Top 5: Negronis in LondonBy Rosie Crossman
It’s Negroni Week and a heat wave beckons – this is very good reason to get sipping. If you don’t know, Negronis are the slightly more grown-up version of a Long Island Ice Tea. A heady mix of equal parts of gin, vermouth and Campari, garnished with orange, Negronis are as potent, but slightly more classy than the Long Island Ice Tea. Be careful, one Negroni flushes your cheeks and tops up the endorphins, take it much further and you will succumb to making questionable matches on Tinder, and hitting the snooze button on your alarm a few too many times. Here’s where to find London’s best Negronis, happy sunshine sipping:
1. The Summer One: Duck and Waffle
The Cocktail: The Summer Negroni
The Blend: Grass Distilled Gin, Vermouth Infused with Pine Needle, Wild Elderflower Cordial, Campari
The Story: Rich Woods is the man behind the masterful, at times odd, yet always delicious cocktails at Sushi Samba and Duck & Waffle- the true Willy Wonka. Head up in the great glass elevator and be one of the first to get your hands on a wacky take on the Negroni. Watch out for D&W’s upcoming collaboration with Petersham Nurseries (launching 13th July), a floral explosion that is not to be missed.
Where: 110 Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AY
2. The Chocolate One: Callooh Callay
The Cocktail: Nocho Average Negroni
The Blend: Tequila, Campari, Porter “Vermouth”, Orange and Chocolate
The Story: Shoreditch’s cool might be slightly diluted by top nots, wife beaters and the middle class drool of it’s newest incumbents, but after six years Callooh Callay is still shaking its booty. Some of you might think it is gimmicky, but the masterful cocktails and calming, inclusive feel are pure gold. This Negroni is one to kick off the party, taking you on a gallop through the wild west.
Where: 65 Rivington Street, London, EC2A 3AY
3. The Special One: Bar Termini
The Cocktail: Negroni Rosato
The Blend: Rosato Negroni made with an infusion of rose petals (£6.50)
The Story: We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, we can’t get enough of Termini. By day, be transported to a Florentine coffee bar and sip espressos for one pound a pop. By night, munch on some slivers of carpaccio and sip one of the infamous Negronis. Be warned, the excellent price and sumptuous taste, will leave you glued to your chair, sampling your way through the entire Aperitivi list.
Where: 7 Old Compton Street, W1D 5JE
4. The Classic One: The Little Bar
The Cocktail: Classic Negroni
The Blend: Classic, Aperoni, Unusual, Sbagliato, Boulevardier, Charentais, Copper and London
The Story: Little by nature, big on attitude. Head south west to have a slice of Little Bar, joining Lebanese restaurant Mezza as one of Tooting’s hidden gems. Get here early for one of the outside tables and you sip on a couple of expertly crafted bitter concoctions, before heading to Tooting Tram and Social to strut your stuff.
Where: 145 Mitcham Road, SW17 9PE
5. Make it at Home: Negroni Granita
Cocktail: The Negroni Granita (plenty for 6-8 people)
8tbsp Caster Sugar
250ml Campari
250ml Cocchi Vermouth
8 tbsp Sipsmith Gin
1 litre freshly squeezed orange juice (buy the best juice you can find juice, its worth it)
The Blend: To make the vermouth, put the sugar into a large bowl and pour in 300ml boiling water. Once dissolved add the Campari, Vermouth, Gin and Ornage Juice. Pour into a freezer box and freeze. Either you can freeze for 4 hours and then fork up to make crystals, or just leave to freeze, get out, wait for 5 minutes and fork up.
The Story: I recently made this granita for a dinner party. It was a total game changer, expecially for my friends who despise negronis. It lead to one of my friends scooping it out of the pot and shoving it into her mouth. Watch out, it is pretty pokey!
Where: The granita is a great post dinner party pud in Martini glasses, with a round of orange.
