Spirit of the age: why the negroni is London's drink of the decade

The mojito moment is over – nowadays it’s all about the bittersweet negroni. Richard Godwin analyses the Campari cocktail that’s defining the decade, plus where to find the 10 best in London
Bittersweet symphony: the negroni
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Richard Godwin8 May 2014

You can tell a lot about a decade by what people order in cocktail bars. Currently, one drink rolls off the tongue like no other. What the cosmopolitan was to the sugary Nineties and the mojito was to the minty-fresh Noughties, the negroni has become to the bittersweet 2010s. It is the order of the epoch, the drink that seems to capture, in its aromatic majesty, something of the spirit of the age.

The cognoscenti have been sipping this quintessentially Italian cocktail for some years now. The combination of equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth is one of the cornerstones of the craft cocktail revival, as well as the unofficial house drink of Russell Norman’s Polpo empire — arguably the most influential set of restaurants of the past decade.

However, unlike such hipster phenomena as the unicycle and 2Ci, the negroni has made strides in the mainstream. These days, you’re just as likely to be served one at a vicarage as you are at a Peckham speakeasy. Soon, we will hear tales of estate agents adding £100,000 to the asking price of one-beds near negroni bars, while Negroni Rage will hit Brixton Market as tensions between hipsters and locals flare. As we speak, a BBC2 commissioner is trying to work out a format for the Great British Negroni Challenge.

Its appeal can be explained simply, in that the negroni is delicious — complex, not-too-sweet, strong and refreshing, the perfect portal between work and play. As a classic aperitivo, it whets the appetite for a night on the cicchetti with your Instagram friends like nothing else. Its bitterness (thanks to the Campari) makes it seem rather sophistiqué — just the thing to give your BBQ a certain élan.

It is vintage too, invented by the Count Negron in Naples, according to a well-worn legend — and while Orson Welles was fond of them, it has never enjoyed anything like its current vogue. That gives it the appeal of a lost classic, a bit like that moment when Pink Moon by Nick Drake appeared on a Volkswagen advert.

Even more importantly for £££-sensitive bar managers, it is easy to make — much less time-consuming than a mojito, for example. It’s even easier if you plumb it in, à la Pizza Pilgrims or Soho Diner. It’s so easy, in fact, you can do it at home, no probs.

As Norman writes in the Polpo cookbook, a negroni should be made with 25ml gin, 25ml Campari and 25ml sweet vermouth, mixed over ice with a slice of orange. “Don’t mess with these proportions. They are perfect as they are.”

Still, you can vary each element — a bit like those children’s mix-and-match books, where you put the clown’s head on the banker’s body and the tutu on the frogman. Try subbing the gin with different base spirits: a negroni made with tequila is called a negrita (very fine), while a popular variation is the Boulevardier, which uses bourbon.

And it’s worth playing around with the other bits too. Cynar (a bitter Italian artichoke-based liqueur) is good in place of Campari, while Aperol will just about do the trick. I like the fruity simplicity of Martini and Rossi, vermouth-wise, but you can fiddle around with this too. Maybe try a sherry instead?

My own particular favourite is as follows: 25ml Zubrowka Bison Grass vodka, 25ml Kamm & Sons (a bitter ginseng liquer) and 25ml Lillet Blanc (a sweet French aperitif wine.) Have your bartender make one today.

London negronis - in pictures

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WHO MAKES THE BEST NEGRONI IN LONDON?

10 negronis recommended by 10 Londoners who love them:

Polpetto

Fay Maschler, restaurant critic, Evening Standard

Sbagliato translates as “mistaken”, “misunderstood” or, in the case of a negroni, “wrong”, which is why I empathise with it as a peculiarly attractive word. The transgression is the inclusion of prosecco in place of gin, which, as Russell Norman has observed, makes it extremely easy to drink — another reason to like it, although I find most drinks easy. The marble-topped bar in Florence Knight’s beckoning, cosseting Venice-inspired restaurant in Berwick Street Market is the best place for a Negroni Sbagliato or two or three; the wrong drink in irrefutably the right place.

11 Berwick Street, W1, polpetto.co.uk

Ombra

Richard Godwin, The Spirits columnist, Evening Standard

Located on a little palazzo by the Hackney rialto, Ombra brings a whiff of Venice to a rather less prepossessing corner of east London. A low-key, chaotically run sort of place, it is a favourite of local artists who turn up for the good fresh pasta, arancini, cured meats and range of Spritzes — or, if in search of something a little stronger, a negroni. On the right sort of evening, you’ll slip into another place altogether.

1 Vyner Street, E2, ombrabar.com

Liquor Cabinet

Felix Cohen, founder, the Manhattans Project

My current favourite is at the Liquor Cabinet on Hackney Road; it’s a really nice little venue and they batch, prepare all their cocktails, which is brilliant for ensuring a consistent negroni. They use fantastic, very clean Three Corners gin, which lets the drink’s balance really work without overpowering. It’s also over the road from Sager & Wilde, so I can then satisfy my wine and cheese toastie cravings too. For the Manhattans Project house negroni we use Plymouth Gin, Punt e Mes and Martini Bitter — a bit punchier, which I love.

