The (in)famous Negroni

I hate fou fou cocktails. I really do. Perfect example: I cannot stand any variations of the good old Martini. There's only two Martinis in my world —one is made with gin and vermouth, the other one is made with vodka and vermouth. Period. I don't like Cosmos and I certainly don't like Appletinis —they remind me of this green apple shampoo my sister used to wash her hair with in the 80s.

But I do love classic cocktails, the ones that taste like the 20s and 30s, smoky Paris lounges, Hemingway and guarantee you the mother of all hangovers. What can I say? I don't drink cocktails often, so when I'm drinking them, I want to drink a good one. A classic. Something that has some serious history,

In other words, a Negroni. Classic, classy, boozy. Very boozy. Extremely boozy. One part gin, one part sweet red vermouth, one part Campari, this drink ain't for sissies. And to top it off it has a lot of history. As it happens with most classic there are many stories, mostly contradicting one another, about how the cocktail was invented. The one I like the best is the one about Count Emilio Negroni who back in 1919 asked the bartender at Caffe' Carsoni in Florence to strengthen is favorite drink, the Americano. The good bartender, instead of adding soda water to the Campari and vermouth concoction added gin, substituted an orange slice for the regualr lemon garnish, and the rest is history. A star was born.

I don't order a Negroni very often, but I do enjoy drinking one every once in a while. That said, I enjoy it even more when I make myself one at home. because then I don't have to worry about driving and stuff, and I can just melt into an armchair and enjoy my Negroni. And it's always worth it.

NEGRONI

1 ounce gin
1 ounce sweet vermouth
1 onuce Campari
1 orange slice

Fill a tall glass with ice cubes, pour the gin, vermouth and Campari in the glass and stir well. Garnish with a slice of orange.

To find out how to make a variation of the Negroni, called a Negroni sbagliato (wrong Negroni) click here.

Special celebratory Mimosas

No, I didn't get a job. Nor have I won the lottery. Especially if the latter had happened, I highly doubt I would be standing in my living room taking pictures of my cocktail as it inevitably gets warm. No. You'd probably see me disappear into the sunset, off to travel the world, with a truckload of champagne following me around.

Alas, I have not found a job yet and neither have I won the lottery. The reason I'm celebrating is that tomorrow I'm leaving for the first of many mini-vacations that I'm taking this summer. I figured that, since I'm not exactly swimming in cash, many short trips would be easier on the wallet than one long one. I also figured that it would be easier to find partners in crime for short journeys as opposed to finding someone who has always dreamed of —say— spending a month exploring the Arctic Circle.

So tomorrow, my best friend and I are leaving for a four day trip to Madrid, something I'm extremely excited about for two reasons. The first one, and more obvious one, is that I've never been to Madrid before and I can't wait to be there to take in the sights, eat the food and drink the wine. The second one is that her and I haven't been on a trip together for almost ten years, but I'm sure we'll have just as much fun as we did in London in 1996 or California in 1999 or any of the other trips we took together throughout the years.

So off to Madrid we go tomorrow, with a convenient 7 a.m. flight. Which means that today I'm trying to get the house half way organized and myself halfway ready for the trip while drinking Mimosas with a twist: blood orange juice and rosee champagne. Aren't I fancy?

Other than that, my summer has actually shaped into something interesting, while my house has pretty much morphed into a youth hostel, as I host all kinds of friends, old and new, and travel with them. Seriously, when Tommy told me he wasn't coming here in August anymore it was the biggest bummer ever. Little did I know that him coming at the end of September instead would open up my summer to a myriad of possibilities and fun. So here's to positive thoughts. And to making the best out of what life handles. Whether it's a change of plans or a batch of blood oranges.

Negroni & the Negroni "Sbagliato"

If Milano were a spice, it would be pungent saffron. If it were a noise, it would be the subdued bell cable cars ring when they turn into the street. If it were a smell, it would be the way the wet asphalt smells after a quick summer storm. And if it were a drink, it would be a Negroni.

This, I have to admit, is sort of a nonsense since this incredibly popular cocktail was invented in Florence. Still, I have a hard time imagining any apertivo in Milano without the cheerful reddish orange drink sitting on almost every table. The Negroni, and it's lighter, girlie version the "sbagliato", aren't timeless classics like —say— a stiff martini or a Manhattan. They are evolutions. They are hybrids. They are old and modern at the same time.

So how exactly did the Negroni become the Negroni? Well, we have to go back to the 1860, when a drink made of bitter Campari and sweet vermouth, topped with a splash of soda water became popular. Since Campari was produced in Milan and vermouth in Turin, the cocktail was called the Milano-Torino and, other than becoming an Italian favorite, it also quickly grew in popularity with Americans, which is why later on the drink was renamed "Americano".

And that was just the beginning. In 1919, at Caffè Casoni in Florence, Count Camillo Negroni asked the bartender, Fosco Scarselli, to strengthen his Americano by adding gin rather than soda water. The drink was an instant success and it was named after the Count who, I'm guessing, didn't live very long if he drank a gin and campari mixture on a daily basis. Anyhow, many Italian and international drinkers quickly became fans of the cocktail, including Orson Welles who discovered it while filming "Cagliostro" in Rome and wrote, rather enthusiastically, that "the bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you. They balance each other."

On to the Negroni "sbagliato", which literally means "wrong" Negroni and features spumante brut instead of gin. I have to admit that I like the Sbagliato more than I like the Negroni itself, mostly for sentimental reasons. The Sbagliato was invented in the 60s in Milano, at Bar Basso, an old fashioned, wonderfully aged bar and cafe' not far from the house where I grew up. When I was a child, my parents would go there to have a drink before dinner and while they enjoyed their cocktails I devoured bowl after bowl of chips and green olives while happily sipping on mineral water. It was a family ritual that made me feel like one of the grown ups and I enjoyed it particularly because I was the only kid sitting at the fancy tables on the sidewalk. When twenty years later I took my first sip of Negroni sbagliato I had no idea it was invented at the Bar Basso, but now that I know it, I like it even more.

NEGRONI

 Ice
1/3 gin
1/3 sweet vermouth
1/3 bitter camparu
A slice of orange to garnish



Fill a tall glass with ice cubes, add the liquid ingredients and stir gently. Garnish with a slice of orange.

NEGRONI SBAGLIATO

 Ice
A few drops of Angostura (optional)
1/3 spumante brut
1/3 sweet vermouth
1/3 bitter Campari
A slice of ornage to garnish

Fill a tall glass with ice cubes, add the liquid ingredients and stir gently. Garnish with a slice of orange.