Chronicle Editor
Peter Matika
Drink of the week
IF you want to have a calm and relaxing evening with your partner or just by yourself and have a palate that can tolerate a bitter sweet taste then this week’s cocktail is especially for you.
The Negroni cocktail is the best way to kick-start a quiet evening before enjoying a sumptuous grilled steak, accompanied with a rack of chips and green salads of course.
The Negroni is a classic Italian cocktail that has been enjoyed for years and is quite a rare feat in most bars.
It is an ideal cocktail to open a meal, the Negroni is a bittersweet palate cleanser that makes way for the evening’s delights.
To enjoy the cocktail, you may want to have a bottle of sweet dry wine to keep you on the edge.
The cocktail is made of one thimbleful of gin, one thimbleful of vermouth (red, semi-sweet wine) and one of thimbleful Campari and garnished with an orange peel, which goes directly into the cocktail Mind you this drink can be taken with ice or in its warm state, which is highly recommended. The Negroni is considered an aperitif. Let me school you on the word aperitif: An aperitif is an alcoholic beverage usually served before a meal to stimulate the appetite and is usually dry rather than sweet.
And the Negroni is highly recommended to stimulate your appetite.
“A traditionally made Negroni is stirred, not shaken. It is built over ice in an oldfashioned or rocks glass and garnished with a slice of orange. This cocktail in Italy, outside Italy an orange peel is often used in place of an orange slice. Some may heat the peel with fire for a few seconds to attain a toasted scent, which is quite ideal for a meaty meal,” says James Mparutsa, our trusted mixologist extraordinaire.
Mparutsa has been tutoring me for a while now on cocktails and perhaps it’s about time I tried my newly found hobby.
So back to the drink, for me a person who enjoys bitter sweet drinks I will rate this with 8 stars. When taking the drink, you don’t necessarily have to rush through it but sip, understand and enjoy it. Sipping and letting it melt into your body would do you so much good, as you may want just one drink before your meal.
The Negroni’s history is really much unknown but as the liquid chef said as he constantly studies cocktail history, the Negroni originates from Italy but can be found across the globe.
“The story is that it was concocted by a member of the Negroni family asking the bartender to strengthen the Americano (cocktail) by adding gin, rather than the normal soda water. The bartender also added an orange garnish rather than the typical lemon garnish of the Americano to signify that it was a different drink.
“After the success of the cocktail, the Negroni family founded Negroni Distillery and produced a ready- made version of the drink, sold as Antico Negroni in the early 1900s.”
He said the bittersare excellent for your liver, while the gin may be bad but the combination exudes an excellent balance.
Till next week, have a blissful and tipsy weekend.
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R E M E M B E R alcohol is not for sale to persons under the age of 18 and let’s not forget to drink responsibly
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