Kingston Negroni

You might define a really, really good cocktail as one that is perfect just how it is, requiring no alterations. So it's a bit funny that it's the really good cocktails that get riffed on and played around with the most. It's not a bad way to experiment, especially if you're new to designing your own drinks: take a formula you know you love and try swapping out one of the ingredients. Maybe it won't work right away; craft cocktail recipes are carefully-tuned, and switching something out may require a bit less or more of something. Figuring out exactly what works can be really interesting, and good practice for building your own recipes from scratch.

It's hard to find a cocktail more beloved (or one with more variations) than the Negroni. Its simplicity is what makes it great, and also what makes it easy to adjust. Like whiskey more than gin? Try a Boulevardier. Find Campari too bitter? Use Aperol instead. Want something a bit lighter? Substitute dry vermouth for the usual sweet. I've seen some Negroni variations get quite elaborate (and in my book it's debatable whether it's still a Negroni once you veer away from the formula of three-ingredients-including-gin) but like great cocktails, great variations are often simple as well.

In that spirit I give you the Kingston Negroni. It's simple as can be: use rum instead of gin. Specifically a Jamaican rum if you have one. Jamaican rums are quite unique. They are fermented longer than most rums, and this process often includes something called "dunder" or "muck," essentially the leftover stuff from previous distillations, which is left exposed to the ambient air and microbes before being added to a fresh batch of rum. If that sounds pretty gross, it kind of is - descriptions of the muck pits at Jamaican distilleries are not exactly appealing. But the product of this fermentation is then distilled in pot stills, leaving behind anything questionable and yielding a rum that has a truly singular quality called "hogo." The word refers to the funky, fruity flavor that separated Jamaican rum from others. As my virtual friend and rum afficionado Faith writes, the hogo of Jamaican rum is similar to the smokiness of Islay Scotch - a unique flavor quality that comes from the local practices and separates it from other spirits in the same category.

Like a smoky Scotch, a truly funky Jamaican rum can be a bit polarizing. I recently bought a bottle of Smith & Cross, the recommended rum for this cocktail, and wow is it funky. It's honestly a little much for me. I currently prefer Appleton Estate in this drink, which still has those critical qualities but tones down the funkiness in comparison. If you're a Jamaican rum novice, the Signature Blend is the bottle I'd recommend. I use it in tons of cocktails.

Jamaican rum makes the Kingston Negroni a bit sweeter and fruitier while still maintaining the balanced and bitter essence of the original drink. If you like Negronis, you've got to try this twist.

History: The Kingston Negroni was created by Joaquín Simó at Pouring Ribbons, one of my favorite bars in New York. He invented it immediately after tasting Smith & Cross for the first time.

Kingston Negroni

1 oz. Jamaican rum
1 oz. sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica recommended)
1 oz. Campari

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube. Garnish with an orange twist.

Recipe and history from Punch.

Mr. Fancypants

Guys, I am so excited about this cocktail. This is officially my first cocktail recipe that is on an actual cocktail menu. You can go to Darwin's Ltd. in Cambridge and order a Mr. Fancypants. And they won't look at you like you're crazy! Despite the silly name I gave it.

Darwin's Ltd. is a chain of cafes in Cambridge that I've been a fan of for a long time. Their location near Harvard was my go-to for lattes and lunch during my postdoc. The Mt. Auburn Street location is a good place to pick up a bottle of wine or some craft beer. But their location on Massachusetts Avenue actually serves wine, beer, and cocktails. They have a cordials license, which is a weird Massachusetts thing - they can't serve hard liquor like straight whiskey, gin, rum, or vodka, but they can serve liqueurs. And there are a lot of great drinks you can make with just liqueurs!

The Mr. Fancypants is a riff on the Boulevardier, one of my favorite cocktails. That's the reason for the name - "boulevardier" basically refers to a fashionable, wealthy person, a man-about-town. The evening I was working on the cocktail, my husband was trying on some new clothes he had ordered, and the prints he had chosen were a bit flashier than what he usually wears. I said, "Look at you, Mr. Fancypants," and that was that.

The base of this cocktail is a spiced rum that is a-ok for a cordials license, and it also contains some of Darwin's spectacular cold brew coffee. If you want to make it at home and don't have spiced rum, try substituting an aged rum. Apple brandy is also excellent.

