In my 15-plus years as a food-and-drink writer, there’s one cocktail that my opinion has shifted the most markedly about — the Negroni. When I was but a young tippler, I derided the drink as combining three ingredients that nobody likes (gin, Campari and vermouth) to create a cocktail that nobody likes.
Dear readers, I was so wrong. As my palate matured, I began to love the balance of bitter and sweet, the subtle changes that come from subbing out the gin or vermouth with a new spirit, and the many variations on the ultra-simple Negroni. I love to make them at home, but I also enjoy them during a bar outing — except for a recent incident where a young bartender said she adds simple syrup to her Negroni because “otherwise it’s too bitter.” Bless her heart.
Sept. 16 through 22 is officially Negroni Week, when bars across the globe celebrate the cocktail by serving up classic versions and new variations, with proceeds going to charity. Over the past decade, Negroni Week (sponsored by Campari, the only non-substitutable ingredient in the cocktail) has donated more than $5 million to charity, and this year’s beneficiary is Slow Food.
The official Negroni Week website maintains a list of participating bars and restaurants, and Nashville is well-represented, with 16 venues already signed up and more being added daily. Establishments that commit to at least a $250 donation are deemed “premium donors,” and Nashville’s current premium donors include Four Walls, Tall Tales Rooftop Bar, Rosemary & Beauty Queen, The Fox Bar & Cocktail Club and Carne Mare. Individual bars make up their own special offers for Negroni Week, like Carne Mare’s trio of variations that they’ll be serving, a Mezcal Negroni, a Bianco Negroni and the classic Boulevardier.
Other restaurants are having a little competitive fun, like sister properties Etch and etc., which invite you to try each of their variations to choose whose Negroni reigns supreme. As a preview, Etch is going with a very traditional recipe, exactly like I make at home: 1 ounce Carpano Antica, 1 ounce Tanqueray Gin, 1 ounce Campari. At etc., they’re tweaking the ingredients and ratios a little bit: 1.25 ounce Junipero gin, 0.75 oonce Campari, 1 ounce Cocchi di Torino Vermouth. That’s part of the fun of a Negroni!
Other participating venues include The Ariston, Cumberland Bar, The Goat SoBro and Germantown, The Sun Room, White Limozeen, Lakeside Lounge, Ernie’s Boondock, and Up-Down. All you have to do to participate is visit any (or all) of these establishments and enjoy the bitter beauty of a proper Negroni.
