Recently, I had the
best Negroni cocktail that I?ve ever had at Il Buco Alimentari,? in NYC.
That cocktail, the color
of faded Venetian draperies, displayed a pitch-perfect balance of sweetness and
bitterness; it sported a sensational middle palate with a lush, syrupy texture,
and had a long, lingering, bitter cherry, finish. I can still taste it a month
later.
The Il Buco Alimentari Negroni.
The Negroni is said
to have originated in Florence, Italy, in 1919, at Caffe Casoni when Count
Camillo Negroni reputedly asked the bartender to strengthen his favorite drink,
the Americano, by replacing the soda water with gin.
The drink became so
popular so quickly that it was soon called the ?King of Aperitives.? Eventually,
the originator?s name was affixed to the cocktail.
I?m sure the Count
never imagined that one day he?d become the spirit(ual) leader of drinkers around
the world.
One taste of the Negroni
at Il Buco Alimentari and I knew that
I had to learn how to ace this cocktail at home. So I asked Melissa, the
bartender, for her secrets to make the perfect Negroni, which is basically a
concoction of three spirits:
Equal parts of:
Gin
Campari
Sweet Italian
vermouth
Mixology 101: Stir, do not shake, the mixture of three
spirits over ice, pour into old-fashioned glasses filled with ice (different
ice, not the same ice used to mix the concoction) and, if desired, squeeze the
oil from a strip of orange rind over the drink, and then add the rind.
Sounds simple. But
the mixing?s a mathematical nightmare: which gin, which vermouth, and does one really
add equal parts?
Campari is central to any Negroni and is the
one part you don?t substitute when formulating a strategy to mix The Best-Ever
Negroni.
This was an assignment
for napaman akin to decoding the human genome. And equally as important to
humanity if you agree that what happens daily at 5 o?clock somewhere in the
world is critically important to the survival of mankind everywhere in the
world.
Melissa told me
that she uses Breuckelen Distilling?s Glorious Gin, a NY-made gin (Breuckelen
is the old Dutch spelling for the borough in which it?s made).
The secret ingredient in the Il Buco
Alimentari Negroni.?Should be on the UN watch list as a dangerous
weapon of mass intoxication.
This one night, she
also replaced Carpano Antica,
the sweet vermouth typically used here, for Cocchi di Torino, a more focused, slightly
edgier, sweet Italian vermouth. It?s a complex, very intense vermouth; if Cocchi
were a psychiatric patient, you wouldn?t learn in five years of psychoanalytic couch
therapy what makes it so moody and intense.
San Francisco skyline; I had to head off to San
Francisco to conduct basic Negroni research.
Back home, in
California, I contacted my favorite wine and spirit retailer, K&L Wine, in
San Francisco, and asked the dynamic Duo of Daves (Dave Driscoll and Dave
Othenin-Girard) if they could order Cocchi and Breuckelen Distilling?s Glorious
Gin for me. And also sell me some other branded gins for the exercise I was
about to undertake.
?No problem? they
chirped in unison in their standard echo-like fashion to please this customer.
While waiting for
the gins and vermouth to arrive, I thought I?d be smart to conduct some basic
bar research, to better understand how different brands of gin and vermouth altered
Melissa?s recipe.
So I visited two of
my favorite bars/hotels in San Francisco, both which happen to be Kimpton
properties, the classy, high-end, boutique lodger, in whose hotels I often
stay.
I visited Jasper?s
Corner Tap, where I have enjoyed one of my favorite burgers ever in San
Francisco. (This hunk o? beautiful bovine is served on an original, crusty bun
that is as memorable as the meat.)
I figured that if
they know as much about mixing as they know about meat, this would be a solid
place to start my Negroni research. I was right.
Barman Dan Wootton
agreed that not all gins, and not all vermouths, are created equal. So he set
up a trial of drinks to make his case.
Each was made with
equal parts of three spirits, each contained Campari and Cocchi, which I?d
already determined in tests is a superior vermouth for Negronis, better than Carpano
Antica or even VYA Sweet Vermouth.
