Why is the Negroni cocktail, created more than a century ago in Italy, so popular? Why not try one during Negroni Week in Hong Kong?
- Despite its bitter edge, the classic cocktail has hit a branding sweet spot thanks to clever marketing by way of Campari’s Negroni Week
- Created in 1919, the Negroni is one of the world’s most popular cocktails, and Hong Kong bartenders are putting new spins on the drink
They say an appreciation for bitter flavours is a mark of sophistication, so it’s not surprising that classic cocktails such as the Negroni have such a fond place throughout the history of libations.
Created in 1919, the cocktail can be credited to a gentleman known as Count Camillo Negroni, who sidled up to the bar of Cassoni Cafe on the Via de’ Tornabuoni in Florence, Italy, and initially asked for an Americano – but with a crucial twist.
No, we’re not talking about the watered down espresso drink – but another classic cocktail, comprising Campari, sweet vermouth and soda water, garnished with lemon peel. A refreshing drink by any means, it was originally known as the Milano-Torino (Campari was created in Milan, while Turin is known for vermouth), or Mi-To for short, before it gained popularity among holidaying Americans during the Prohibition era.
The Americano cocktail quickly became referenced in popular culture; it was the first drink to be named in Casino Royale, the first book in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series, in which the 007 agent requested an Americano while waiting for Mathis and Vesper at the Hermitage bar.
Unlike the spy, Count Camillo Negroni, clearly hankering for something stronger, requested the bartender, Fosco Scarselli, replace the soda water with gin – he had developed a fondness for the floral spirit during his travels in England. And thus, the Negroni was born. Legend has it that Scarselli anointed the drink with an orange peel – instead of the traditional lemon.