Well nothing says Christmas like a Negroni with a seasonal fruit; in this case Clementines. Serve just one or two servings of these drinks per person in a Martini glass with a slice of Clementine. More than two per person will probably lead to undesirable consequences.

Makes 2 to 3 servings.

Ingredients and Directions:

• 3 clementines, peeled
• 3 dashes of orange bitters
• 1/4 cup high quality Gin
• 1/4 cup Campari
• 3 tablespoons sweet vermouth
• Ice cubes
• 2 clementine slices (for garnish)

Special equipment: Cocktail shaker

Place 3 whole peeled clementines and orange bitters in cocktail shaker and muddle until clementines are broken down. Add gin, Campari, and vermouth. Fill shaker 3/4th full with ice. Shake vigorously 30 seconds. Strain into 2 Martini glasses, dividing equally. Garnish each with a floating clementine slice.

The definition of what makes a good aperitif is often hard to define. In France, an aperitif is usually Pastis or a similar drink while in Italy; the word aperitivo means so much more, particularly in Northern Italy. An aperitif or l’aperitivo is a social moment of the day, as much as a chance to see friends and have a conversation as it is to grab a drink and maybe some snacks. L’aperitivo is very popular throughout Italy and has really been catching on abroad as well.

The concept of l’aperitivo is quite different from Happy Hour as Americans intend it. First of all, the drinks are not discounted. Sometimes, they are actually even more expensive to compensate for the food that is offered. Secondly, people drink a variety of drinks at the aperitif. Thirdly, in Milan, the Northern city and financial capital of Italy for example, l’aperitivo often substitutes dinner. I miss those many “ape” with friends, particularly during the holiday season.

In terms of the functions of an aperitivo it is supposed to open up your stomach and be the entrance to a meal. This is not always the case. Many aperitivos go on very late and actually take the place of dinner. An aperitivo is a great idea before going to the theater or a movie. This small meal can tied you over or satiate your needs, depending on your eating habits.

Bartenders put out wonderful spreads of small pizzas, focaccia, torte salate , some rice dishes, pasta dishes, cold cuts and vegetables. This is almost always supplemented by the requisite potato chips and olives. L’apertivo is a ritual of Northern Italian life and is slowly making its way to New York, I am happy to say.

In addition to a variety of foods, there are classic aperitivo drinks as well. The first question is whether or not you want to drink something made with alcohol. For those that don’t there is usually an option of something made with a variety of fruit juices. This is called an analcolico. The second question is whether you want wine, beer or hard liquor. The wines are usually sparkling either Prosecco or Spumante from Franciacorta or Trento. Many opt for a crodino or aperol.

The specialty drinks that are usually ordered are a Negroni, a Negroni Sbagliato, an Americano, a Mojito or a Caipirinha. A Negroni is made with Gin, Vermouth, Campari and orange peel while a Negroni Sbagliato substitutes the gin for sparkling wines. An Americano has vermouth, Campari, and soda while the Mojito and Caipirinha are based on Rum and Cachaca respectively. An aperitivo that has been garnering a lot of interest throughout Italy is the Spritz from the Veneto. This delicious drink is made with Prosecco, soda, and Campari or Aperol. I always choose a Spumante although once in a while a Negroni sbagliato is the drink of choice.

You can get an aperitivo in New York at a number of places. I was reminded of this the other day at Piola. Aroma on the Lower East Side and Emporio in Nolita and a host of other places around town offer l’aperitivo.

I find that an aperitivo is a good way to meet friends without having to get involved in a long dinner.
It can also be fun to invite people over for an aperitivo at home. Some of the classic Italian recipes for an aperitivo include focaccia and small pizzas. Essentially, anything can be served as an aperitivo.

Most aperitivi run from about 7 to 9 p.m in Italy but start earlier in New York City, around 5 p.m. Having an aperitivo has traditionally been a smart way to get people into a restaurant, especially in difficult times such as the current recession and aftermath. The aperitivo renaissance in New York, this most Italian of traditions, is certainly here to stay.

