An Ideal Negroni

[weinoo]

personally, I think Campari drinks beg for the rocks.

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Me too.

edited to say: Most of the time...the Cornwall Negroni, served properly ice cold and up is a thing of beauty!

Edited June 25, 2007 by weinoo (log)

[hathor]

Italians don't really believe in ice. They just don't get it.

But, it's been hot as hell, and all the negroni's we've recently consumed have been with rocks.

(My husband has been single handedly converting the entire piazza into negroni drinkers. Hey, it's a small piazza.)

[Kim D]

We just moved from Chicago to New York and I was a bit stressed. Decided that a Negroni would hit the spot. Walked around the Upper West Side, found a liquor store with the proprietor standing outside. I told him that I was going to make a Negroni and if he said yes to all three of my questions, I would come inside.

First question: Do you have Hendrick's gin?

Answer: No. Just sold the last bottle.

And then he wanted to know my other two questions. Now really, what's the point since he'd already said no to the most important question.

Against my better judgment, I went inside.

He tried to sell me Tanqueray.

I told him it wasn't about the price, it was about the quality.

So he tried to sell me Bombay Sapphire. That's when I walked out.

The next liquor store had Hendricks, Campari but no Noilly Pratt sweet vermouth. I bought Martini & Rossi instead because that's what they had. Forgot to pick up an orange.

Recipe for an ideal Negroni? The appetite for one helps but I'm still searching.

- Kim

[slkinsey]

Hendrick's for a Negroni? Hmm. That wouldn't even be on my radar. Tanqueray, on the other hand, I feel is an absolutely first-rate product and while some might prefer other brands I'd be hard put to say that any other brand of gin was definitively "better." This is a fairly common feeling among cocktailian circles.

Getting back to the Negroni, I had a nice variation the other day from Giuseppe Gonzalez at Flatiron Lounge. It was a Negroni Swizzle made with gin, Punt e Mes and Campari swizzled in a tall glass with crushed ice and garnished with a half-moon slice of blood orange.

[Kim D]

I don't belong to any cocktailian circles and now I know why. They wouldn't have me. Back to lurking.

[hathor]

I don't belong to any cocktailian circles and now I know why. They wouldn't have me. Back to lurking.

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I don't know the difference between any of those gins, but I'm happy to listen to their babble...don't let those other guys scare you off! I can't even muddle properly.

As far as the search for the perfect negroni: sometimes the search is as much fun as the prize. Only sometimes.

[slkinsey]

The beauty of the Negroni (and most, if not all, cocktails) is that you can make successful, albeit different iterations with a wide variety of brands. The only brand-specific ingredient is Campari, and even there I wonder what it might be like with Luxardo Bitter.

So, if you prefer your Negroni with Hendrick's gin and Noilly Prat sweet vermouth, there's nothing wrong with that -- not to say that I wouldn't like the opportunity to talk you into a better sweet vermouth such as Carpano Antica Formula (Noilly Prat's dry is tops, the sweet not so much).

Mostly it struck me as unusual that you held what seems an unusual choice of gin for a Negroni as the sine qua non, while at the same time reacting to the store owner's offer of a brand largely held among the handful that define quality in gin as though he had offered you an inferior product.

[thirtyoneknots]

The nice thing about gin is that extraordinary quality levels can be had at such reasonable price points, since it requires no aging or anything like that. I'f you're paying more than $15 or so/bottle for gin, chances are it's pretty good stuff. The ones that are over $25 or so for a bottle are typically (with notable exceptions, see Junipero) of a softer more modern style that doesn't always work well in old-school cocktails, sicne they were more often than not designed to be drank by themselves. I think Hendricks is tasty as all getout, but Tanqueray would be the one I'd reach for in a Negroni. Of course, as in all things, make it how you like.

Me? I've been on a Beefeater's kick lately.

[jsmeeker]

The nice thing about gin is that extraordinary quality levels can be had at such reasonable price points, since it requires no aging or anything like that. I'f you're paying more than $15 or so/bottle for gin, chances are it's pretty good stuff. The ones that are over $25 or so for a bottle are typically (with notable exceptions, see Junipero) of a softer more modern style that doesn't always work well in old-school cocktails, sicne they were more often than not designed to be drank by themselves. I think Hendricks is tasty as all getout, but Tanqueray would be the one I'd reach for in a Negroni. Of course, as in all things, make it how you like.