But if you live in the Boston area, please go check out Darwin's and order one!! I love spots where you can order a drink and work on your laptop or linger with a book, and Darwin's is absolutely perfect for that. They serve wine, beer, and cocktails all day in addition to tons of tasty food and some of the best coffee in town.

Mr. Fancypants

3/4 oz. spiced rum
3/4 oz. sweet vermouth
3/4 oz. Campari
3/4 oz. cold brew coffee

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice and garnish with an orange twist. Aren't you fancy!

Recipe Round-Up: The Negroni

Unless you're living under a rock (or, you know, not on social media), you probably know that it's Negroni Week! Sponsored by Imbibe and Campari, this is a week-long celebration of what is arguably the cocktail world's favorite drink. Bars around the country serve Negronis and Negroni variations, with proceeds from the drinks going to various charities. I'm only getting in on the tail end of the week, but if you're reading this before June 10th, see what venues are serving Negronis for a good cause near you here.

The Negroni and I have a tumultuous history. When I first tried one, I did not like it at all, and I said as much in my original Negroni post three years ago. In the cocktail world, thinking that Negronis are anything less than amazing is a fairly controversial opinion, but I was prepared to stand by it unless I magically developed a taste for them. And I did. Not magically, exactly; I think it was a combination of buying better sweet vermouth (and storing it properly in the refrigerator) and developing a taste for more bitter drinks in general. Other less polarizing cocktails eased me into the flavors of the Negroni, and before I knew it I was a convert. But I still understand how someone might not enjoy them, especially if they're new to Campari or cocktails in general. So whether you love a classic Negroni or are looking for your gateway drink, I've rounded up some Negroni variations in honor of this iconic equal-parts cocktail.

Assume that all of these should be stirred over ice and strained into a rocks glass over ice (though the last two can also be served in a coupe). Alternatively you can build them in the glass for an even easier cocktail.

Classic Negroni

1 oz. gin
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. sweet vermouth
Orange twist

The original: easy to remember, easy to make, and always great. Opinions will differ on the best gin and sweet vermouth for the job, but my go-tos are The Botanist or Wire Works and either Cocchi Vermouth di Torino or Carpano Antica Formula.

White Negroni

2 oz. gin
1 oz. Lillet Blanc
3/4 oz. Suze
Lemon twist

This variant from London bartender Wayne Collins is actually a lot more yellow than white, but let's not nitpick. Suze and Lillet make this Negroni a bit lighter but more herbal. It does diverge from the typical equal parts ratio, since Suze can be a bit overpowering. See my full post on this drink here.

Negroni Bianco 

1 oz. gin
1 oz. Luxardo Bitter Bianco
1 oz. blanc vermouth
Orange or grapefruit twist

This truly white Negroni is known as the Negroni Bianco, and it is my favorite drink on this list. In fact, it's easily one of my favorite drinks of all time. (Someone told me recently that I say that a lot on here. Well, tough. It's true, especially in this case.) It's beautifully light and balanced, still bitter but not overpowering. It would be a perfect introductory Negroni. I wish I'd had one years ago - I might have started liking Negronis sooner.

Special Negroni

1 oz. gin
1 oz. Aperol
1 oz. Lillet Blanc
Orange twist

I have a feeling this recipe exists under other names, but ever since I was served one at Canary Square in Boston, I call it the Special Negroni. This is the ultimate introductory Negroni - milder, sweeter, and a bit more citrusy, but still preserving all the crucial parts of the original.

Toffee Negroni

1 oz. aged rum
1 oz. Aperol
1 oz. Amontillado sherry
Grapefruit twist

I had never heard of this Negroni until I saw it in Kara Newman's equal parts cocktail book Shake. Stir. Sip. Created by Lynette Marrero, it has a deep toffee sweetness with just the right amount of bitterness.

Deconstructed Negroni

1 oz. gin
3/4 oz. dry vermouth
Dehydrated Campari
Orange twist

This one is a bit more of a novelty than a go-to recipe, but it seemed like I ought to include it. A bartender at Roosevelt in Denver told me how they dehydrated Campari and used it to serve a colorless Negroni with a Campari rim. I tried it at home and was pretty pleased with the result. See how to make it here.

Boulevardier

1 1/2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. sweet vermouth

This is another drink that definitely goes on my list of all-time favorites. I find the juniper notes of gin one of the more polarizing things about a Negroni, and subbing in bourbon makes a smoother drink that's more akin to a Manhattan. Say what you will, but I'll order a Boulevardier over a Negroni any day. See my original post on the Boulevardier (from before I developed my undying love for this cocktail) here.