December 9, 2009
Negroni

If

If you can shake up a martini when your kids
Are making you want to hit the skids
If you can find the Bombay Sapphire in the fridge
You’ve got the shaker, but where is the damn lid?
If you can shake and not have your hand freeze
Or, while shaking, not hit your cocktail glass
Or, while pouring, not scream at kids who tease
And yet try not to make thyself look like an ass 

If you can drink, and not make drinking your master
If you can sip, and not make sipping a game
If you can taste, without wanting to drink faster
And blog your thoughts before forgetting your name
If you can recognize the difference in vermouths
Stored in your cupboard with no room for more
Or admit you hate Pernod, that’s the truth
And you also find Campari a bit of a bore

If you can write one entry of all your evening’s martinis
And complete it before the stroke of midnight
And admit your (writing) magic is far from Houdini’s
And post it anyway, rarely feeling it’s right
If you can remember what you drank a week ago
To commiserate your long day with your cats
And so deal your backlog of blogging another blow
Except for the interruption of your kids being brats

If you can drink a Negroni and yet rate it a two
Or know that someone must like Campari with gin
If adding sweet vermouth still makes it a vile brew
If an orange twist still doesn’t make you grin
If you can fill the unforgiving shaker without inhibit
With 2 parts, 4 parts, and then one
Yours is the cocktail and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – your post is now done!

Cheers,
Cathy

As a consolation for spending too much money paying bills, I ordered a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve 15 years last week. I firmly intended on buying nothing else, but got tempted by a bottle of Aperol, which has become a very popular cocktail ingredient. Both arrived yesterday but remained in their box. Tonight was another story, however: After a harrowing few days with hardly any sleep, a big deadline met, a successful meeting with the PR and marketing teams for Culinary Careers, I decided to reward myself with a cocktail (and a nap). I wanted to make a Negroni, because I spent time researching and writing about that and a couple of other Italian cocktails just yesterday and had a craving, but was out of Campari. Since it belongs to the same family of bitter Italian liquors, I decided to use Aperol instead. The result was a more mellow drink–Aperol only contains 11% alcohol, versus more than 20% for Campari–and a slightly sweeter one. Regardless, this variation is one that I will continue to make because it is delicious and perfectly hit the spot. You can shake the ingredients and serve them in a chilled glass if you prefer. Opening three bottles took all the energy I had left so I wasn’t about to go the extra mile, but I enjoy strained negronis in martini glasses, for example.

Aperol Negroni

Place two ice cubes in an old-fashioned glass. Pour the gin, Aperol, and vermouth over the ice and shake the glass slightly to mix. Sip, relax, and repeat.

negroni espumante

4cl gin

4cl sweet vermouth

4cl campari bitters

4cl prosecco

orange and lime garnish

serve chilled in martini glass

-OR-

for Negroni tradizionale, omit prosecco and serve over ice in collins glass

Fai un break e vinci la bontà!
Fai girare la fortuna dalla tua con un tiro da maestro:
ti aspettano premi immediati e superpremi a estrazione finale!

Vediamo alcuni punti del regolamento:
Durata: dal 15 novembre 2009 al 15 dicembre 2009. Verbale di assegnazione ed estrazione finale entro il 17 dicembre 2009.
Premi e loro valore presunto di mercato IVA inclusa
n. 30 (trenta) Guide Gambero Rosso Low Cost del valore di Euro 9,90 cad. (iva inclusa);
n. 03 (tre) Forniture di prodotti Negroni del valore di Euro 500,00 cad. (iva inclusa)

io lo so che il negroni ha troppo effetti collaterali, ma non resisto!!

ho speso 150€ in meno di 10 minuti, poi mi ha chiamato il lui dell’anno scorso e l’ho raggiunto in albergo per un aperitivo, mentre l’altro mi scriveva che stava arriavndo…ho fatto un doppiAperitivo, e ora forse è meglio se faccio una doccia, che mi scappano le lettere da sotto le dita e che rischio di dire cose indicibili O_o

“Spazzatura, non c’è niente da chiarire.E’ solo spazzatura che ripuliro’ come ho fatto con quella di Napoli” ha dichiarato Berlusconi ai giornalisti che gli chiedevano quanto ghiaccio gradisse nel suo negroni.

