There is something trés cool about the taste of bitter introduced to children at such young ages in other parts of the world, specifically Europe.
My hubby loves this candy called , “cachou” which he buys them by bulk at Carre Four. ( It’s the crème de la crème of super market chains in France) Adrien says the candy reminds him of his Grandma growing up as a kid in France. That sense memory will always be there which I find so intriguing but the candy itself is very special. It’s bitter and herbal.
My friend Anne-Brigitte who is a home cook and mixologist tasted bitter as early as 8 years old growing up in the Ivory Coast. I on the other hand, grew up here in the states so I was introduced to sweet straight away as a kid as most American kids. My sense memory of my grandma as a little girl is sweet cherry Luden cough drops. Let’s just say it took me awhile to appreiciate the bitter taste. I’ll never forget when I first tried Campari, I wasn’t a fan… and now, I don’t like it, I LOVE IT! It took me until my mid 20’s to understand. As a craft bartender I use herbal liqueurs a lot as a secondary spirit but I also can’t get enough of amaro after a heavy meal just by itself!
The whole bitter talk definitely becomes an acquired taste but what makes me appeciate it even more is the history of herbal liqueurs for medicianl purposes, thanks to the Italians in the 1500s. Hence why I love the Negroni! And also because I married a modern day Druid! The alchemy of herbs and plants is Adrien’s specialty and affinity. We will always have something to talk about. It’s clearly in his roots. I hope that one day we can forge our different cultures together and make a kick ass spirit or liqueur that blends our vast roots into one. In the meantime I’ll just discuss my favorite spirit, sweet vermouth and the one and only liqueur that holds a place in my heart when I think of apéritif.
The Negroni variation is my favorite go to because it’s just the right balance of strong, sweet, and bitter.
It’s “keeping it classy”all the way in this equal parts cocktail hour classic. The recipe, is 101 years old and was created in Florence, Italy on the year 1919 at Cafe Casoni. The name, Negroni, was taken from Opera Singer, Count Camillo Negroni who requested to make his drink stronger by adding Gin instead of sparkling soda water.
Today when we order Negroni’s we specify which spirit we want as this comes to show that the variation of Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth and Campari are the star ingredients. When I tend bar and I see the younger generations know their cocktails, I am truly delighted because I can now geek out. When I am out for the evening or when I want to make myself a Negroni, I’ll always order it with Mezcal.
My spirit of choice is Mezcal, garnished with an orange zest.
It reminds me of hot summer evenings dining outdoors at a barbecue with friends and a feast in in the works. I also enjoy sipping mezcal alone but in a cocktail, the Negroni is just right. The smoke from the mezcal gets you on the nose, then after the first sip everything just magically goes down nicely. The marriage of flavors is new world history in a glass. Afterwards, each sip is uniquely different as you can taste each ingredient especially because some parts of the drink will have just a little more essence of the orange zest!
Here’s to a cocktail classic with a modern twist with mezcal. It’s easy to make at home but most importantly why bitter is always better. Try this recipe for Cinco de Mayo coming up.
Santé!
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