Blonde Negroni
Contributed by on Aug 06, 2014
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If you’ve perused a cocktail menu lately you’ve probably come across a Negroni . One of the currently “in” cocktails the Negroni is a simple cocktail comprised of Compari, gin and sweet vermouth. It’s a classic cocktail and for good reason – a beautiful balance of sweet, sour and bitter and the definition of a truly classic cocktail. But in the summer, it’s just a little heavy IMO – enter the Blonde Negroni!!
So, in case you haven’t heard, there is a Blonde Negroni! Swapping in Cocchi Americano for the Compari and white vermouth for the red, it’s a bit leaner and lighter than a traditional Negroni, but still retains that beautiful balance of sweet, sour and bitter.
If you haven’t heard of Cocchi Americano, you are not alone. Cocchi Americano is an aperitif wine from the Asti region of Italy and is flavored with a range of botanicals including chichona bark and citrus peels. Although production began in 1891, it’s arrival on US shores is fairly recent. When Americans started re discovering classic cocktails, we discovered something else – many of the ingredients either didn’t exist, or the formulations had changed over the years. The original recipe for the Blonde Negroni called for Kina Lillet. However, the formulation of Kina Lillet (also known as Lillet Blanc) changed in the 1930’s – thus changing the character of those classic cocktails. Not to be dissuaded from their quest, determined cocktailians sought out the closest substitutes they could find – and in this case Cocchi Americano seems to be the closest to the original Kina Lillet.
Like all aperitif wines, you can keep things simple and just serve it over ice – or you can experiment and substitute it for white or red vermouth in some of your favorite cocktails – like the Blonde Negroni.
- 1 once gin (London dry)
- 1 ounce Cocchi Americano
- ½ oz. Dolin dry vermouth
- lemon twist garnish
- Fill a mixing glass with ice. Add the gin, Cocchi Americano and vermouth. Stir 30 - 45 seconds until chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Twist lemon peel over the glass and add lemon twist.