Old Pal

1 oz. rye
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. dry vermouth
Orange twist

A close relative of the Boulevardier, the Old Pal is an even lighter cocktail that uses dry vermouth instead of sweet. You can take it one step further and try a Pen Pal, which additionally swaps the Campari for Aperol.

I've seen a ton of other interesting Negroni variations this week... what's your favorite?

Jungle Bird

I've got one final Tiki cocktail for you before January's #TikiTheSnowAway campaign ends! It's been a fun month - I tried some new recipes and learned a lot about rum and Tiki drinks. It was definitely a welcome contrast to the cold and snow.

While the Jet Pilot, Navy Grog, and Zombie are all essential Tiki cocktails that date back to the early days of the movement, the Jungle Bird is more like a new classic. It's an extremely popular Tiki cocktail, and one that a lot of other Drinkstagrammers made this month at one point or another. The unique thing about it is the inclusion of Campari, a bitter aperitif that is definitely not part of the traditional Tiki repertoire. As a result, this cocktail provides a fresh take on the usual Tiki formula. It's got all the tropical flavors you expect with a wonderfully bitter twist at the end of your sip. If you like it, you might also enjoy the Bitter Mai Tai, another Tiki drink that includes Campari.

History: The Jungle Bird was invented at the Kuala Lumpur Hilton around 1978. The recipe was included in Beachbum Berry Remixed.

Jungle Bird

1 1/2 oz. black blended rum

3/4 oz. Campari

2 oz. pineapple juice

1/2 oz. lime juice

1/2 oz. SC Demerara syrup*

Combine all ingredients in a mixing tin with crushed ice and a few large agitator cubes. Shake well or flash blend and open pour into a Collins or highball glass. Garnish with pineapple leaves.

*For Smuggler's Cove's Demerara syrup, bring 2 parts water to a boil and whisk in 1 part Demerara sugar. Then add 3 parts granulated sugar and stir until dissolved. Let cool before using.

Recipe adapted from Smuggler's Cove.

Tequila Old Fashioned

Since I'm not making cocktails during my pregnancy, I've invited some fellow bloggers and cocktail enthusiasts to write guest posts and share their recipes. Today's guest blogger is Instagrammer Morgan Hufstetler!

This past fall I moved to Florida and wanted an Old Fashioned, however it was 85 degrees outside and well, tequila sounded more refreshing. But don't wait till fall to drink this refreshingly boozy concoction. It's a great little drink that doesn't require too many steps and is extremely well-balanced. The bitterness of the Campari is offset by the elderflower liqueur and the Ancho Reyes and tequila pair nicely together.

Tequila Old Fashioned

1 1/2 oz. tequila reposado
3/4 oz. Ancho Reyes
1/2 oz. Campari
1/4 oz. elderflower liqueur (such as St. Germain)

Stir with ice and strain over a giant ice cube or spherical and garnish with a flamed orange twist.

All In

It's been a big month for Garnish! After a year and a half of quietly blogging, a lot of things seemed to happen at once. I was pretty amazed to hit 2000 Instagram followers this week - if you're one of them, thank you! I'm so flattered that people enjoy my photos and my drinks. I got to attend my first cocktail competition, the Boston qualifier for the Diplomático World Tournament (which I sort of live-tweeted, if you want to take a look at the nine entries). I met a bunch of my fellow Boston bloggers in person, including Mr. Muddle and Boston Bar Hopper, which was really fun. And I had some great collaborations with Hooch, Drizly, and Cocktail Builder.

On top of all that, I've just started a new collaboration that I'm particularly excited about. Garnish is now officially partnered with Muddle & Stir, a fantastic site that sells bar tools, glassware, and mixers such as bitters, shrubs, and syrups. I'm going to do a post soon featuring a few of their products to give them a proper introduction, but I definitely wanted to let you guys know as soon as possible that Garnish readers can get 10% off and free shipping on everything at Muddle & Stir with the discount code MS10GB. This is a great deal, as their prices are already quite good. So go check out their products and buy something new for your bar! And stay turned for more about our partnership and details on some of my favorite products on the site.

Let's celebrate with a cocktail, shall we?

