Happy birthday, Negroni! Yup, this triple-ingredient icon just reached the centenarian mark. The Negroni was created in Italy, circa early 1900s. The story goes, Count Camillo Negroni asked a bartender to strengthen his favorite cocktail, the Americano—created using vermouth, Campari and club soda—and the Negroni was born. At its core, the Negroni is about three things: gin (or substitutes of various alcohols), sweet vermouth and Campari—a genius bit of simplicity. The Negroni is a classic for a reason, following the rule of thirds, it’s one of the easiest cocktails to vary and create fun riffs on.
Who can resist a beautiful ruby-hued Negroni? Apparently, no one. Its Instagram hashtag has well over a half-million posts; it’s the second most sold cocktail in the world for five years running, according to an annual survey by “Drinks International”; spots like New York City’s Dante and Denver’s Bar Helix offer full-on Negroni menus; and it even has its own worldwide calendar slot, Negroni Week, born back in 2013. So maybe it’s time you learn a few things about the Negroni.
It has launched a thousand riffs (or at least dozens.) Bartenders love to get avid Negroni drinkers to try another drink in the Negroni family tree. From old classic drinks, like the Boulevardier (substitute bourbon for gin), to new classics, like the Negroni Bianco (bianco vermouth instead of sweet rosso) and the Tegroni (substitute tequila), to Bragroni – The Brandy Bar’s substitution of Brandy – the Negroni-inspired hits keep on coming.
Negroni Cocktail – Brandy, gin, Campari, sweet vermouth $7
Boulevardier Loosely translated, a boulevardier is a man-about-town. The magazine
“Boulevardier” was for expats living in Paris in the 1920s and the drink is both adaptable
& adored for its balance of bitter, boozy and sweet – brandy, Campari, sweet vermouth $7
Bra negroni – Douglas Fir brandy, Campari, sweet vermouth $7
Chocolate Negroni – Brandy, gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, chocolate $7
Aperol Negroni – Brandy, gin, Aperol, dry vermouth $7
US Flight ½ price
Sat 11/23 – Closing exhibition of Connie Bostic collages -3 – 5 p.m. meet the artist and pick up art purchases
Sat 11/23 – 7:30 Geriatric Juke Box entertains
Wed 12/11 – 7:00 “In the Company of Writers” – writers talk about their writings, inspirations, and the art of writing during this series co-sponsored by the North Carolina Writers Network and The Brandy Bar + Cocktails