What Is a Negroni and How Did It Become So Iconic?
A Negroni is an Italian cocktail comprised of one part gin, one part sweet vermouth and the other part Campari. If you are used to the bitter taste, this Italian drink is perfect to enjoy with your dinner.
Recipe:
2cl of gin
2cl of sweet vermouth
2cl of Campari
Orange peel to garnish
The history behind the Negroni is that in 1919, a man named Count Camillo Negroni returned to Florence, Italy after the first world war and spending a considerable amount of time in America. The Count requested for his Americano cocktail – sweet vermouth, Campari and soda water – to be strengthened by the bartender, Forsco Scarselli, by replacing the soda water with gin.
The Negroni recipe is simple. As well as the gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, the other Negroni ingredients you will need are ice and an orange zest to garnish. Put equal parts of the Campari, sweet vermouth and gin into a mixing glass. Add ice and then stir before straining the mix into a rocks glass over ice. Then garnish with the orange zest.
You may have heard of the Negroni Sbagliato, a variation of the original cocktail but instead of including gin, this drink contains prosecco. Sbagliato means “mistaken” and it is given this name because of the humorous history behind it. It is said that the bartender picked up the prosecco instead of the gin. The customer tasted the drink before it was taken away after realising the mistake, and it was approved.
Another popular variant of the Negroni is the Boulevardier. Effectively, this cocktail is the whiskey Negroni as it contains bourbon or rye instead of gin.
Recipe:
2cl of Bourbon or Rye
2cl of Campari
2cl of Sweet Vermouth
Now, what are you waiting for? Try out this iconic Italian cocktail this week and give us your opinion!