I've come a long way from the days when I thought that the only good use for crème de cacao was in a chocolate martini or a Brandy Alexander. The Flushing - Main Street and the 20th Century both convinced me that this can be a much more versatile spirit than I realized. So when I saw this recipe pairing it with Campari, I was, well, all in. This cocktail is a riff on the Old Pal, which is made with equal parts rye, Campari, and dry vermouth. The All In changes up the proportions a bit and makes the critical addition of crème de cacao. The hint of chocolate plays beautifully with the bitter, citrusy flavor of the Campari and the rich, spicy rye.

History: The All In comes from Natasha David at Nitecap in New York City.

All In

1 1/2 oz. rye
3/4 oz. dry vermouth
3/4 oz. Campari
1/4 oz. creme de cacao

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled. Strain into a coupe and garnish with a lemon twist.

Recipe from Punch.

Paris Between the Wars

I'm not much of a hard cider drinker these days. When I was in college, I found it to be a nice alternative to beer, which I really didn't have much of a taste for. But eventually I saw the error of my ways and ditched the cider in favor of a good IPA. I do think the idea of hard cider as a cocktail ingredient is a pretty intriguing one. It's got the fizz and sparkle of champagne with a decidedly different flavor. And the Paris Between the Wars uses it perfectly.

This lovely cocktail combines bitter Campari, rich Scotch, and sparkling hard cider with lemon and simple syrup. It's sweet, bitter, and tart all at once. Together the flavors are wonderfully rich. It's an elegant, unexpected cocktail that I'd happily make again and again.

The flavor of this drink will definitely be influenced by the hard cider you use. I had a couple of bottles of Angry Orchard left over from a party, and while I still really enjoyed the cocktail, it's definitely optimized for a drier cider. If you're using something sweeter like I did, I recommend reducing the simple syrup a little. Or not - try it and see what you like!

History: Isn't Paris Between the Wars such a wonderfully evocative name? This cocktail was invented by Abigail Gullo at Sobou in New Orleans, and I wish I knew how she chose the name. Whatever the reason, it's oddly fitting for this elegant, bittersweet libation.

It turns out there are a few different versions of this recipe out there. This one from the Daily Meal uses more Scotch, honey simple syrup, and pear cider. And Sobou's menu replaces the Campari with Luxardo bitter. There's definitely some room to play around with these ingredients, but I like Imbibe's version below just fine.

Paris Between the Wars

3/4 oz. Scotch
3/4 oz. Campari
1/2 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. simple syrup
3 oz. dry hard cider (Crispin recommended)

Combine all ingredients except cider in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a champagne glass. Top with cider and garnish with a lemon twist.

Recipe from Imbibe.

Bitter Mai Tai

I've got another Tiki cocktail today! The Bitter Mai Tai is a twist on a very traditional Tiki beverage, the classic Mai Tai. This version replaces a good bit of the rum with bitter, citrusy Campari for an entirely different experience. Given the name, I was surprised when I took a sip and immediately thought it tasted exactly like Hawaiian Punch - sweet and fruity. The bitterness hits you a fraction of a second after that first taste. From its bright red hue to its intense flavor, this is a great cocktail for when you really want to make an impact.

History: This recipe comes from Jeremy Oertel of Dram in Brooklyn. He based the recipe on another Mai Tai variation that used Angostura bitters instead of rum (which I think I've got to try).

Bitter Mai Tai

1 1/2 oz. Campari
3/4 oz. Jamaican rum (substitute any aged rum)
1/2 oz. orange Curacao
1 oz. lime juice
3/4 oz. orgeat

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice and shake until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice. Heap more crushed ice on top. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

Recipe from Imbibe.

Deconstructed Negroni

It seems it's Negroni Week! All my favorite sites have been exploding with Negronis and Negroni variations. Few cocktails have such a loyal, enthusiastic following as the Negroni. It makes me even more ashamed to admit that it's really not my favorite cocktail. But that doesn't mean I can't still appreciate it. Plus, with all these twists and variations on the classic gin/Campari/sweet vermouth formula, I'm bound to find a version I'm more on board with. For example, I'm pretty sure I'd adore the Contessa, made with gin, dry vermouth, and Aperol.

