twothirds

I had a Negroni last night at Town in San Carlos. Gawd–they butchered it. I think they actually gave me an Americano (less the soda) given it lacked a kick and the drink was on the brown side. It was also served with a lemon twist. At least they were able to redeem themselves with a Chimay served in the proper glass.

I still cannot believe how many bartenders butcher such a simple drink. They are able to whip out satisfying chick-tinis with ten different ingredients and please the lady folk, but they cannot hit the mark on a drink with three ingredients of equal parts? Pretty soon I will have to start interviewing bartenders before I order a drink.

So far, my biggest Negroni pet peeves are:

Serving Up
This drink is to be served on the rocks. Given the red hue of the drink, it can easily be mistaken for a fruity chick-tini. No self respecting man wants to be thought of as a chick-tini drinker.

Wrong Twist
There are a few different variations on the proper style of orange to go with the drink. The best recipes call for a flamed orange peel. I have only seen that done at one old-school bar in NYC. Chances are you will never see this done as it is labor intensive and most bartenders don’t give a crap.

Other variations call for an orange slice. This is quite acceptable as well, but not my preferred variation.

My favorite “middle ground” is an orange twist. Although, I am not talking about one of those pre-sliced twists that have been sitting around since the shift start at 4PM. I want a fresh twist sliced out of an orange with my glass in immediate range of all the orange zest oil that will shoot out. This gives such a favorable sweet subtleness to the drink. Mmmm. Orange oil.

Wrong Ingredients
Given the drink is three ingredients of equal parts, how can anyone manage to f- this up? Seriously…..1.5 oz gin, 1.5 oz sweet vermouth, 1.5 oz gin. Done!

Too bad it is only 10AM. If it were past Noon, I would mix myself up a favorable Negroni