The classic combination of Campari, gin and sweet vermouth gets turned on its head at bars and restaurants around the country during Negroni Week: the seven-day celebration of the venerable Italian cocktail. Co-sponsored by Campari and Imbibe Magazine, Negroni Week allows bartenders to offer their own twist on the original recipe, all while raising money and awareness for a local charity of their choice. Last year’s event raised more than $300,000.
At Smith in Seattle, beverage director Myles Burroughs has a variation on the menu called the TGV. The drink is created with ice cubes made of sweet vermouth and Campari, which Burroughs said you can easily make at home. “The cubes are more like a granita,” he says of the semi-frozen ice mixture. “Once you add the rest of the ingredients to the glass, it creates a nice slushy consistency.”
The slushed cubes are topped with gin and Champagne. “It’s close to the traditional Negroni but I feel like adding Champagne to anything makes it better,” Burroughs says.
At Imperial in Portland, the All Systems are Go is another Negroni variation that uses sparkling wine to make a fizzy and refreshing variation of the drink. The drink also uses honeyed Campari to soften the bitterness a little bit, as well as local strawberries that now in season. The signature bitterness found in traditional Negronis is not entirely absent though, as the artichoke-based bittersweet liqueur Cynar and Punt e Mes vermouth are also in the drink.
The conventional recipe for a Negroni is easy to remember: equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth are stirred with ice and poured into an ice-filled glass. It’s a drink that tastes as good next to a crackling fireplace as it does on a balmy summer evening on the porch.
Burroughs recommends using an over-proof or naval strength gin when making Negronis at home, or consider using just a touch more gin than you do Campari or sweet vermouth. For his enjoyment, Burroughs says he likes a Negroni, or one of its many variations, before a meal. “Most of the time I am enjoying a Negroni on the rocks, or a variation as an apertif,” he says. “It stimulates your appetite, and is a great way to marry the beverage and food experiences to make both better.”
A trend he’s seeing more of is lower ABV, or low-proof cocktails. “I’ve always been a fan of the Negroni sbagliato made with sparkling wine in lieu of gin, or the Americano, which uses sparkling water in place of gin,” Burroughs details. “These are nice, lighter variations that you can enjoy two or three of and not be on your lips!”
Find a list of participating bars in your area at negroniweek.com. You can keep tabs on the Negroni Week action by following the #NegroniWeek hashtag on Instagram and Twitter.
TGV, by Myles Burroughs
1 ounce gin
2 Campari granita cubes (instructions follow)
1 sweet vermouth cube (instructions follow)
4 ounces Bbrut Champagne or cava
Build in large rocks glass, add gin then granita cubes. Top w/ bubbles and garnish with an orange peel.
Granita cubes are made in a silicone ice tray at a ratio of:
1:1 Campari to water
2:1 sweet vermouth to water
Combine and freeze until semi-frozen.