La Jetee (AKA: The Pier) – 1961

Director – Chris Marker

Starring – Jean Negroni

Although this small scale, experimental film is short in length, it is certainly long in premise.

***SPOILERS***

If you’ve seen the Terry Gilliam film, 12 Monkeys, then you know the basic gist of what La Jetee is attempting.  La Jetee, the basis for 12 Monkeys, doesn’t have as much story to deal with, but still manages to pack a lot of plot into its 30 min. run time.  Unfortunately (in my humble opinion) it’s innovation and it’s stumbling block are the same, the delivery of the story not through motion pictures, but through still photos, or Photo Roman.  (For those who’ve never heard of it, Photo Roman is an older style form of story telling that is essentially photo-montage.) 

***END SPOILERS***

I say, “stumbling block”, because the pacing of the film really is unable to accelerate to the degree I felt it needed to in order to stay exciting.  The drab black and white photos, while completely serving the tone of the film, somewhat hinder it’s ability to keep the audience engaged for the duration.  Save for one short sequence, the entirety of the film is in the Photo Roman style, with a French-accented English-language narration over the top over the top of it.  While this may have been a fine choice for a work that was 10 minutes, 30 minutes is a long time.

The story, for those who haven’t seen or heard of 12 Monkeys, is a simple one in theory, but a complex one to illustrate in a piece as short as this.  We open on our main character as a young boy with his parents at the airport, watching planes take off.  While there he is witness to an act of murder, imagery that sticks with him throughout his entire life.  Soon after, a terrible disaster (in this case a nuclear fueled World War 3) strikes and his home town of Paris is leveled.  We jump forward many years in the future,  the world on the surface is uninhabitable, and people are forced to live underground.  Our main character is now a prisoner of the “winners” of the war, and subject to experiments trying to send him through time for the answers to re-populate the earth.  The strong imagery of the man’s death, makes him an ideal candidate for the process, but his keepers may have ulterior motives for him when he returns.

The music/sound effects are the only other element that helps to carry this work along, and while they are well done and very tonally appropriate, they do very little to pick the pace up.  The Photo Roman style works very well to get across the dreariness of the main character’s present-day setting, but it does very little to capture the nostalgia and romance of his earlier days.   The impression that this story feels like a found record of what happened (a’la “The Blair Witch”, or “Cannibal Holocaust”), works well most of the time, and helps to see why this movie was influential in film history.  An area that doesn’t work as well with that tone, is the airport setting.  Some of the photography is pretty stunning, but after seeing it the first time through his younger self, the subsequent times we visit the airport don’t have any more impact, and in-fact, may have less.

By and large, La Jetee was a good piece of work that was most certainly influential, but it felt incomplete, and was ultimately overshadowed by the very similar, and visually superior, 12 Monkeys.

La domenica si esce alle diciassette, e questa volta è Mino che viene a prendermi con la sua mitica Smart. Si passa il resto della giornata a bere aperitivi, a mangiare aperitivi e a respirare aperitivi. Normalmente si inizia sempre al nostro baretto preferito, con diversi camparoni,  e poi ci si allarga da qualche altra parte… Nel nostro paese c’è un bar che ha deciso di mettere due cubiste troione per attirare gente durante gli aperitivi… Io e Mino, “incuriositi” decidiamo di berci una birretta anche li… Cubiste molto fisicate, anche molto troie, ma solo una era “carina”… Il bello era quando si giravano di spalle e si piegavano a novanta, facendo in modo che la minigonna salisse e si vedesse tutto il repertorio perizomale, papagna compresa…

Dato l’ambiente pesantemente triste, abbiamo deciso di andarcene via dopo soli 20 minuti. Abbiamo poi deciso tornare allo stesso posto infighettato di settimana scorsa, questa volta ci portiamo le scope da casa… Così anche noi possiamo immergerci nella folla con una scopa nel culo!

