Cherry Negroni
Did you know that this week is Negroni Week? An entire week dedicated to the classic bitter and oh, so boozy cocktail–it’s dreamy! Given that imbibe on the regular, I felt it was my duty to create something fresh and new to celebrate, and so, the Cherry Negroni was born.
A classic negroni is made with 1 part gin, 1 part Campari, and 1 part sweet vermouth. It’s boozy, bitter, and absolutely delicious. The aromatic cocktail dates back to the 20th century.
The story goes like this: Count Camillo Negroni concocted it by asking the bartender at Caffè Casoni, Fosco Scarselli, to strengthen his favorite cocktail, the Americano, by substituting gin in place of 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.
^^You know, just in case you were wondering.
While I love the original recipe, I thought I would shake things up for summer. Immediately upon entering my local grocery store earlier this week, I spotted ruby red cherries lining the shelves and knew exactly how I was going to reinvent the vintage cocktail.
This Cherry Negroni combines gin, Campari, and, rather than the original sweet vermouth, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur. It’s sweet like the vermouth, but it adds a pop of fresh cherry flavor. To infuse the negroni with even more cherry goodness, fresh cherries get muddled with the Luxardo before adding the gin and Campari.
The key component to a well made negroni is using high-quality ingredients and diluting the mixture before pouring it over ice. This cocktail is stirred, not shaken. Once the cherries are muddled with the Luxardo, stir in the gin and Campari. Add a handful of ice and stir a good 30x to dilute. Pour over large cubes of ice and garnish with an orange peel and cherry.
Cherry Negroni
Yield: 1 cocktail
Total Time: 5 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 pitted cherries, plus more for garnish
- 1 ounce maraschino liqueur (I prefer Luxardo)
- 1 ounce gin
- 1 ounce Campari
- Orange peel for garnish
Directions:
- In a cocktail shaker, muddle cherries and maraschino liqueur. Stir in the gin and Campari.
- Add a handful of ice. Using a bar spoon, stir the mixture 30x to dilute. Transfer to a double old fashioned glass with ice. Garnish with a cherry and orange peel.
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