{"id":111113,"date":"2020-02-06T10:43:49","date_gmt":"2020-02-06T16:43:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=111113"},"modified":"2021-06-04T12:44:31","modified_gmt":"2021-06-04T17:44:31","slug":"how-to-make-perfect-negroni-cocktail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/leisure\/food-drink\/how-to-make-perfect-negroni-cocktail\/","title":{"rendered":"Your New Go-To Winter Cocktail: The Negroni"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

Some cocktails seem to pair particularly well with the seasons of the year. A mint julep in spring, a margarita<\/a> in the summer, a hot toddy<\/a> in fall. But what\u2019s a good drink for the winter months?<\/p>\n

While there are a number of worthy candidates, for my money, the Negroni makes the perfect wintertime cocktail.  <\/span><\/p>\n

The floral gin takes you out of the doldrums of the bone-chilling weather, the bitter Campari brings you right back into the season, and the sweet vermouth blends it all together for a drink that just doesn\u2019t taste as good outside the span of roughly November through March. <\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond its seasonal suitability, there are a bunch of other reasons to dig the Negroni too. I\u2019ll first get into those, before walking you through how to make it part of your own home bartending repertoire. <\/span><\/p>\n

3 Reasons to Give the Negroni a Try<\/h3>\n

\"Negroni<\/p>\n

1. It\u2019s simple. <\/b>Plenty of cocktails are a pain to make because of their complex recipes; some call for a number of unique and hard-to-procure ingredients; others require head-scratching techniques (<\/span>like with the delicious but not-so-easy Sazerac<\/span><\/a>). When that\u2019s the case, I\u2019m just not real motivated to mix \u2018em up. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Negroni, however, is just three ingredients, two of which you almost assuredly have in your cabinet already. Furthermore, the Negroni is one of many cocktails that fall into the \u201cequal parts\u201d category — that is, the original recipe calls for you to mix its three ingredients in a straightforward, easy-to-remember 1:1:1 ratio. Couldn’t be simpler. <\/span><\/p>\n

2. It\u2019s versatile. <\/b>While the simplicity of the basic Negroni makes it accessible, it\u2019s also a cocktail recipe that\u2019s easy to play with. Many modern mixologists reject the original 1:1:1 ratio, noting that the palette of 100 years ago is very different than today\u2019s. Back then, bitter drinks \u2014 <\/span>and their supposed attendant health benefits<\/span><\/a> \u2014 were all the rage, and cocktails were crafted with the liqueur or mixer being the dominant taste rather than the base spirit. (The Americano was in fact a popular drink and a precursor to the Negroni; that was 1 oz Campari, 1 oz sweet vermouth, and soda water. No spirit at all!) To today\u2019s palate, that original ratio is often a little too bitter (I\u2019ll talk about my own ideal ratio in just a bit). <\/span><\/p>\n

3. It<\/strong> looks nice. <\/b>The deep red color of the Campari gives the drink a marvelous ruby red appearance, which looks especially nice in a crystal old fashioned glass with an orange slice floating on top. This cocktail oozes luxury and coziness at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ingredients <\/h3>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Campari.<\/b> This bitter liqueur is an alcoholic infusion of fruits and herbs that\u2019s marked by its deep ruby red color. This is a specific brand of liqueur \u2014 like St. Germain or Drambuie; that is, it\u2019s not a category of drink that you\u2019ll find a number of options for on liquor store shelves. There\u2019s just one Campari and it\u2019s not cheap (~$35 for a 750ml bottle). But, when you\u2019re only using an ounce or less at a time, it\u2019s a bit easier to literally and metaphorically swallow. <\/span><\/p>\n

Since it\u2019s in the \u201cbitter\u201d category, adding an ounce of Campari is basically equivalent to adding a few dashes of bitters to your cocktail. So why use this instead of just bitters<\/a>? The difference, aside from sheer volume, is the unique flavor and color of Campari. If you taste bitters on their own, they’re almost unpleasantly strong. Of course they get diluted in the drink, but the <\/span>flavor<\/span><\/i> doesn\u2019t come through as much as the bittering effect itself. With Campari, you really get a fruity, herbally flavor in addition to that bittering effect. Plus, it lends the drink its signature color.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet Vermouth. <\/b>Every home bar<\/span><\/a> should be stocked with sweet vermouth. While it\u2019s mostly known for its place in Manhattans and Negronis, there are a ton of other cocktails that use it too. <\/span><\/p>\n

Sweet vermouth is an aromatized and fortified wine. What does that actually mean though? It\u2019s basically a wine base, with some brandy, herbs\/spices, and fruit added in. It\u2019s an ingredient that is generally used to sweeten cocktails, almost never being served on its own. (Though you should give it a taste on its own, just so you know what it\u2019s like; I like to do that with anything I\u2019m putting in a cocktail, to better see how combining it with other ingredients changes the experience of its original flavor.) At 15-20% ABV \u2014 a few percentage points higher than standard wine \u2014 the addition of sweet vermouth definitely increases the booziness of the drink; just something to keep in mind when playing around with it. <\/span><\/p>\n