This sudden focus on Negronis reminded me of something I've been wanting to try for a while now: dehydrating spirits. A bartender at Roosevelt in Denver introduced me to the concept. They do it with Campari and Green Chartreuse, and he said they used the Campari to make a "white Negroni" with gin and dry vermouth. (Incidentally, there's a more popular White Negroni out there, made with gin, Lillet, and Suze - another recipe I'd love to try.) I decided it was high time I dehydrated some Campari and tried this for myself.

Dehydrating spirits is very easy, especially if you have a dehydrator. Most come with little pans for making fruit rolls that are also perfect for liquids. Just put one in place, pour in your booze, and let it run 12-36 hours. I tried running it overnight at first, and thought the whole thing was a bust - the Campari was thick and sticky, but not crystallized at all. I stirred it up a bit and spread it out and found a few patches of solids I hadn't been able to see. After that it dried out quite quickly. I scraped it up and pounded it into small pieces using a muddler. I didn't take photos, but Camper English has the whole process documented over at Alcademics. He's also got an alternative method for those of you who don't own dehydrators: doing it in the oven.

The crystallized Campari makes for a really cool ingredient. It's very pretty, and tastes about like you'd expect - sweet and herbal at first, and then extremely, wonderfully bitter. For my Deconstructed Negroni, I ran an orange wedge around the edge of my glass and dipped it in the Campari, then added gin, dry vermouth, and an orange peel. Of course, a true Negroni is made with sweet vermouth, but then you lose the visual contrast between the clear liquids and the red solids. It's almost like the ghost of a Negroni.

It tastes a bit like that, too. The Campari takes a minute to blend with the rest of the drink on your tongue, which makes for an interesting transition of flavors as you sip. That along with the texture of the Campari made for a truly unique cocktail. It's not one I'll be making again and again, but it was quite a fun experiment. I look forward to using the dehydrated Campari in other ways, and crystallizing some other liqueurs as well.

Deconstructed Negroni

1 oz. gin
3/4 oz. dry vermouth
Dehydrated Campari to rim glass

Combine gin and dry vermouth in a mixing glass. Add ice and stir until chilled. Run a small piece of orange around the rim of a rocks glass and coat with the dehydrated Campari. Carefully add one large ice cube. Strain the gin and dry vermouth into the glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Slow Fade

It's been way too long since I posted a mezcal cocktail. I really like mezcal in a cocktail, whether it's the base or just there to provide a hint of smoke. When I first discovered how much I liked it, mezcal cocktails became my go-to at any bar. Maybe I overdid it, because it's been a while since I ordered or made one. But I will happily break this trend with the Slow Fade.

This cocktail makes brilliant use of smoky mezcal, pairing it with bitter Campari, blanc vermouth, and just a hint of elderflower liqueur for sweetness. A grapefruit twist gives it a beautiful hint of citrus. Honestly, while I tend to avoid grapefruit juice in cocktails - I just don't like the flavor - a grapefruit twist can have a serious impact on a drink. Interestingly, two of the other three cocktails I've made that use one (the Earthbound and the Division Bell) are tequila- and mezcal-based respectively, and include Aperol, Campari's close cousin. I guess the flavors just work together. This cocktail is more spirit-forward and less citrusy than either of those, but they definitely form a nice little trio.

A note on the vermouth in this recipe. It calls for blanc vermouth, which is different from dry vermouth. It's lighter, sweeter, and less herbal. And I don't have a bottle. Dry vermouth is a fair substitute, but it is going to change the flavor of the final product. But - I can confidently report based on how quickly I'm working my way through this cocktail - it's still really, really good with dry.

One day I'll own every bottle I could possibly want, but until then, we must soldier on.

History: The Slow Fade was created by Henry Prendergast and Robby Haynes at Analogue in Chicago.

Slow Fade

1 oz. mezcal
1 oz. blanc vermouth
1 oz. Campari
1/8 oz. St. Germain (3/4 tsp.)
1 dash Angostura bitters

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Stir with ice until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.

Recipe from Imbibe.

Lucien Gaudin

The Lucien Gaudin is a current favorite of mine. It's an older cocktail, probably Prohibition-era, that has managed to fly under the radar for nearly 100 years. Which is a shame, because it's very good. With gin, Campari, Cointreau, and dry vermouth, it's sort of a Negroni-meets-Martini. It's a perfect aperitif, with just the right amount of bitterness, sweetness, and bright and beautiful hints of citrus.

