Old Hat…Modern Palate: Negroni

     In these series of quick posts, I will give you my, key word is “my,” modern-day palate interpretations of some much loved classic cocktails.  The Negroni will be on the chopping block today.

     A drink that is said to be invented by the noble tippler Count Camillo Negroni at the Caffe Casoni in Florence Italy, the year of our lord 1919.  Turns out soda water wasn’t cuttin’ the mustard in the Count’s Americanos anymore, so it needed to be adiosed.  Barman Fosco Scarselli and the Count decided no hole should be left unfilled…that’s what she said…and decided to put gin in its place.  The original recipe:

Negroni

1/3 Gin

1/3 Sweet Vermouth

1/3 Campari

     I am going to be very unapologetic and say that this drink with these proportions does not sit well with me.  With these proportions, the vermouth stands center stage.  If you decide to make this cocktail with a low-end flat vermouth, you are crowning a turd king of this cocktail.  If you decide to make this cocktail with Carpano Antica, you are then setting a 500 pound man on the banana seat of a bicycle…the gin and Campari have no chance of seeing the light of day, just as the doomed banana seat.

     Toby Maloney, one of my favorite modern day barmen, came up with a version of this classic…The Maloney Negroni.  Clever.  The recipe as follows:

The Maloney Negroni

3 oz. Tanqueray

1 oz. Carpano Antica

.5 oz. Campari

13 drops house-made orange bitters

All ingredients are to be placed inside mixing glass.  Stir, stir, stir and strain into chilled coupe glass.  Garnish with the flamed oils of an orange twist.  Discard twist.

     I think that this is a very nice cocktail.  It is built upon a classic 2:1, spirit to modifier ratio, but i personally think that the gin stands out a little too much.  When making this cocktail, I tried both Regans Orange Bitters and Angostura Orange Bitters.  The Regans in my opinion yielded a better drink.  So I leave you with my interpretation of the famed and classic cocktail:

Negroni-Classic

by: Chad Doll

1.75 oz. Tanqueray

1 oz. Carpano Antica

.75 oz. Campari

2 dashes Regans Orange Bitters

or….

Negroni-Extra Bitter

by: Chad Doll

1.75 oz. Tanqueray

.75 oz. Punt e Mes

.75 oz. Campari

.25 oz. Cynar

2 dashes Regans Orange Bitters

All ingredients are to be placed inside mixing glass.  Stir, stir, stir and strain into chilled coupe glass.  Garnish with oils from an orange twist.  Discard twist

     Both variations are built on a 1:1, spirit to modifier ratio.  The Tanqueray, in my opinion, has the backbone to hold up to this dilution.  I really enjoy Regans Bitters in this cocktail.  I think the cardamom adds such a nice element to a bitterness.  I also dont flame my orange twist in this drink…I like the sharpness a non-flamed twist adds to the nose in this cocktail.

THANK YOU FOR READING

Old Hat…Modern Palate: Aviation

   

     In these series of quick posts, I will give you my, key word is “my,” modern-day palate interpretations of some much loved classic cocktails.  The Aviation will be on the chopping block today.  David Wondrich and his book Killer Cocktails lists the Aviation as follows:

     The original 1916 recipe used half as much maraschino and added a teaspoon of creme de violette, giving it a sky-blue tint.

Aviation

2 oz. Gin

2 teaspoons Maraschino Liqueur

.75 oz. Lemon Juice

Shake and stain into a chilled glass

     Without taking away anything from Mr. Wondrich and this amazing cocktail book, I find this cocktail WAAAAAAAY too sour for our modern palates.  I also find, eventhough maraschino is such a robust flavor, it doesnt hold up enough to the amount of gin and lemon juice provided in the recipe above.  Here is my interpretation:

Aviation

2 oz. Plymouth Gin

.75 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice

.5 oz. Simple Syrup

.25 oz. Luxardo Maraschino

1 teaspoon Creme de Violette

Shake and stain into a chilled glass

     If Creme de Violette is unavailable, Parfait Amour can be used in a pinch…though the ending result in flavor will be much more candied than floral.