroni who came up with the bright idea of adding gin to the mixture of Campari and sweet vermouth) and part recipe book, “The Negroni” will have you craving one faster than you can reach for your bottle of Beefeater.
Parson’s Negroni Slushy
2 oz. Letherbee gin
2 oz. sweet vermouth
2 oz. Luxardo Bitter
2 ½ oz. fresh grapefruit juice
2 ½ oz. fresh orange juice
1 ½ cups crushed ice
Garnish frozen orange half-wheels
Put all the ingredients in a blender and process at high speed, stopping occasionally to stir the ingredients together. Continue blending at a high speed, adding more crushed ice to achieve the desired consistency. Serve garnished with the frozen orange half-wheels.
— Charlie Schott, bar manager at Parson’s Chicken and Fish in Chicago, as featured in “The Negroni” by Gary Regan
For more information about Negroni Week, visit negroniweek.com.
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