Tis always the season to Negroni. This time, with a holiday twist.
Welcome back to my mad scientist lair of culinary experiments and mixology. To this season, I propose we ditch our proletariat egg nog and level up. Who still drinks egg nog, anyway?
And so, I propose the Noel Negroni. Made that name up myself. Please don’t Google and burst my bubble with screenshots of the trademark in the results.
Gonna break this down like a recipe page, minus having you scroll a solid 13 minutes past the history of Negronis and an explanation of why Christmas falls on the 25th of the Gregorian calendar.
Get you:
• 1 oz gin
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 1 oz cranberry-infused Campari (instructions below)
• 1 dash of bitters
• Garnish: Cinnamon stick
For the Cranberry-Infused Campari
• 1 cup Campari
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 small piece of orange peel
Instructions: combine campari, cranberries, orange peels and cinnamon stick in a jar or container. Let infuse for 24-48 hours.
Next: fill a mixing glass with ice, add the gin, sweet vermouth, cranberry infused Campari, and orange bitters. Stir. Strain into a rocks glass. Throw cinnamon stick in there. Serve to your bougie aunt Grace (who insists you pronounce it Gr-AHS because she spent two weeks in France and conveniently slips in comments about how Le Petite Maison in Cannes served the best Negronis during Film Festival. She might not compliment your mixology prowess, but if you blink, you might miss her slightly arched, impressed brow.
Cheers and happy holidays!