Do not lose sight of the fact that VYA Dry
Vermouth is the secret to making the world?s best martini. But that?s another
story and to fully understand how to make the World?s Best Martini, go here:
http://www.napaman.com/napamancom/2007/05/vya_the_stephen.html
And do not lose sight of the fact that
Carpano Antica made some stellar Negronis in the course of my research, not the
least of which was the Negroni made at Bistro Don Giovanni, in Napa town. Here
they mix No. 209 gin, Campari and Carpano Antica. Fabuloso.
But back to Dan; he
made three Negronis to prove his point.
Ginning at Jasper?s Corner Tap
The one made with Old
Tom Ransom Gin from Oregon was muddied and unfocused.
The one made with
Aviation Gin from Portland, which was Dan?s preferred Negroni of the trial, was
a bit too clean; for me, it exhibited too much vanilla on the finish.
I selected the
Negroni made with Martin Miller?s Reformed London Dry Gin, Westbourne Strength,
as ?Negroni of the Night.? It was sensational. Properly named, it Reformed my
opinion about which gin makes the best Negroni.?
Dan and assistant general
manager Jose Carlos Delgado pointed out that to meet the demand for Negronis,
Jasper?s Corner Tap actually has devoted one wine/beer tap to? Negronis!?
That?s right, they
pull a pressurized Negroni off one of their bar taps and the beverage is? FANTASTIC!
To make their wildly
popular ?draft Negroni,? they mix one part each of Campari and Plymouth Gin and
for the third part, they mix Cinzanno and Punt e Mes, an Italian vermouth. This
is a sensational, house-ready, Negroni. And it?s On Tap!
Over time, I?ve
also come to respect and enjoy the spirits, wine and food at the Fifth Floor
restaurant and bar, in another Kimpton San Francisco property, the Palomar
Hotel.
As the Fifth Floor is
a Mecca for Martini- and Negroni-drinkers, I knew it was time to visit an old
friend here, Amy Goldberger, head sommelier at Fifth Floor.
In turn, she
introduced me to Brian Means, the affable and skilled barman who mixed many variations
of the Negroni on my visit so that I could test the impact of different gins
and different vermouths.
Bartender Brian Means at the Fifth Floor.?You could say that Brian Means business when
he makes you a Negroni.
Plymouth gin
produced a rusty, rustic, serviceable Negroni; Martin Miller?s Reformed London Dry
Gin, Westbourne Strength, produced a superior cocktail with a sensational
middle palate, and a sunburned finish.
St. George Dry Rye
Gin, made in Alameda, CA, produced a Negroni that was flavored with bandages
and Mercurochrome, and which had long lasting bitter notes.
Fords Gin, from
England, produced a watery, non-descript beverage with not much of a middle
palate and no memorable finish. Call it the Mitch McConnell Negroni ? absolutely
no personality.
Brian Means in his laboratory... er, I mean
bar, planning a few more Negroni combinations to try.
We tried a Negroni
made with Greenhook Ginsmiths Gin from Brooklyn, NY, which Brian wangles from a
special source as it is not commercially available in this market. It produced
a drink with slow attack and slow release; there were a few floral notes and a
hint of cucumber. This might be the Negroni to have if you?re planning to have more
than two Negronis, as the flavor build-up is slow.?
But I?m in search
of the one-off, single best Negroni you can make at home, not one of which you need
to drink a bathtubful to obtain a flavor hit.
(By the way, let?s not forget to mention
that the bar area of the Fifth Floor is THE place in San Francisco to have a
sensational, rich, burger ? order it with ?the works?? -- with a side of fries. Major delicious.
If your server is Dillon, he will guide you
through all the other spirit and food options on the bar menu. This is one of
my favorite after-hours destinations in San Francisco; it is quiet, comforting,
secluded. The drinks and service are first-class.)
When my bottles of
Breuckelen Distilling?s Glorious Gin and Cocchi finally arrived at K&L
Wine, I started to conduct mixology trials at home.
After determining
that Cocchi sweet vermouth makes the best Negroni, I mixed the cocktail using
many different gins.