Me? I've been on a Beefeater's kick lately.

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I noticed this recently as I picked up a bottle of Plymouth for a good price, then looked to see what a good 100% agave tequila was going for.

OUCH!

I love a good margartia, but I can make a lot more gin based drinks for the same amount of scratch.

[slkinsey]

. . . The [gins] that are over $25 or so for a bottle are typically (with notable exceptions, see Junipero) of a softer more modern style. . .

Most, but not all of them, created with vodka-drinkers in mind, IMO.

I noticed [the low prices of great gin] recently as I picked up a bottle of Plymouth for a good price, then looked to see what a good 100% agave tequila was going for.

OUCH!

There are a lot of reasons for this price difference, as we discussed over in the thread on mezcal. Here's what I had to say, and the same things are true for tequila.

. .  there are some things that contribute to the high price of quality tequila and mezcal (it is, of course, entirely possible to buy cheap, crappy bottles of either product).  Some of it is certainly a matter of supply and demand.  This is undoubtedly especially true in the case of high-end mezcal.  It's also extremely expensive to make a high-end mezcal.  The agave plant has to grow for something like eight to ten years before the piñas can be harvested.  That's a large initial investment of time, money and risk before the raw ingredient is even ready to be used, and there is really no comparison to other raw ingredients used for distillation such as grains, fruits and potatoes, all of which are ready to be used within one season.  Finally, in order to make a mezcal worth drinking, the distiller has to lightly bake the piñas with wood in small ovens for several days, ferment a mash of 100% agave for a month or more and then do multiple small-batch runs through a pot still.  Each one of these steps adds cost.

Compare this process and time investment to what it takes to make Plymouth gin:

Here's what Plymouth does to make their gin:

• Begins with neutral spirits and rectifies to >96% alcohol.
  
• Dilutes that alcohol down to approximately 69% alcohol.
  
• Puts the botanicals into that 69% alcohol wash and fires the still.
  
• Distills the flavored wash to produce gin at 85% alcohol.
  
• Dilutes the gin to 41.2% alcohol for their main bottling.
  

That is a much smaller investment of time and money -- especially considering that Plymouth most likely buys all its ingredients (including the unrefined neutral spirits if they don't actually to the initial fermentation and distillation themselves) on the open market, whereas tequila and mezcal producers may own the agave plants and the land used to grow them.

[jsmeeker]

Yeah.. I understand all that. Not really complaining, rather just commenting how much more afforably I can enjoy a nice cocktail if I drink gin instead of Tequila.

[mkayahara]

Tanqueray, on the other hand, I feel is an absolutely first-rate product and while some might prefer other brands I'd be hard put to say that any other brand of gin was definitively "better."  This is a fairly common feeling among cocktailian circles.

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I assume this opinion applies only to the full-strength Tanqueray? I've only ever tasted it at 40% abv, and I find it pretty bland, especially when compared to products like Plymouth or Broker's. The same goes for Beefeater. One of these days, I'd love to find out what I'm missing...

[thirtyoneknots]

. . . The [gins] that are over $25 or so for a bottle are typically (with notable exceptions, see Junipero) of a softer more modern style. . .

Most, but not all of them, created with vodka-drinkers in mind, IMO.

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Agreed. Juniper is the hottest flavored vodka going

[thirtyoneknots]

Tanqueray, on the other hand, I feel is an absolutely first-rate product and while some might prefer other brands I'd be hard put to say that any other brand of gin was definitively "better."  This is a fairly common feeling among cocktailian circles.

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I assume this opinion applies only to the full-strength Tanqueray? I've only ever tasted it at 40% abv, and I find it pretty bland, especially when compared to products like Plymouth or Broker's. The same goes for Beefeater. One of these days, I'd love to find out what I'm missing...

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Never seen these bottled at less than 94 proof, but I think the other brands you mentioned are also excellent. Not ssure if Broker's is a completely new brand or if it's just recently been imported but I like that it's not afraid to have a more traditional profile.

Not to get off-topic about Negronis or anything...