One thing I love about this cocktail is how simple and classic its four ingredients are. You probably have them in your bar already. The one thing I didn't have until recently is Cointreau. Since it's a bit pricier than other orange liqueurs, I've often substituted Triple Sec in the past, which will give you generally the same flavor. But since buying a bottle, I have to say that it is definitely not the same. Triple Sec is orange candy in comparison to Cointreau's brighter, more complex flavor. It adds a level of sophistication to a cocktail that Triple Sec lacks. It's a worthy splurge.

History: Lucien Gaudin was a famous French fencer. He was known for his graceful technique, which fellow master Felix Bertrand called "poetry in motion." He won two gold medals at both the 1924 and 1928 Olympics, in which he competed in both the foil and the épée. He went on to become a journalist and co-owner of a company that made sports films. He committed suicide in 1934. Most sources say it was because his company had gone bankrupt, but others claim he suffered a thumb injury that would prevent him from fencing.

Lucien Gaudin

The cocktail named for Gaudin was probably invented in France during the height of his popularity, but its exact origins are unknown. The earliest publication to include a recipe is Trader Vic's Bartender's Guide from 1948. It has recently been rediscovered by cocktail enthusiasts, probably due to its inclusion in Ted Haigh's recent book Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails. This recipe uses the proportions from Trader Vic's; Haigh's recipe reduces the gin to 1 oz.

I think the Lucien Gaudin cocktail is an apt tribute to its namesake. It's elegant and strong, and the ingredients work together like a bit of poetry themselves.

Lucien Gaudin

1 1/2 oz. gin
1/2 oz. Campari
1/2 oz. Cointreau
1/2 oz. dry vermouth

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until well chilled. Strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Recipe from Cold Glass.

Gin-Campari Old Fashioned

I'm not crazy about the name of this cocktail. I guess it is technically an Old Fashioned: spirits, sugar, and bitters. But it's so different from the typical Old Fashioned that a unique name wouldn't have gone amiss.

A friend of mine made this cocktail for me after looking for something with gin and Campari to please a Negroni skeptic. It was a perfect choice, as he had also recently bought a bottle of GrandTen's Wire Works Gin and wanted us to taste it. This gin-forward cocktail did a great job of showing it off. One sip and I was converted; the fact that it's made locally in Boston only helped. I've almost gone through an entire bottle since.

The Gin-Campari Old Fashioned is a bit unusual. You begin by muddling a slice of lemon zest with simple syrup, Campari, grapefruit bitters, and salt. Yes, salt - the first time I've seen it used outside of a Margarita rim, but it's just a pinch and it works. Add your gin and ice, stir, and enjoy. The flavor is sweet and bitter citrus. It's a perfect summertime aperitif, and a great warm-weather substitute for an Old Fashioned. It will definitely be influenced by what gin you choose, so give it a try with your favorite.

History: The Gin-Campari Old Fashioned was created by Dave Kwiatkowski at The Sugar House in Detroit.

Gin-Campari Old Fashioned

2 oz. gin
1 tsp. Campari
1 tsp. demerara simple syrup (I used regular)
3 dashes grapefruit bitters
1 scant pinch fine sea salt
1 long strip lemon zest

In an Old Fashioned glass, muddle lemon zest with Campari, simple syrup, grapefruit bitters, and sea salt. Add one or two large pieces of ice and gin. Stir well.

Recipe from Food & Wine.

Americano

When you're talking about great summer drinks, it doesn't get much classier than the Americano. If sipping a Mojito or a Pina Colada can make you feel like you're on a beach somewhere in the Caribbean, then the Americano will transport you to the streets of Florence.

As you might guess from its ingredients, the Americano is exactly between a Campari & Soda and a Negroni in taste. It's much lighter than the Negroni, and I find it so much more drinkable. Maybe this is the gateway cocktail to Negronis? But it's also sweeter and richer than a Campari & Soda. It's refreshing without sacrificing complexity.

History: The Americano is a "long drink" version of a cocktail called the Milano-Torino, a mix of Campari and sweet vermouth. It was invented by the creator of Campari himself, Gaspare Campari, at his Caffe Campari in Milan. It was named for the two cities where its ingredients originated: Campari from Milan, and sweet vermouth from Torino (Turin). It's unclear when the club soda became involved, or whether it was always an option when ordering a Milano-Torino. But it seems American tourists loved this thoroughly Italian cocktail, causing it to become known instead as an Americano.