Here?s what I
discovered, on my way to selecting my all-time favorite, Best Ever Negroni. In order
of preference, from least liked to best liked:
Boodles Gin
Not much of
anything. The spirits and flavors do not integrate with one another. There is a
succession of tastes, including cinnamon and ripe fruit, but overall, the
Negroni lacks luster, focus and zip. 89 points out of 100.
Hendrick?s Gin
Here?s a gin I
often like for martinis, but in auditioning for The Negroni Idol, this straight-forward
gin produces a rather straight-forward, rather pedestrian, cocktail. There?s
not much ?there? there.
A rather simple drink,
missing the complexity and alluring character found in other Negronis in this taste
test.
91 points out of
100.
Plymouth Gin
Somewhat soapy, pallid,
pastel-flavored in the Negroni. Even with the addition of bitters and an orange
peel, this gin underwhelms in the cocktail.
This gin is far
more successful as an ingredient in a martini.
91 points on its
own, 94 points when made with bitters.
No. 209
The best US gin you
can use for martinis. Bar none. In any bar.
But for Negronis
made with Cocchi, this very floral, very botanical, gin produces a beverage
that is a bit sloppy, and unfocused. Almost socially backward and embarrassing.
Still, it produces a refreshing cocktail. Much better when combined with
Carpano Antica vermouth. 95 points.
Breuckelen Distilling?s Glorious Gin
A winner by any
standard of comparative measurement.
The presence of
Cocchi lengthens the finish considerably.
Love this gin for
the Negroni, though when tasted straight, on its own, it?s a rather mundane,
lackluster spirit. How curious. 96 points.
?
Martin Miller?s Reformed London Dry Gin,
Westbourne Strength
This gin makes a
sensational Negroni; the cocktail is bright in the mouth, bouncy and alive on
the palate.
The cocktail is vibrant,
and does what a proper cocktail before dinner is meant to do: arouse one?s
appetite. 98 points.
In short:
Miller?s Reformed
London Dry Gin, Westbourne Strength, makes a superior Negroni when mixed in
equal parts with Cocchi di Torino sweet vermouth and Campari.
This combination of
spirits produces an Academy Award-worthy Negroni.
(For the record: Miller?s Reformed London Dry Gin is
distilled in the UK, then shipped to Iceland where it is blended with Icelandic
waters and bottled. How curious! How delicious!)
Here?s what happened next:
Thinking that I?d
found the Holy Grail Recipe for The Perfect Negroni, I called my friend Eileen,
who is the bartender at Tra Vigne, in St. Helena, and who is, in my humble
opinion, the best bartender in Napa Valley.
?I want to make you
a Negroni and get your feedback,? I offered.
I made my Negroni
with equal parts of Miller?s Reformed London Dry Gin, Cocchi and Campari, and
as good as it was, Eileen improved it!
She suggested
upping the gin to 1.5 oz. while keeping the Cocchi and Campari at 1 oz. each.
?The extra gin softens
the drink, reduces the perceived sweetness, and generally makes for a better
cocktail,? Eileen concluded.
And she was right.
So now you have all
the trade secrets ? the ingredients, the ratios, and bartender tips -- to make The
Perfect Negroni at home. So what are you waiting for...?
Want to taste the best commercial Negronis?
In NY, go to:
Il Buco Alimentari, 53 Great
Jones Street,
Tel: 212-837-2622?
In San Francisco, go to:
Jasper?s Corner Tap, 401
Taylor, off the lobby of the Serrano Hotel.
Tel: 415-775-7979.
The Fifth Floor, on the 5th
floor of the Palomar Hotel, 12 Fourth St.
Tel: 415-348-1555.
In Napa Valley, go to:
Bistro Don Giovanni, 4110
Howard Lane, Napa.
Tel: 707-224-3300.
Tra Vigne, 1050 Charter Oak
Avenue, St. Helena.
Tel: 707-963-4444.
Source: http://www.napaman.com/napamancom/2013/01/secret-to-making-the-worlds-best-negroni-cocktail.html
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