Every little thing’s gonna be alright.
Kingston Negroni.
I’m continuing to mark the anniversary of this blog by rewinding to the second drink I ever wrote about; the majestic Negroni. Again, we’ll look at an interesting variation of the classic formula – of which there are many. There are times that I just can’t decide between a Negroni and a Tiki drink. And that’s why I came up with the Kingston Negroni, which is simply a version that uses the mad funky Wray & Nephew overproof rum instead of gin and a grapefruit twist instead of orange. Damn, if it’s not good. The deep punchy dunder of the W&N is right at home with Campari and sweet vermouth – who knew? Well, apparently everyone knew. Because this is one of those times when you invent a drink that already exists, right down to the name. OK, existing versions use slightly different Jamaican rums but there’s still no way I can ethically claim dibs on this one. Never mind, it’s not a competition after all; we all learn from each other. And what we learn here is how amazingly versatile the Negroni formula is (or if we want to nit-pick how versatile the Americano formula is). Equal parts of sweet vermouth, Campari and almost anything else seldom go far wrong. It’s a secret formula that we should explore to the max, not least because the Negroni is one of the easiest cocktails to whip up. Over the coming weeks I’m planing to look at one or two more variations on the King of cocktails. Watch this space…
Kingston Negroni.
1.25oz / 37.5ml Wray & Nephew overproof rum*.
1.25oz / 37.5ml Punt e Mes sweet vermouth (or another sweet vermouth).
1.25oz / 37.5ml Campari
Stir with ice and strain into a DOF glass containing a large ice block and a grapefruit twist.
Toast Bob Marley (1945 – 1981). He didn’t drink but his music did get me through my teenage years.
* Or another funky Jamaican rum such as Smith & Cross or Coruba NPU.
