The Negroni - Wine & Spirits Magazine

The Negroni


photos by Kelly Puleio

Author: by Gary Regan

Publisher: Ten Speed Press, May 2015

Price: $19

You might wonder how much there is to say about a single drink. When it comes to the Negroni—a gin, vermouth and Campari drink that’s a favorite among food-and-beverage industry types—there’s plenty, as Gary Regan demonstrates in his latest book. A former bartender and prolific author, Regan has uncovered a wealth of lore surrounding the Negroni, and has assembled a collection of historical recipes that explore the identity of the drink through its many permutations. He also employs the palates and creativity of friends in the bartending community for a chapter on new interpretations of the classic. Variations like Dave Wondrich’s Corn Goddess—muddled with fresh corn and tomatoes—or Jim Meehan’s East India Negroni, made with Lustau East India Sherry, rum and Campari, may stretch the category, yet retain the essential bittersweet balance that defines a Negroni.

Caitlin Griffith knew her future career would entail food and drink when, at the age of six, she munched an anchovy from her father’s Caesar salad thinking it as a small strip of bacon—and was more than pleasantly surprised. While enrolled in New York University’s Food Studies program, she learned the secrets of affinage in the caves of Murray’s Cheese.


This story appears in the print issue of June 2015.
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