Laura Tolomei said, "This is my favorite drink and I often use it in my books, too!"

This Italian concoction was invented in the early 1900s. Mixed with gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, it was named after Camillo Negroni in Florence who always ordered the same cocktail. Today Negroni is often consumed as a pre-dinner cocktail to stimulate the appetite for dinner. Aperitif is a European invention and it came to America in the early 1900s. Campari is also an Italian product, invented by Gaspare Campari in the early 1800s.<br><br>

Negroni

 

Ingredients:

1 oz gin

1 oz Campari

3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth

 

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in an ice filled shaker. Shake until well chilled and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a burnt orange. To make a burnt orange, cut about a 1 1/2 inch by 1 inch peel off a ripe navel orange. Be sure to get just the skin and as little of the pith as possible. Holding the orange peel between thumb and index fingers with skin facing out, hold a lit match over the glass and with the orange peel about an inch away from the flame squeeze the peel quickly and firmly between your fingers. When done correctly, a burst of flame will come from the oils being released from the peel leaving an aroma and adding a note of orange to the cocktail. Simply drop the twist in the drink.

(Cocktail Times http://www.cocktailtimes.com/gin/negroni.shtml)