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.