An Ideal Negroni

[hathor]

Reporting from cocktail challenged Italy:

The negroni, and the gin&tonic are about the only two 'cocktails' that you can reliably find in Umbria, the rest is a crap shoot. We walked into a bar near Lago Tresimeno and asked if they could make a Manhattan (it's about 50/50 if you can get a Manhattan, never made with rye, the best you can hope for is Canadian Club). The bartender told us, "No. I only make Italian cocktails." So, we had a Negroni.

But, I digress from my question: Is there really such a thing as a "Perfect Negroni"? The menu, at a bar in Perugia, showed that they swapped Proseco for gin. I wasn't in the mood for experimentation, so I didn't try it.

Has anyone tasted a Perfect Negroni?

[weinoo]

Has anyone  tasted a Perfect Negroni?

←

I haven't tasted the perfect one yet, though all those I've forced myself to taste are pretty damn good, provided they're made with some variety of decent gin, Campari and some variety of sweet vermouth.

That thing you describe, subbing prosecco for gin, has no business being called a Negroni. Just leave out the prosecco and have an Americano, please.

[hathor]

Has anyone  tasted a Perfect Negroni?

←

I haven't tasted the perfect one yet, though all those I've forced myself to taste are pretty damn good, provided they're made with some variety of decent gin, Campari and some variety of sweet vermouth.

That thing you describe, subbing prosecco for gin, has no business being called a Negroni. Just leave out the prosecco and have an Americano, please.

←

I think I'm with you on this. The menu also had a "Perfect Manhattan"... Canadian Club and a mix of sweet and dry vermouth. Perfect it wasn't.

[Sneakeater]

"Perfect" is just a term meaning you use half sweet and half dry vermouth. So they're accurate in calling that a Perfect Manhattan. (Too bad about the CC as base liquor, though.) A Perfect Manhattan isn't necessarily a perfect Manhattan.

BTW, based on a cocktail I had at Convivio (a restaurant in New York) last month, I've taken to doubling the amount of Carpano Antica I use in my Negronis, and halving the amount of Campari. Maybe I'm a wimp, but I think it produces a drink with a delicious flavor.

Edited September 7, 2008 by Sneakeater (log)

[tikibars]

Also, I meant to add in my previous post that we DID use a dash of orange bitters in each of the drinks, but we didn't have an orange on hand for the flame.

(also typo: gas = glass)

So, last night we did another test, with the classic 1:1:1 ratio (measured extremely carefully), and with a flaming orange zest over each of them, but with three different gins.

I only had some fairly standard gins on hand, Beefeater, Sapphire, and Tanqueray.

We were surprised to find that the Bombay Sapphire worked the best of the three in the Negroni. (In one of my own drinks, the Velo - recipe listed on the St Germain thread - the Sapphire was the LEAST appealing gin of the bunch).

The Beefeater seemed to be a little sweeter than the others, and the Tanqueray was not bad at all but just not as complex or interesting in this drink as the other two.

So I guess the next step is a third test with three different vermouths....

[Sneakeater]

To me, Carpano Antica is so superior in this drink to anything else I tried that it's not even close.

[weinoo]

To me, Carpano Antica is so superior in this drink to anything else I tried that it's not even close.

←

Totally agree...I wonder how often you'd see it used in Italy in a Negroni.

[Sneakeater]

I certainly never have.

[Nathan]

To me, Carpano Antica is so superior in this drink to anything else I tried that it's not even close.

←

yup!

[hathor]

To me, Carpano Antica is so superior in this drink to anything else I tried that it's not even close.

←

Totally agree...I wonder how often you'd see it used in Italy in a Negroni.

←

Mitch, forgive me because you've been hearing me whine all summer.....but I have looked EVERYWHERE in central Italy and Carpano Antica can NOT be found!! What region does this stuff come from?? I just went to their website and maybe the next time I'm in Roma or Firenze.... I can sample this elixir.

[weinoo]

To me, Carpano Antica is so superior in this drink to anything else I tried that it's not even close.

←

Totally agree...I wonder how often you'd see it used in Italy in a Negroni.

←

Mitch, forgive me because you've been hearing me whine all summer.....but I have looked EVERYWHERE in central Italy and Carpano Antica can NOT be found!! What region does this stuff come from?? I just went to their website and maybe the next time I'm in Roma or Firenze.... I can sample this elixir.

←

It's from Turin - and it would be really weird if you had to have someone visiting you from the states bringing a bottle of Antica to you in Italy . I would think it would be pretty findable in Rome - if my memory serves me correctly, there's a pretty good liquor store right at Campo de Fiori that carries it. Certainly(?) Milan.

[kermie]

Actually as a negroni drinker - started while living in Italy - all the italians (who i've asked in various places throughout the country) make it this way:

1/3 gin

1/3 campari

1/3 martini rossi

thats it.

[mjc]

There is a good article by Gary Regan about the Negroni and its kin in The SF Chronicle from yesterday.

Edited April 2, 2009 by mjc (log)

[Bengal Hot Drops]

I know this is an older post, but I've got a softspot for Negroni riffs and have finally settled on one that's the most satisfying for me. I wrote this recipe after reading a post on BetaCocktails about how well salt and Campari play together, and it found it's way to the top of my winter list at the bar. Basically, gin takes the backseat in this one and lets the Italian potable bitters shine through. While Hendrick's is about as far as you can get from an aggressive, big-backboned, dry gin (which is at the heart of the concept here), it's complexity lies in it's subtle undertones that really come out in tandem with Peychaud's. Salt, in the form of fleur de sel, acts as a galvanizing agent for the *nearly overwhelming* amount of ingredients.

