Apparently, today is the penultimate day of Negroni Week.
I have to confess that I didn’t enjoy it the first time I tried a negroni. It was simultaneously bitter and sweet, a flavor that I would describe, for lack of better words, as overly bright.
At some point, I read an article discussing the relative opacity of ingredients in spirits and liqueurs. The article quoted a bartender pointing out that many foodies will happily pay $50 a plate for a farm-to-table organic entrée but then turn around and order a negroni at the bar, with no recognition that Campari uses Red-40 for its color. Armed with that knowledge, I sought out alternatives, and I landed on Contratto Bitter, which (allegedly) uses beetroot for its color. It’s still bitter, but it has a hint of earthiness about it (as do beets), and its flavor is less bright.
Using Contratto in place of Campari was a game-changer for me (and my wife). Campari is a featured ingredient in a number of cocktails. Besides the Negroni, our favorites are the Boulevarier (which replaces the gin with bourbon), the Old Pal (rye, and dry vermouth in place of the sweet), and the Winter Sour (essentially a whisky sour that uses Campari in place of whisky).
There’s also the Black Lodge (which calls for Scotch and Coffee Liqueur) and numerous others. So if you’re in the mood to celebrate Negroni Week, but you’ve found Campari to be a bit much, try one with Contratto before you bail on the genre entirely.
Cheers.