The Americano became the Negroni when Italian count-turned-cowboy Camillo Negroni ordered one at a bar in Florence and had the bartender replace the club soda with gin. It's also the first drink James Bond ever orders in Ian Fleming's book Casino Royale. Clearly a tough guy sort of summer sipper.

Americano

1 oz. Campari
1 oz. sweet vermouth
1 oz. club soda

Combine Campari and vermouth in a glass. Add ice and stir. Top with club soda and garnish with a slice of orange.

Old Pal

The Old Pal is one of my favorite aperitifs. Rye, Campari, and dry vermouth combine in equal parts with notes of orange and a subtle sweetness, but mostly a strong, herbal bitterness. It's much more my style than the cocktails that pair Campari with sweet vermouth.

Speaking of, the Old Pal is a close cousin of the Boulevardier, which contains bourbon, Campari, and sweet vermouth. The Boulevardier, in turn, is essentially a Negroni with bourbon replacing gin. It's a family tree of cocktails leading way back, and also continues into to the present as mixologists continue to create variations of these classic formulas.

History: Like the Boulevardier, this cocktail comes from Harry MacElhone, proprietor of Harry's New York Bar in Paris and author of Harry's ABC of Mixing Cocktails and Barflies and Cocktails. It is popularly attributed to William "Sparrow" Robertson, a journalist and "old pal" of McElhone's (Sparrow's obituary stated that he called most people "old pal"). Like most classic cocktails, the story is murky beyond that. It is usually stated that the recipe for the Old Pal appeared in the 1922 edition of Harry's ABC, but apparently a copy of this is extremely hard to come by and most folks aren't sure. It also seems that McElhone might not have met Sparrow until 1925. A recipe similar to the Old Pal appears in the appendix of Barflies and Cocktails along with the Boulevardier, and this is probably the first real printing. See this post at Serious Eats for more details.

Old Pal

1 oz. rye
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. dry vermouth

Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice. Stir until chilled strain into a cocktail glass or coupe and garnish with an orange peel. Toast your old pals.

Recipe from Punch.

Boulevardier

I recently wrote about how I am not a fan of the Negroni, a classic Italian cocktail made of Campari, gin, and sweet vermouth. But given its popularity, I felt like there had to be some tweaks to the recipe that might help me come around. So I turned to one of its close relatives: the Boulevardier. To make one, swap the gin in the Negroni out for bourbon and add a little extra for good measure. I like it much more than its cousin. I feel like the gin in a Negroni just steps back and lets the Campari and sweet vermouth duke it out with their strong flavors, whereas the bourbon in the Boulevardier helps to meld the two into something more drinkable. The Boulevardier is also the bridge between the Negroni and a Manhattan, which contains bourbon, sweet vermouth, and bitters - easily my favorite of the trio. But all are worth trying.

History: The Boulevardier hails from the famous Harry's New York Bar in Paris. There is so much to say about this venerable institution that it deserves its own post, so I'll stick to this cocktail for now. The recipe appeared in Harry MacElhone's 1927 book Barflies and Cocktails and is credited to Erskine Gwynn, a rich young American who had come to Paris to start a magazine called The Boulevardier. The word refers to a social, fashionable young man, just the sort of person Gwynn styled himself to be.

Boulevardier

1 1/2 oz. bourbon
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. sweet vermouth

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass over ice. Stir until chilled. Strain into a coupe glass and garnish with an orange slice.

Recipe from Imbibe.

Negroni

Every now and then in the course of my cocktail explorations, I come across something that I just really don't like, much as I want to. The Negroni is one of those things.

Sure, it's a classic cocktail. It evokes summer evenings in Italy, sipping this blend of gin, Campari, and vermouth on the terrace of your villa. And maybe if I made one under those circumstances, I'd come around. But something about this particular combination of the bitter Campari with the sweet vermouth just does not work for me. Apparently I'm not entirely alone; bartender and blogger Naren Young said of the drink, "There are very few cocktails where the words 'acquired taste' are more appropriate than with the Negroni." I guess I'll just have to keep going to Italy and ordering them until I like them.

But don't let my distaste steer you away from trying this recipe. Many cocktail connoisseurs insist that it is their favorite drink. Maybe it will be yours too.

