Negroni with The Mischief Maker

Learn to make my favorite cocktail.

I love anything bitter. The gateway drug to the Negroni for me was the Aperol spritzes we had in Rome. Served with salted roasted peanuts, Castelvetrano olives, or something akin to Cape Cod potato chips. You must train your taste to like bitter things as the brain registers it instantly as a self-defense mechanism against poison. I'm not advising you train yourself to like poison but will assure you that once you do it's an addictive flavor to tap into and grow to love. Start with Aperol spritzes and work your way into these. I have made pitchers of Negronis on my birthday for years with other options on the table for those that oppose. After a few cocktails, those pitchers, already mixed, look appealing and easy for guests as you just add ice kept in a separate bucket to your empty glass and pour the drink over the top and stir. They've learned to love them and do by now. They're wonderful for both lunch and before and after dinner and they’re always pretty and sharp in their glass with their red glow. Bitter is an essential flavor for health. It aids in digestion to be able to break food down properly and stimulates the liver. Keep one of those tiny baby measuring cups nearby for the cocktails in this book because they’re handy. This is probably my favorite cocktail.

In the video above, the flowers cut from my garden serve as a fun mix with the sugar flower that we sculpted for September, the large pink dahlia on the left.

Equal Parts

1 oz. Gin

1 oz. Red Vermouth

1 oz. Campari

Combine equal parts over ice. Stir. Garnish with an orange zest peeled to have as little of the white pith showing as possible with a vegetable peeler. Run it around the rim for fragrance and throw it in the glass. Or if you’re feeling wild, garnish with an orange wheel, wedge, or dried orange slice. To make a pitcher for guests, just pour and measure equal parts of all three ingredients into the pitcher and stir. Keep the ice in a separate bucket and the orange garnishes nearby so guests can pour the drink over ice and assemble them themselves