Neginigini, a new take on an old favourite...

Following on from the feedback I received on my Lockdown Martini a few weeks ago, and to show support for all our friends and family in Victoria, I thought I’d share another cocktail with you all.

The 'Neginigini' is a take on the classic Negroni which celebrated its centenary last year. I was lucky enough to visit Caffé Casoni in Florence where it is said that Count Negroni requested an Americano but with gin instead of soda water.

An Americano is simply a Campari with sweet vermouth, soda and orange or lemon garnish. It was invented by Gaspare Campari himself back in the 1860's but by 1919 Count Negroni didn't think it was strong enough, hence swapping out the non-alcoholic soda water with the very alcoholic gin!

The Neginigini is a simple and beautiful cocktail absolutely perfect now we're heading into spring and the weather is warming. Or for that matter (for those of you in the northern hemisphere) heading into autumn whilst the weather is still good. OK OK it's good for any time of the year! Here's how you make it..

Take your whisky tumbler and drop a large piece of ice in. I prefer to use a large ice ball as they melt slower but better to use a single large ice cube over a few smaller ones if possible. Spin the ice around to cool the bottom of the glass.

As with most cocktails the order is important so always start with the gin. As with a martini this is a huge topic and whilst there is no 'right' gin there are some wrong ones! Recently I've been using Four Pillars Negroni Spiced from Victoria but I can also recommend the Ambleside Big Dry from Hahndorf here in the Adelaide Hills. You can really play around with this variable but considering we're trying to cheer up our VIctorian friends let's stick with the Four Pillars.

Pour a small peg (a shade over 2cl) of gin directly over the ice then the same amount again of Campari. Watch the colour change to a magical shade of orange. The Campari is the only constant here, the other variable is the sweet vermouth. 

It may surprise you that I've been experimenting a bit with different Neginigini matching vermouths and I've yet to complete my research (it may take a lifetime) but two candidates thus far are the Cinzano 1757 Rosso and the Punt e Mes. Dolin Rouge is next on my list to try but even Martini Rosso works well. Pour a small peg into the glass and watch the colour darken like a British autumn sky.

So that's a Negroni, for a Neginigini you top up with soda and for the garnish I use a dehydrated grapefruit slice to give it that hint of bitterness. Stir gently until the colour is homogenised and the dried slice is oh so slightly submerged and there you have it... the Neginigini! 

Enjoy...