There’s Beer Week, Cocktail Week, Shark Week, and all manner of other occasions for imbibing throughout the year. From June 2 through June 8 however, is one of the my favorites: Negroni Week. During this seven-day period, bars around the world serve up their favorite Negroni variations, and donate a portion of proceeds from each one sold to the charity of their choice. Around the Pacific Northwest, dozens of bartenders are mixing up their take on this classic cocktail, all while raising money for a good cause.
The classic Negroni is made with equal parts (about an ounce of each) gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, and garnished with an orange twist. Most people agree that Campari, the bitter orange spirit from Italy, is a necessity for the drink, but some bartenders are taking creative license by swapping out the gin and vermouth for spirits such as rum, and liqueurs ranging from Benedictine to Byrhh.
At Rob Roy in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood, owner and bartender Anu Apte is excited to participate again in Negroni Week. “It’s a great way to introduce, or reintroduce, people to a classic cocktail and at the same time do something for the charity of our choice.” Rob Roy will be serving the classic Negroni, and specialty “Chingroni” using China-China, both at happy hour prices. Apte’s favorite local gin to use in this drink is currently Sun Liquor’s Gun Club. This is the second year Rob Roy is participating in Negroni Week, and they are donating $1 from every drink to the Seattle Animal Shelter.
Up on Capitol Hill, Rumba is serving a “Negrumi” for Negroni Week. Of the drink, bartender Jim Romdall says, “We use rum because we tend to put rum in everything at Rumba! We also add a dash of Benedictine that makes rum and gin play a little nicer together. The result is a Negroni variant that is a bit richer and softer than the classic, but still embodies the same style of aperitif cocktail.”
Chingroni – courtesy of Anu Apte
1 ounce Sun Liquor Gun Club gin
1 ounce Campari
½ ounce Sweet vermouth
½ ounce Bigallet China China
Combine all of the ingredients in a short glass filled with ice and stir. Garnish with an orange twist.
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.
negroniweek.com
robroyseattle.com
sunliquor.com/
seattle.gov/animalshelter/
rumbaonpike.com
Track on Twitter @negroniweek
negroniweek.com
