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The classic pre-dinner Aperitivo was adapted in Florence in 1919 when Count Camillo Negroni ordered an Americano Cocktail with gin in place of soda. The addition of Indian Chai Masala rounds out the edges and sweetens the mid notes. For many decades the Negroni was seldom drank outside of its native country of Italy, but the new millennium brought a new sophistication and passion for dry and bitter flavours. The Negroni lead the way for millions of adventurous drinkers around the world to try something old and something new in this robust and versatile cocktail, perfect for hot summer evenings.

With the standard drink calling for equal parts of Gin, Italian Vermouth & Campari even the standard bartender or home enthusiast has two thirds of the drink to experiment with. The choice of gin and vermouth is crucial and will steer the cocktail in many new directions.

At Cocktail Concierge we took the opportunity to totally re-tailor the drink from the ground up. Starting with our own bespoke gin recipe that uses double juniper & double coriander, we add just a little citrus peel.  A small handful of historically loved botanicals are then steeped for 57 hours to achieve a big, rich and hearty gin that is both extremely fragrant, with a bold and silky composition.

Utilising the brilliant Amaro’s and Vermouths produced by Bridgeland Distillery as our base we carefully blended in the accents of Italy using a plethora of niche bitters from unique regions. Our goal was to capture the essence of the cocktail as it might have been enjoyed a century ago.

The final step was to modernise the cocktail in a new and exciting direction. We chose India as our inspiration with its diverse, colorful and distinctive culinary flavours as well as its influence on gin culture during the British Raj. To create the perfect Chai Masala, we combined the rich flavour of pure Indian Assam tea leaves, organic cinnamon, ginger, cardamom & pink peppercorns to bring both warmth and familiarity whilst taking the drink on an exotic eastern adventure. The final step in crafting the cocktail was to rest the liquid on charred American white oak, bonding the flavours together and channeling the aromas.