The Lush Chef

"The bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you.  They balance each other." - Orson Welles
Well said, Mr. Welles.  In the last Campari posting of the week, I give you one of my favorite cocktails - the Negroni.  This is one of the easiest drinks to make because all the ratios for the liquors are the same.  I crave Negronis on spring and summer afternoons, and I like to imagine sipping it outside an Italian caffé opposite Marcello Mastroianni...

This cocktail was invented in 1919 at the Caffé Casoni in Florence.  Count Camillo Negroni loved Americanos, but wanted a stiffer version (note to self...must get a drink named for me this way).  The bartender substituted gin for the soda water, and garnished it with an orange peel instead of lemon to distinguish the two drinks.

Negroni - serves 1

• 1 oz Campari
• 1 oz gin
• 1 oz sweet vermouth

- Fill a glass with ice and pour in Campari, gin and vermouth.
- Stir and garnish with an orange peel.