184 Hackney Road, E2, liquorcabinet.co.uk

Mark’s Bar Soho

Adam Hyman, founder, The CODE Bulletin

Mark Hix is a big fan of the negroni, so you’re in safe hands, and the clubby surroundings here make the perfect spot for a negroni, or two. I like the seats in the corner near the stairs for a view of the bar, people-watching and keeping an eye on who comes in. Theirs is made from Campari, Tanqueray gin and the bar manager Myles Davies prefers to use Antica formula, which makes it richer and darker in colour. They serve it over a ball of ice in a cut glass tumbler with a slice of orange, just as it should be.

HIX, 66-70 Brewer Street, W1, marksbar.co.uk

Artesian Bar at The Langham

Gary Sharpen, co-founder, Cocktail Lovers

Dropping in on Alex Kratena and his team is not unlike a visit to my favourite tailor. While they’ve designed the world’s best cocktail list, ordering a bespoke negroni at Artesian (right) is as much about the friendly yet subtly formal conversation as the finished article. They remember my tastes, quiz me on opinions and trends, make suggestions on ingredients and styles, then deftly move me to something new. Tequila replacing gin, Chartreuse substituting Campari, English usurping Italian vermouth, served straight up, even topped with champagne. Sipping on the finished drink, like slipping on the finished suit, is familiar yet surprising, making me feel sharp, elegant and ready to face the world.

1c Portland Place, W1, artesian-bar.co.uk

Quo Vadis

Jennie Rae, writer, Barchick

Quo Vadis is our hangout for meetings, and when we’re not on coffee (or drinking when it’s acceptable) negronis are our first choice. You can always rely on the guys here to knock up a perfect classic version. They build it in a rock glass with Campari, Cocchi di Torino sweet vermouth and Tanqueray gin and a wedge of bloody orange. No tricks or frills — just a perfectly balanced cocktail. If you’re lucky, Luca will make it — all negronis taste better when made by a hot Italian, right?!

26-29 Dean Street, W1, quovadissoho.co.uk

Portobello Star

Rebecca Seal, food writer, ES Magazine

Negronis here are carefully crafted (as are the names of the cocktails on the rest of the list). This dinky bar is low on adornment, meaning you can better concentrate on the very serious business of drinking. If you want a truly personalised negroni, book in for a session at the Ginstitute upstairs and blend your own gin to go in one. Co-owner Jake Burger is one of the biggest and most loved personalities in the booze world and attracts some of the world’s best bartenders to work there.

171 Portobello Road, W11, portobellostarbar.co.uk

Little Bar

Kate Lough, Bar Gazer writer, Evening Standard

“Hidden gem” is overused when it comes to bars but ex-food critic Madeleine Lim’s tiny, no-pretences place on Mitcham Road in Tooting fits the bill. Here drinks are drinks (the c-word is banned) and there’s a whole list dedicated to negronis (all at £6.50). You can go to town substituting Martin Miller gin for bourbon, Aperol and prosecco, but I’d make the journey over and over from Victoria Park to Tooting to order the classic. Failing that, ask Martin to swap the Martini Rosso for Punt e Mes, the king of dark Italian vermouths, which hits the bittersweet spot just right.

145 Mitcham Road, SW17, @LittleBarSW17

Upstairs at the Ten Bells

Missy Flynn, bar consultant, Rita’s

After margaritas, negronis are my favourite drink. I like to stick to tradition, keeping the proportions equal — and using a good-quality gin and vermouth is most important. The sweet spot of the three ingredients coming together is the point where there is just that right amount of dilution and the botanical flavours of the gin and the spice of the vermouth is strung together with the lively fresh zestiness of an orange slice. One twist on the typical flavour profile of a negroni that I enjoy is the Hendrick’s gin version here. The manager Jack fixed one for me last year and I think it was the Cocchi Vermouth di Torino that really made it, served simply in a tumbler.

84 Commercial Street, E1, tenbells.com

The Long Bar at the Sanderson

Katie Law, feature writer, Evening Standard

Negronis are my favourite cocktail because they’re both powerfully alcoholic and aromatically sweet, tempered by bitterness. They also remind me of happy times spent in Italy. The Sanderson Bar in Berners Street serves the best I’ve tasted in London for a long time. The barman gets the proportions just right, ie, equal quantities of a decent red vermouth such as Martini Rosso, Campari rather than Aperol and a good-quality, straight gin. No fancy flavours. A twist of orange to finish and not too much ice. The buzzy atmosphere of the bar, which never lets up even as the lights go down hugely enhances one’s enjoyment of the drink.

Sanderson Hotel, 50 Berners Street, W1, morganshotelgroup.com/sanderson

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