The Fall of Rome

2 oz. Hendrick’s

1 oz. Punt y Mes

.5 oz. Campari

.5 oz. Aperol

6 drops Fleur de Sel*

8 drops Peychaud's Bitters

* Mix 1 part Fleur de Sel with 1 part hot water and shake violently until diluted.

Combine all ingredients in a large mixing glass filled with cracked ice and stir for 10 – 20 seconds. Strain into a chilled double old-fashioned glass and garnish with a flamed orange, discard peel, and replace with a fresh orange swath. ***blood oranges are in season now and have that great dark red blush on the skin when they're ripe that really makes the swath pop in the glass

This one's a long-sipper for sure.

cheers

[FrogPrincesse]

Tonight I tried Phil Ward's Cornwall Negroni.

I built it on ice because somehow it did not feel right to serve a Negroni up. The Negroni is a cocktail that I enjoy seeing evolve as the ice melts.

It is very good, but not that different from a regular Negroni, despite an increased amount of gin.

I am still trying to figure out the origin of the name. Does anybody know?

[tanstaafl2]

Tonight I tried Phil Ward's Cornwall Negroni.

I built it on ice because somehow it did not feel right to serve a Negroni up. The Negroni is a cocktail that I enjoy seeing evolve as the ice melts.

It is very good, but not that different from a regular Negroni, despite an increased amount of gin.

I am still trying to figure out the origin of the name. Does anybody know?

Back on the first page of this thread it notes the classic story of Count Camillo Negroni but seems to suggest there may be some uncertainty.

[FrogPrincesse]

Back on the first page of this thread it notes the classic story of Count Camillo Negroni but seems to suggest there may be some uncertainty.

Sorry I was not clear. Why is this variation called a "Cornwall" Negroni? I cannot understand the connection.

[FrogPrincesse]

Why is this variation called a "Cornwall" Negroni? I cannot understand the connection.

Just found the answer here ...

Origin: Created in 2006 by Philip Ward, New York, USA after attending Gaz Regan's Cocktails in the Country workshop in Cornwall-on-Hudson.

Edited March 14, 2012 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[tanstaafl2]

Why is this variation called a "Cornwall" Negroni? I cannot understand the connection.

Just found the answer here ...

Origin: Created in 2006 by Philip Ward, New York, USA after attending Gaz Regan's Cocktails in the Country workshop in Cornwall-on-Hudson.

Ah, my mistake! Obviously I did not read the post thoroughly as it was clear enough in retrospect. Glad you found the answer.

[weinoo]

Tonight I tried Phil Ward's Cornwall Negroni.

I built it on ice because somehow it did not feel right to serve a Negroni up. The Negroni is a cocktail that I enjoy seeing evolve as the ice melts.

It is very good, but not that different from a regular Negroni, despite an increased amount of gin.

I am still trying to figure out the origin of the name. Does anybody know?

A couple of things. I believe Phil's original recipe called for Beefeater. And M & R for the sweet vermouth. Served up. Was the orange peel flamed? All of these elements will make the difference from a "regular" Negroni more apparent.

[FrogPrincesse]

Tonight I tried Phil Ward's Cornwall Negroni.

I built it on ice because somehow it did not feel right to serve a Negroni up. The Negroni is a cocktail that I enjoy seeing evolve as the ice melts.

It is very good, but not that different from a regular Negroni, despite an increased amount of gin.

I am still trying to figure out the origin of the name. Does anybody know?

A couple of things. I believe Phil's original recipe called for Beefeater. And M & R for the sweet vermouth. Served up. Was the orange peel flamed? All of these elements will make the difference from a "regular" Negroni more apparent.

It feels like the seven errors game.

The orange peel was flamed - at least I got that right.

Regarding the gin, I thought that Junipero would be a good match as it's juniper-forward, but since I never had Beefeater I could be wrong.

I don't have M & R; I realize that Carpano Antica may be more present in the drink and may offset the balance to some extent, but I noticed that Gary Regan does not specify what type of vermouth to use when he posted the recipe a while back. I am a little reluctant to get a bottle of M & R just for this drink (I already have Carpano Antica, Dolin rouge, and Vya).

Regarding serving the cocktail up (vs. on the rocks), I noted that point in my post but I just couldn't bring myself to it... That part is very easy to change though.

[weinoo]

I've really become (thanks to johnder) much more apt to use M & R in my Negronis as it allows the gin flavor to shine through a bit more.

Now, an Americano on the other hand...

[plattetude]

I tried an interesting variation last night -- subbed Krogstad aquavit for gin (with Carpano Antica and Luxardo Bitter). Really nice.

Christopher

[weinoo]

I tried an interesting variation last night -- subbed Krogstad aquavit for gin (with Carpano Antica and Luxardo Bitter). Really nice.

Don't think that can be classified as a Negroni .

[plattetude]

I tried an interesting variation last night -- subbed Krogstad aquavit for gin (with Carpano Antica and Luxardo Bitter). Really nice.

Don't think that can be classified as a Negroni .

I can certainly call it a variation.