History: The Negroni was named after its creator, an Italian Count named Camillo Negroni. He was the sort of guy you'd really enjoy swapping tales with over a drink - he'd probably tell you about the time he spent in America gambling and working as a rodeo cowboy. After he returned to Florence, his birthplace, he became friends with the bartender of Caffe Casoni, Fosco Scarselli. One day in 1919 he went to the bar for a drink and asked for the popular Americano cocktail (Campari, sweet vermouth, and soda water) - but, as a cowboy does, he ordered it with gin instead of soda. The rest, as they say, is history; soon all of Florence was ordering their Americanos "the Negroni way."

This story was considered little more than a fable until an Italian bartender named Lucca Picchi researched the tale in depth. His book, Sulle Tracce del Conte: La Vera Storia del Cocktail Negroni ("On the Trail of the Count: The True Story of the Negroni Cocktail") is currently only available in Italian, but it supports the popular story and fleshes out its history. (It's also a great example of just how much history a single cocktail can have; I feel like I could write a pretty entertaining book on any of these.)

In an article for SFGate, Gaz Regan traces the history of the Negroni several cocktails back to its spritous ancestors. The Negroni, as I just explained, was a modification of the Americano. The Americano, in turn, was a "long drink" or "tall drink" version of the Milano-Torino, which was equal parts Campari and sweet vermouth. And this drink was based on the Torino-Milano, which was a mix of Campari and another type of Italian bitters called Amano Cora. When you considering that there are multiple cocktails based on the Negroni (the Old Pal and Boulevardier, for example), you start to see a lineage much like a family tree.

Incidentally, Caffe Casoni is now owned by Roberto Cavalli, and has been renamed Caffe Giacosa. But you can still get a Negroni there.

Negroni

1 oz. gin
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. sweet vermouth

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir. Strain into a cocktail glass or into a rocks glass filled with ice. Garnish with an orange slice.

Bottle Buy: Campari and Aperol

The best way to build a home bar is to slowly accumulate new ingredients. When you're first starting out, you want to make sure you choose things that will be versatile and show up in a lot of cocktail recipes. The first three bottles I recommend are St. Germain, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, and Campari or Aperol. I'll talk about all of these in the next few weeks.

Campari and Aperol are both herbal Italian aperitifs, meaning they are meant to be consumed before a meal. Their flavor is bitter and herbal. Some might consider it an acquired taste. If you're apprehensive about the bitter flavor, you might try Aperol first; it's slightly sweeter and has strong citrus notes. Campari also has a higher alcohol content (25% vs. 11%). Because of these differences, which one you use can significantly change the taste of a recipe. So they aren't really interchangeable. But purchasing either one can add a lot of cocktails to your repertoire.

History: Campari was invented in 1860 by Gaspare Campari, who mixed up flavored cordials in the basement of his Milan bar, Caffe Campari. The mix of herbs that give it its bitter flavor is a trade secret. Gaspare's son came up with the idea of mixing Campari with soda in 1932. Aperol was invented in 1919 by two brothers, Luigi and Silvio Barbieri, in Padova. They specifically kept its alcohol content low and advertised it as a healthier alternative to other spirits. Campari acquired Aperol in 2003, so these one-time competitors are now on the same team. Their manufacturers insist that both have remained faithful to their original recipes, which are regarded as trade secrets.

Campari

Price: $30

Alcohol Content: 25%

Popular Cocktails: Campari & Soda, Negroni, Americano

Aperol

Price: $22

Alcohol Content: 11%

Popular Cocktails: Aperol Spritz

The two cocktails here are basic drinks meant to showcase the flavor of these two liqueurs. They are so classic, in fact, that both are featured on the backs of their respective bottles. I love drinking Campari with club soda and an orange slice, a popular before-dinner drink in Italy. When I tried the same cocktail with Aperol instead, it just wasn't right. This may be why an Aperol Spritz recommends adding sparkling wine to the mix, for a balanced, just-sweet-enough aperitif that seemed more popular than its cousin when I visited other parts of Europe.

Campari + Soda

1 1/2 oz. Campari

3 oz. club soda

Orange slice

Pour Campari into a rocks glass. Add ice and top with soda. Twist an orange slice into the drink and stir. Picture yourself in an open-air bar in Venice.

Aperol Spritz

3 oz. sparkling wine

2 oz. Aperol

1 oz. club soda

Orange slice

Combine all ingredients in a rocks glass or wine glass. Add ice and gently stir. Garnish with the orange slice. Picture yourself in an open-air bar in Vienna.