People are particular. This is why an entire vernacular exists solely for ordering drinks: dry, perfect, stirred, shaken, neat or stuffed. Roll your eyes and call it high maintenance, but sometimes, it’s magic. Case in point: just such an exacting set of taste buds were supposedly responsible for the creation of Italy’s classic bittersweet aperitivo, the Negroni.
Legend has it that around 1919, over the polished bar of the Caffè Casoni (now the Caffè Giacosa, owned by fashion mogul Roberto Cavalli), a discerning Florentine count named Camillo Negroni asked the barman, Fosco Scarselli, to omit the soda in his mellow Americano and amp up the popular cocktail by blending Campari and sweet vermouth with gin instead. Having just returned from a romp in jolly old England, Negroni’s discriminating tastes had no doubt been enchanted by the spirit of the English.
Scarselli took matters into his own hands and garnished the “Negroni” with a slice of orange in an effort to differentiate it from its lemon-accessorized precursor. Negroni’s twist on the Americano surged in popularity, and soon the aristocratic family was bottling and distributing pre-mixed cocktails to sate a raging national thirst for its namesake aperitivo.
Despite its Tuscan origins, the Negroni is much more than a fair weather refreshment. The bittersweet toothsomeness of this timeless palate-whetter is an ideal accompaniment for afternoon nibbles and an excellent precedent to feasts of the Italian persuasion, or otherwise. Straightforward in its composition — equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, stirred on the rocks with a generous twist of orange — well-made Negronis can be elusive. It’s one of those simply-constructed cocktails, like the Manhattan or Old Fashioned, that takes a steady, loving hand and a dash of je ne sais quoi to mix properly.
Do be warned that when the unicorn of Negronis is uncovered, addiction may ensue: Count Negroni purportedly downed up to forty cocktails a day. Maybe he justified his relish for the cocktail with an attitude similar to that of Orson Welles, who drank Negronis like water and famously reflected, “The bitters are excellent for your liver. The gin is bad for you. They balance each other.”
Scoop some bottles from the LCBO — Campari (now $23.95 for 750mL), Martini & Rossi sweet vermouth ($12.95 for 1000mL) and a good quality gin like Plymouth ($26.95 for 750mL) — and try your hand at mixing this iconic Italian drink at home. Want someone else to do it for you? Mosey down to Buca on King West for classic ($10) and “sbagliato” ($14) (“mistake,” in Italian, topped with prosecco) versions, or to Bar Salumi for four different takes on it ($10).
Buca, 604 King St. W., 416-865-1600; Bar Salumi, 1704 Queen St. W., 416-588-0100
