One good thing: the Holy Trinity Negroni
A deliriously simple recipe
For a long time, the Negroni, to quoth Shania Twain, did not impress me much. The versions that I ordered at bars often arrived watery and separated, with cloyingly sweet Campari at the bottom, a lethal layer of gin at the top, and a tiny, red, good for nothing straw.
Then I started making Negronis. A 2016 trip to Lake Como introduced me to the Americano, a cocktail of soda water, sweet vermouth, and Campari (which tastes better in Italy than it does everywhere else). Like Count Camillo Negroni before me, back home, I sought to replicate the Americano but strengthen it by replacing the soda water with gin. I tried all sorts of gins, Campari-type aperitivi, and sweet vermouths.
A year or so ago, I stopped experimenting. I had stumbled on the holy trinity of ingredients, a trio that produces a Negroni neither too sweet nor too bitter, reminiscent of Ravello rather than Robitussin. My friend Hemant pointed out that this Negroni has the right weight to it. I hadn’t given much thought to the viscosity of the drink, but he’s right. You won’t find this in a dive bar. You should try this at home.
If you want to try another type of gin or sweet vermouth, go for it. What really makes this is the Faccia Brutto, which comes from Brooklyn and possesses none of the syrupy qualities of American Campari (I’m convinced the Italian version is made with a better recipe).
Recipe: Holy Trinity Negroni
Ingredients
One part Bordiga Occitan gin
One part Cocchi Vermouth di Torino
One part Faccia Brutto Aperitivo
Lemon twist (or orange, if you prefer)
Directions
Combine ingredients in a large glass or Pyrex. Stir vigorously and pour into a rocks glass filled with ice (ideally a big block, like one of these). Garnish with a lemon twist.