This is a <\/span>category<\/span><\/i> of beverage, meaning you\u2019ll have quite a few options at most liquor stores, ranging from $5-$20 for a 750ml bottle. Most bottles will fall on the lower end of that range, and in fact <\/span>Cooks Illustrated<\/span><\/i> rated Cinzano and Gallo brands (each under $10) as among the best. <\/span><\/p>\n

Gin. <\/b>Any gin will do, but with this drink, I tend to prefer a dry gin, as it seems to blend a little better with the strong flavors of the Campari and sweet vermouth. For drinks like this that aren\u2019t meant to highlight the spirit itself, I enjoy Gordon\u2019s London Dry Gin. It\u2019s cheap and plenty tasty. If you\u2019re doing a variation with more gin and less Campari\/vermouth, you might choose a higher quality gin with more flavor and complexity of its own, though you certainly don\u2019t have to. The Bombay Dry Gin pictured above is a classic, and just over $20, making it a perfect mid-range option. <\/span><\/p>\n

Orange Slice.<\/b> When it comes to citrus garnishes, there are as many opinions as barkeeps. Some use just a small strip of peel, which adds much more citrus aroma than it does flavor. I\u2019m in the camp that prefers to use a whole slice of citrus, whatever that may be depending on the cocktail. In the Negroni, it\u2019s an orange. With two small kids in the house, we almost always have those tangerine \u201cCuties\u201d on hand, and a small slice of one is perfect for this drink, in my very humble opinion. It adds a little bit of flavor, obviously, and also looks nice when settled in among the ice cubes. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Recipe + Variations <\/span><\/h3>\n
\"squeezing

Make sure to squeeze that orange.<\/p><\/div>\n

As mentioned above, the recipe and construction of the Negroni is about as easy as it gets. There\u2019s hardly any explaining needed, so let\u2019s dive right in. <\/span><\/p>\n

Whereas some drinks beg for specific glass\/ice combinations, the Negroni can be served however you want. It\u2019s generally served with standard ice cubes in an old fashioned glass, or even a small stemless wine glass (with a color reminiscent of wine, it lends itself well to that type of vessel). As with just about any cocktail though, do what you will and experiment. <\/span><\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

    \n
  • 1 oz Campari <\/span><\/li>\n
  • 1 oz sweet vermouth <\/span><\/li>\n
  • 1 oz gin <\/span><\/li>\n
  • 1 small orange slice (for garnish) <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Directions<\/span><\/i> <\/span><\/p>\n

    Mix all ingredients in the glass, with ice. Squeeze the orange slice over the drink, plop it in, give it one more swirl, and serve! <\/span><\/p>\n

    Now let\u2019s talk just a bit about variations. <\/span><\/p>\n

    It bears mentioning again: those classic ratios aren\u2019t necessarily the most common when it comes to modern service and tastes. I am of the opinion that your very first Negroni should be mixed that way so that you get a feel for the \u201creal\u201d recipe before experimenting, but you may find it too bitter. In that case, try dropping the Campari by half an ounce and up the gin by half an ounce. For me, that version ends up being a little too sweet, so I then drop the vermouth by a quarter or half ounce (and then I add even more gin \u2014 ha!). My preferred recipe is then: <\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    • .5 oz Campari <\/span><\/li>\n
    • .5-.75 oz sweet vermouth <\/span><\/li>\n
    • 2 oz gin<\/span><\/li>\n
    • 1 small orange slice <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The only way to really know what you like is to experiment with various ratios and come up with your own personalized Negroni. It\u2019s a drink that\u2019s well known for being made differently by every mixologist, which means there\u2019s no reason for you not to do the same. <\/span><\/p>\n

      One last variation to mention: If you\u2019re more of a brown spirits kind of guy, simply swap the gin for whiskey (usually bourbon \u2014 the sweetness offsets the bitter Campari) and you\u2019ve made yourself a Boulevardier. It mostly retains that deep red color that makes it look really nice, but tastes more like the oak barrel you\u2019re perhaps accustomed to rather than the floral essence of the gin. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Some cocktails seem to pair particularly well with the seasons of the year. A mint julep in spring, a margarita in the summer, a hot toddy in fall. But what\u2019s a good drink for the winter months? While there are a number of worthy candidates, for my money, the Negroni makes the perfect wintertime cocktail.   […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":111139,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[222,42273],"tags":[42247],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-111113","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-drink","category-living","tag-vices"],"featured_image_urls":{"large":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2020\/02\/negroni_blank-538x280.jpg","aom":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2020\/02\/negroni_blank-372x230.jpg","reactor-320":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2020\/02\/negroni_blank-320x197.jpg","reactor-640":"https:\/\/content.artofmanliness.com\/uploads\/2020\/02\/negroni_blank-640x394.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111113"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":171100,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111113\/revisions\/171100"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/111139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111113"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/app-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=111113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}