[Mayur]

The beauty of the Negroni (and most, if not all, cocktails) is that you can make successful, albeit different iterations with a wide variety of brands.  The only brand-specific ingredient is Campari, and even there I wonder what it might be like with Luxardo Bitter.

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Negronis work just fine with Luxardo Bitter; it's what I use to make 'em. (Actually, being a cheap bastard, I sub Luxardo bitter for Campari in practically everything.)

[Nathan]

Naren Young made me an interesting take on the Negroni last night....his absurdly named "Chocolate Negroni"...regular Negroni proportions and ingredients plus a scant half ounce of creme de cacao.

it works....somehow.

[hathor]

Naren Young made me an interesting take on the Negroni last night....his absurdly named "Chocolate Negroni"...regular Negroni proportions and ingredients plus a scant half ounce of creme de cacao.

it works....somehow.

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Not such a strange name, the Negroni is named after the Florentine Count Negroni.

[Nathan]

Naren Young made me an interesting take on the Negroni last night....his absurdly named "Chocolate Negroni"...regular Negroni proportions and ingredients plus a scant half ounce of creme de cacao.

it works....somehow.

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Not such a strange name, the Negroni is named after the Florentine Count Negroni.

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huh?

my point is that it's a standard rule of thumb that any drink with "chocolate" in the title is automatically rubbish.

the joke is that this one is not.

[freshherbs]

Naren Young made me an interesting take on the Negroni last night....his absurdly named "Chocolate Negroni"...regular Negroni proportions and ingredients plus a scant half ounce of creme de cacao.

it works....somehow.

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Not such a strange name, the Negroni is named after the Florentine Count Negroni.

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huh?

my point is that it's a standard rule of thumb that any drink with "chocolate" in the title is automatically rubbish.

the joke is that this one is not.

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I was at Bobo in the W Village last night and saw the Chocolate Negroni on the menu and shuddered. It did inspire me to order a standard Negroni (rocks) though...and it hit the spot. They also shook up a very nice Ramos Gin Fizz there.

[Bricktop]

This afternoon, after re-reading the thread from the beginning with the new posts, I decided to play around with the Negroni based on ideas presented. I've always made them the 1:1:1 way, playing around some with the gin (usually Tanqueray) and vermouth (Vya if feeling flush, M&R otherwise), but today was a day to put a different spin on it, so..

1.5 Tanqueray Rangpur

1.0 Carpano Antica

1.0 Campari

A few good dashes of Fees Orange Bitters.

Built over ice, and served on the rocks.

Freaking amazing! Best Negroni I have had by far. Most complex certainly. I can't point to specifically if it was the gin, the Carpano or the bitters, any two or all three, but this was a dangerously good drink.

[Nathan]

Carpano brings a lot to a Negroni.

[Mike S.]

The "Cinnabar Negroni" has become my favorite: 1.5 oz Campari, .75 oz each gin and vermouth, dashes orange bitters (I like Regan's). Awesome.

But I'll definitely try one with Rangpur, I very much like that stuff.

[tikibars]

I did three different Negroni recipes last night, all using methods found on this thread. Gal Friday Night and I compared.

This was an experiment in ratios: we used Beefeater gin, a fairly generic red vermouth, and "old" campari.

We did the classic 1:1:1, plus Toby's (Alchemist) 2 gin, 1 vermouth, .5 Campari ("for people who don't know they like gin yet"... but we certainly do!), and someone else's (sorry, it is buried back on page 1 somewhere) flip on that with 1 gin, 1 vermouth and 2 Campari.

We found the latter to be just too much Campari, the gin and vermouth get lost and it becomes a gas of Campari with a few modifiers in it.

We liked Toby's and the classic, and think both have their uses - the classic most of the time, but Toby's when looking for a bit less of the bitter bite of Campari.

Next refinement is to do three more, with the same ratios, but different gins....

[Alchemist]

I usually throw three dashes of Regan's Orange bitters in my version, and a flamed orange twist (discarded) as a garnish.

Toby

[TMFIII]

My favorite Negroni recipe so far has been one ounce each Aviation gin, Campari and Noilly Prat sweet vermouth with two dashes Angostura Orange and two dashes Fee's Rhubarb Bitters.

Ummmmm!

Cheers!