Negroni

INTRODUCTION

When it comes to cocktails, there can be beauty in a simple recipe, but that is also where controversy lies: there is a wide array of arguments over the correct ratios to use and how to garnish a Martini or a Gin & Tonic. Another such cocktail is the Negroni. On the face of it, the Negroni is an equal parts mix of gin, vermouth and bitters (most typically Campari), but beneath that bright red surface lies a whole world of delights to explore and enjoy.

This book is designed to help you discover some of the joys of the Negroni from reasonably classic variations to the 21st century’s White Negroni; these are followed by some variations using spirits other than gin in the experimental section and – finally – some seasonal treats, providing a Negroni for every occasion. Whilst the recipes often call for specific brands, these are just recommendations: all of the recipes have been designed to work with any classic London Dry Gin, including firm favourites like Gordon’s or Tanqueray.

It is widely acknowledged that the Negroni was invented by bartender, Forsco Scarselli of Cafe Casoni in Florence, Italy in 1919 when regular ‘Count’ Camillo Negroni (the Count part has not been verified) wanted to fortify a popular drink of the time, Milano Torino (the beverage of Campari, sweet vermouth and soda that we now call the Americano). Scarselli substituted the soda water with gin and garnished it with an orange peel instead of the traditional lemon. The ‘Count’ himself was a man of many faces, moving to the Americas (to avoid the Italian draft) to become a cowboy, a banker in NYC and even a performing high stake’s gambler in a Wild Wild West show. Like many classic cocktail origin tales there are a few contradicting stories – but what we do know is the first printed recipes of the Negroni, with three ingredients in equal portions, were published in 1955 in the UK and New York. However the drink was