The following is an online extra from our September 2020 issue.
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For many cocktail lovers, a Negroni is the simple go-to. Powerful but nuanced, bitter but easy drinking, there’s a reason most bartenders appreciate the classic libation.
According to lore, the Negroni cocktail was invented in the early 1920s when Italian Count Camillo Negroni asked his bartender to beef up his Americano — sweet vermouth, Campari and soda — and mix it with gin.
To make: In a tall rocks glass combine equal parts dry gin, sweet (red) vermouth and Campari. Add ice and stir. Twist an orange peel over the surface and enjoy.
Classic Negroni Variations
Boulevardier: Bourbon replaces gin.
Old Pal: Replace the gin with rye and use dry vermouth over sweet.
Highland Negroni: Scotch replaces gin.
Before it was postponed, Negroni Week coincided with Pride Month in June, and Johnny Maher of Grisette developed the TransBoulevardier as a tribute. He freezes Campari ice cubes to create a Manhattan that transitions to a Boulevardier as the ice melts.
At The Stables at Belmont, Bar Manager Jeremy Neighbor takes the Boulevardier a step further. Dubbed the Belmontier, the drink includes a touch of rosemary and strawberry shrub to balance its slick bitterness.
Upon returning from a bartenders’ retreat in Puerto Rico called Cane Camp, bartender Lindsey Scheer of Heritage was inspired to create her celebrated Caribe Negroni. This piña colada and Negroni mashup blends Puerto Rican rum and Campari infused with pineapple, coconut and oolong tea.
Scheer, who is woefully sensitive to citrus, was determined to create a cocktail that would satisfy her thirst while also representing the region. After Hurricane Maria ravaged the island in 2017, Scheer, president of the Richmond chapter of the United State Bartenders Guild (USBG), ran a USBG pop-up event to raise disaster relief funds.
Caribe Negroni
Lindsey Scheer, Heritage
1 ounce Don Q anejo rum
1 ounce Antica Torino vermouth
1 ounce pineapple-coconut-oolong Campari (recipe below)
Stir with ice and serve on the rocks with a garnish of dried pineapple.
Pineapple-coconut-oolong Campari
750 ml Campari
70 grams dried pineapple
35 grams dried coconut
35 grams Carytown Teas’ coconut-oolong tea
In a large container, combine all ingredients and infuse overnight. Then strain the mixture through cheesecloth.
TransBoulevardier
Johnny Maher, Grisette
2 ounces bonded bourbon
1 ounce Dolin Rouge vermouth
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2-4 Campari ice cubes
Orange twist
Combine the liquid ingredients in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir. Strain the mixture over two to four Campari ice cubes. Garnish with an orange twist.
Campari ice cubes:
Dilute one part Campari with three parts water and pour the mixture into an ice tray. Freeze overnight. Standard ice trays make 1-ounce cubes, therefore each cube should be equivalent to 1/4 ounce of Campari.
Belmontier
Jeremy Neighbor, The Stables at Belmont
1 1/2 ounces Woodford Reserve bourbon
3/4 ounces rosemary-infused Trincheri Rosso vermouth
3/4 ounces Campari
1/2 ounces strawberry shrub (recipe below)
Stir all ingredients with ice and serve on the rocks with a sprig of rosemary.
Strawberry Shrub
Macerate 2 quarts of strawberries with 2 cups of sugar and let the mixture sit for 48 hours. Strain and squeeze out the liquid. Add 1 to 1 1/4 cups of white balsamic vinegar and stir. Optional: Add cracked black pepper.
