There are some pretty out-there flavours going into gin at the moment but what can you do with them? Here are 7 that we love adding into our negroni that gives the cocktail a whole new dimension right in time for World Negroni Week.
Humbly referred to as the perfect cocktail by many in hospitality, the negroni is a simple yet effective drink. But here are 7 ways to tweak your negroni and really amp up flavours this World Negroni Week.
With just three ingredients in equal parts, the negroni has to be one of the easiest cocktails to make. But each ingredient plays such a powerful role, and each balances against the others.
Cocktails generally should have three elements observed to make it balance: bitter, sweet and spirit.
From this template you can create anything. And a negroni ticks all boxes.
#1 - Bitter.
Orange aperitifs like Campari—or even better, Poor Toms Distillery’s Imbroglio or 78 Degrees Distillery’s Bitter Orange Aperitif give the drink its bitterness and its distinctive orange flavour.
#2 - Sweet.
Vermouth like Maidenii Sweet Vermouth adds the sweetness (and depth of colour) but also tempers the heat from the alcohol.
#3 gin.
This is the spirit of the cocktail, but also the savoury element from the juniper and spice from other botanicals, not to mention all kinds of other flavours you usually find with high-quality gin.
And it’s this element we’re going to play with today to amp up flavours in your negroni like you’ve never tasted!
With so many out-of-the-ordinary gins on the Australian market at the moment, adding half a measure of any of these as well as half a measure of your regular London dry gin will give you a signature flavour to your negronis that everyone will want to try.
So that makes your negroni 1 part vermouth, 1 part orange aperitif, ½ part regular gin, ½ part signature flavour gin.
This rich dark gin that’s almost purple from the added Sangiovese grapes not only gives your negroni a beautiful moody dark colour, but also a depth of flavour that you’ll never achieve with regular gin alone.
Stone Pine’s gins are already world class, but the addition of fresh rhubarb at the end of the gin-making process gives this one a vibrant pink colour that comes out in your negroni too.
Not only that, but the tart sharpness and elegance the rhubarb adds a whole new dimension.
Science in a bottle, this gin somehow makes the little balls of pink finger lime caviar, which usually sit at the bottom of a bottle, float throughout the gin—a process that’s taken distiller Lee Etherington 10 years.
The incredible colour of this gin from finger lime and hibiscus is spicy and citrusy, while the finger lime caviar acts as a fascinating garnish.
Insanely potent yet smooth as velvet, this 69% ABV gin (that’s 138% proof!) really dials up your negroni.
Slightly oaky with vanilla and a range of other spices like ginger, wormwood and cassia bark means the flavours of this gin—along with its broad-shouldered oomph will really stand out in the crowd.
Hailing from a mystery spot somewhere on the West Australian coast, Old Macdonald’s Gin Distillery has crafted something wonderful in this gin.
Floral notes along with silky honey from local beehives lay the foundation for a zesty, spicy gin that plays with makrut lime leaves and Javanese cubeb berries.
Superb in a G&T, this gin also magnifies the sweetness and herbaceous elements of your negroni.
When something works in a cocktail, why not try adding more of it?
The ripe resinous notes from whole blood oranges and the bright tantalising citrus from exotic yuzu (very on-trend at the moment) blend magnificently with Original Spirit Co’s Classic Dry Gin.
The result in a negroni is a really amped up orange tone that’s as refreshing as it is indulgent.
Piling flavours from native Davidson plums, dessert limes and strawberry gum onto the already-delicious base of Goodradigbee’s Freshwater classic dry gin, the pinkness and fruitiness of Blush highlights the sturdy juniper and citrus but also the sweetness of the vermouth and sharpness of the orange aperitif.
