Negroni

It’s time to have a Negroni! Negroni Week was moved from June to September 14-20 this year due to COVID-19 and is now all online. Typically bars across the world have celebrated Negroni Week by highlighting this classic cocktail.  Just because you can’t have a Negroni in a bar doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate at home. 

This year Negroni Week is raising funds for bar and restaurant workers who have been impacted by the global pandemic. Perhaps you’d like to donate here?

Wow, what a difference a year makes. I have been planning this post since last June. Ed and I traveled to France and Italy with our friends Genevieve and Eric S. While in the Philadelphia International Airport, we ran into Kathy H and John W who were also on their way to Italy. Fast forward about 10 days when I post a picture of a Negroni from Rome to Instagram while John posts one from Puna Ala in Tuscany at roughly same time. Back home a few weeks later we had dinner with Kathy and John at a local BYO to catch up on our trips. Fittingly John brought a pre-made batch of Negronis for us to share. 

Negronis not only taste great but are very easy to make. It’s a 1:1:1 ratio of gin, Campari and sweet vermouth. For gin, I recommend a London dry gin. However for this one I used an American (opposite side of the pond) dry gin – Bluecoat which is distilled in Philadelphia. Overly herbal gins will be lost as Campari has a strong flavor. As for sweet vermouth, you have many choices, but Carpano Antica Formula is our favorite. It’s worth the search and a bit of extra money.

Check out my Negroni Sour for a variation and some history behind this cocktail. If you’re not a gin fan, you may prefer a Boulevardier (bourbon, Campari and sweet vermouth). There’s also a note about an Old Pal (rye, Campari and sweet vermouth) in that post. That’s my dad’s favorite variation.