Night Cap Negroni - A Little Spoon

Get the Recipe: Night Cap Negroni

A traditional Negroni with Cocchi Dopo Teatro Vermouth Amaro

5 from 1 rating

Yield1 cocktail

Prep5

Cook0

(optional) Chill15

Total20

Place a rocks glass in the freezer 15-30 minutes before making the cocktail.
When ready, clean the skin of an orange. Then, use a y-peeler or knife to create a roughly 1in x 2in (2.5cm x 5cm) long strip of orange peel. Clean up the edges with a knife and gently cut away any pith that may be attached to the underside of peel. Set your garnish aside.
Next measure and pour your ingredients into a large, ice-filled mixing glass. Stir with a bar spoon for 30-45 seconds, to chill the cocktail.
In a separate (now chilled) glass, add a single extra large ice cube and pour in the chilled cocktail liquid.
Express your orange peel over the drink by holding the top and bottom of peel horizontally and facing out. Squeeze down to release the oils. Rub the outside of the peel against the rim of the glass and slip it into the drink.
Sip and enjoy!

If you don’t have fresh oranges, use 2 dashes of orange bitters. And, feel free to use both if you like!

Once opened, store your vermouth in the refrigerator for between 1-2 months. Remember, it's wine with liquor in it. And, while the spirits slow down the fermentation process that happens when wine is open, it's not going to last forever.

Don’t have access to the gin or vermouth listed? Use a citrus forward gin of your choosing for the same flavor profile and try to find a Vermouth di Torino. (see FAQ for suggestions)

Pith is bitter, so don't skip separating it from the peel if you plan not to clean up the edges of the garnish.

Try not to touch the front of the peel too much and hold it by the edges. Your fingers and too much manipulation can take some of the oils off the peel before you express it, leaving less for your cocktail. Your fingers will smell nice though. ;)

If you taste the Negroni after stirring and it’s too strong, keep stirring to dilute it a tad more. This isn’t about being cool and dealing with the sting of alcohol, it’s about balance. The dilution during chilling is meant to get rid of the gin’s alcohol burn and mellow the Campari’s bitterness.