It’s Negroni Week! Where to sip and savor the best
Seattle bars and restaurants offer twists on the classic; raise money for charities
By Seattle Mag June 6, 2016
The negroni is a truly indispensable drink. With three simple ingredients – gin, vermouth, and the Italian liqueur, Campari – you get a fiery orange color and citrusy bitter tang that both refreshes the mind and cleanses the palate between bites of just about anything. Trust me. I drank negronis over Memorial Day weekend with everything from chips and salsa to barbecue spare ribs. Don’t know if it was the negroni or the sunny, windswept day on my friend’s balcony overlooking Elliott Bay, but dang. I wish I could do it again.
What? It’s Negroni Week? Now through June 12, I can go to one of 59 Seattle bars or restaurants to get the classic concoction, or a twist on it? Epic. Thanks. Bartender Will Holland and Chef Carolynn Spence at Downtown’s Pennyroyal plan to offer four negronis ($14 each), including a Oaxacan negroni made with mezcal and paired with smashed avocaco and crispy tortillas and a “Southern” negroni ($14) made with bourbon and paired with spicy cheese curds. Nibbles are an additional $4. Their charity of choice? Pike Place Market Foundation.
A few more picks for the best or most interesting negronis this week:
Pinky and the Brain: citadel, Campari, Lillet rose, sparkling rose and pink grapefruit ice ($11).
The TGV: Beefeater Gin, Campari and sweet vermouth granita cubes, topped with Champagne and garnished with an orange peel.
Lillet Negroni: Monopolowa Gin, Lillet Blanc, Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth, and Campari.
A bit of history about Negroni Week: Imbibe Magazine and Campari launched Negroni Week in 2013 as a way to celebrate the classic adult beverage while raising money for charitable causes. By 2014, the international event grew from 100 participating venues to 1,200 participating venues around the world and raised more than $120,000. I know it doesn’t sound like a lot but if you think about it, this is money raised from people sitting around drinking alcohol. In 2015, more than 3,500 venues mixed their fave negroni cocktails and raised upwards of $320,000. That’s more like it.
This year, more than 6,000 bars, restaurants and retailers are getting in on the fun. You can follow them (and get their recipes) on Imbibe’s Instagram feed (@imbibe) or the hashtag #NegroniWeek on Twitter. See you on a balcony – somewhere.