Celebrate Negroni Week
Negroni week is September 18-24, when hundreds of bars stir up the iconic cocktail to raise money for Slow Food
The Negroni, like most good cocktails, has had a storied past, a few mysteries, and a beloved following.
It’s said that in 1919, Count Camillo Negroni invented the cocktail when he ordered an “Americano” with gin instead of seltzer at the Caffe Casoni in Florence. The “accidental” cocktail proved to be a hit with the Negroni family so invested, that they founded the Negroni Distillery which made ready-to-drink versions of the cocktail (long before the bottled cocktail craze).
The classic cocktail was made with equal parts of three ingredients: gin, Campari, and vermouth. Since then, the Negroni has been tweaked
In the 1960s, Milan’s Bar Basso created the Negroni Sbagliato, a version of the cocktail made with prosecco instead of gin. That cocktail, of course, came into fashion once again, thanks to social media.
Now, walk into any bar (especially one where the bartenders wear leather aprons), and you’ll find dozens of variations including barrel-aged Negronis, rum Negronis, and White Negronis.
Even Stanley Tucci became part of the Negroni equation when he shared he prefers them neat (with a splash of vodka), explaining that he knows purists will consider this heresy — but hey! Stanley Tucci can get away with anything in my book (ask me to tell you my Stanley Tucci story, one day — it’s a doozy).
The Negroni, itself, is a curious cocktail. It’s bitter and sweet at the same time while being deceptively potent. Anthony Bourdain called them, “dangerously powerful”, before adding that it took three sips to “get” a Negroni.
Next week, we celebrate the Negroni with Negroni Week. And, yes — while it is yet another made-up food holiday, there are two reasons why we should get behind it: delicious cocktails and a good cause.
Hundreds of bars throughout the world have joined Negroni Week, serving up their versions of the classic cocktail. In exchange, the bars will donate a portion of proceeds for every Negroni sold to Slow Food, an organization of local communities in more than 160 countries that seeks to change the world through food and beverage that is good for both people and the planet.
To find a participating bar near you, visit negroniweek.com.
To get you started on your Negroni journey, Brugal 1888 rum has shared its own Negroni recipe: the Negroni Sibarita
Recipe:
35 ml Brugal 1888
15 ml Aperol
15 ml Lilletblanc
Dash peach bitters
Garnish: grapefruit peel
Method:
Add all ingredients and simply stir over ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Add the grapefruit peel garnish and serve.