From My Side of the Bar: I Was a Negroni Drinker Before I Was a Gin Drinker
I love a Negroni.
That wasn’t always the same thing as saying I love gin.
My relationship with gin really started with Gate Eleven, although at the time I had no idea how much of my life would eventually become wrapped up in the place.
I was a Creative Director and Brand Strategist with Tiny Giant here in Chattanooga when Bill and Wanda Lee brought us in to help launch what would become Gate Eleven. We worked on everything from the name and identity to packaging, collateral, the website and all the assorted things it takes to put a new distillery and cocktail bar into the world.
This was before I became an owner. Before I became Bill and Wanda’s partner. Before Gate Eleven became such a big part of my life.
And somewhere in the middle of all that, Bill handed me some gin.
The gin problem
I’ve always loved cocktails, but gin wasn’t necessarily something I sought out. A Negroni was the exception.
Maybe because a Negroni isn’t really about any one ingredient. It’s about what happens when three very different things are forced to get along.
Gin. Bitter. Sweet vermouth.
Equal parts, traditionally, although I’m not particularly religious about it.
Gate Eleven Gin changed the equation for me. I started appreciating the gin itself, not just its role in the cocktail. Working around the distillery didn’t hurt. When you’re spending time with the people actually making the stuff, tasting it along the way and understanding why certain botanicals are there, your palate starts wandering.
Eventually I wasn’t just drinking Negronis anymore.
I was drinking gin.
There are rules. Mine, anyway.
I’ve made enough Negronis at this point to have opinions.
I like experimenting with different sweet vermouths. I’m not changing the rules entirely, just playing within them. One bottle can make the drink richer, another drier, another more herbal or bitter.
That’s half the fun.
The bitter is another story. At home, Campari is my preference. At Gate Eleven, we make our own bitter aperitivo behind the bar, so a Negroni there is very much the Gate Eleven version.
But there is one thing I don’t experiment with.
Orange. Always. Never lemon.
A big piece of orange peel, expressed over the glass and dropped in.
I’m sure someone can explain why lemon is technically appropriate in some variation somewhere.
They are welcome to drink that one.
I’ll have the orange.
Bourdain understood
One of my favorite Negroni clips is Anthony Bourdain making one on Jimmy Fallon.
I’m a Bourdain fan in general, and there’s something about watching him make this particular drink that feels right. Nothing overly reverential. Nothing precious. It’s a good drink. Make it. Drink it. Enjoy yourself.
That’s pretty much where I’ve landed.
And then there was gin
Gate Eleven opened the door beyond the Negroni for me.
I’ll venture into other gin cocktails now. My wife Amber is a gin fan too. For a while, Aviations were her thing, which meant they became a fairly regular presence around our house.
And that’s one of the things I’ve come to appreciate about gin. It can disappear beautifully into a cocktail or completely define it. A Negroni, Aviation, Martini, Gimlet and Gin & Tonic can all start with the same bottle and end up in entirely different places.
I’m still going to order the Negroni more often than not.
But now it’s because I love Negronis and gin.
I can blame Bill and Wanda for the second part.
My Negroni
1 oz Gate Eleven Gin
1 oz bitter aperitivo
1 oz sweet vermouth
Stir with ice until properly chilled. Strain over a large cube in a rocks glass.
Express a generous orange peel over the top and drop it in.
At home, Campari is my bitter of choice, and I’m constantly changing up which sweet vermouth I use. At Gate Eleven, we make our own bitter aperitivo behind the bar, so if you order one there, you’ll get the house version.
Different bitter. Same gin. Always orange.
Never lemon.
A Negroni at home. Gate Eleven Gin, Campari, whatever vermouth I’m experimenting with at the moment. And orange. Always orange.
One more reason to have one this week
As it happens, I’m publishing this during Negroni Week. Completely unplanned, but I’ll take the timing.
And if you happen to be in Nashville, The Fox Bar is pouring a Negroni with Gate Eleven Gin this week.
So you can make mine at home, have the Gate Eleven version at our bar, or see what The Fox does with it.
However you get there, just make sure there’s an orange involved.