In questa strafighetta cittadina, sapranno pure vestirsi e tirarsela, ma non sanno proprio bere… Ovunque vado, in qualsiasi locale, i cocktail sono pesantissimi, pieni d’alcool ed imbevibili… Immaginatemi quindi dopo due Negroni pesantissimi, versati in bicchieri di plastica grossi quasi come un boccale di birra media… Immaginatemi berli abbasanza velocemente, tutto quello tracannato al baretto precedente incomincia a farsi sentire… Quindi le puttanate diventano gratuite…

Tornati al paese natale, io e Mino decidiamo di passeggiare con il lettore mp3 a cannella che spruzzava nell’aria un favoloso live di Paul Kalkbrenner, e noi, incappucciati a dovere, decidiamo di ballare per TUTTO il tragitto… Solo in due momenti non abbiamo ballato, quando è passata una pattuglia dei carabinieri, e quando ho detto, “Guarda Mino come ballo, come le cubiste di oggi!!!” e piegandomi a novanta, di fronte a lui, si sente un boato che squarcia il cielo, ma soprattutto i miei pantaloni!!!

…e’ proprio vero, due negroni spaccano il culo…

Olive oil, coffee, negroni.

They may not all be essential, but they are omnipresent.  Start the day with coffee, brewed in a bialetti, and poured into a mug of warmed-up milk:

Sometime during the day, eat a meal involving big glugs of olive oil: salad, pasta, soup, pizza bianca?

Late on, pour a negroni: equal parts Campari, gin, sweet vermouth, on the rocks, with a twist of orange if you’ve got it.

IL VECCHIO MONDO DEVE FINIRE
SE NON VOGLIAMO FINIRE NOI

IL PDL NON SAPEVA CHE:

1) Il Sindaco Genduso ha già portato in Procura (insieme al delegato Orengo) tutta la documentazione relativa alle scuole elementari. Mai successo nel nostro Comune che spontaneamente un Sindaco chieda alla Procura di verificare la regolarità di quanto è stato fatto, ora e nel passato.

2) Matteo Cagnacci è titolare dell’unica ditta autorizzata dal Ministrero a fare certi esami nella Provincia d’Imperia.

3) La Sosperit di Matteo Cagnacci non ha preteso per gli esami effettuati 36.762 euro come da loro dichiarato, ma 17.945 euro.

Il PDL, riconoscendo l’errore, ha ritirato la mozione presentata e l’ex capogruppo del PDL Negroni ha dichiarato che se risulterà tutto vero darà le dimissioni.

IL PDL NON SI RICORDA CHE:

1) La scuola killer di Arma l’hanno costruita loro.

2) In 50 anni che la scuola killer è fortunosamente rimasta in piedi non hanno fatto nessuna verifica strutturale. Ci ha pensato la Giunta Genduso.

3) Mentre erano occupati a costruire torri e centri commerciali i nostri ragazzi hanno rischiato la vita ogni giorno per andare a scuola.

4) I giornali sono pieni di notizie riferite al noto “sistema Taggia”. Grazie alle loro decennali amministrazioni siamo diventati l’esempio principale del malaffare provinciale.

Mi domando:

1) non avrebbero fatto meglio ad offrire una collaborazione per risolvere la drammatica situazione creata da loro, invece d’infangare l’attuale amministrazione nel tentativo di salvare il salvabile?

2) non sarebbe il caso si scusassero con la cittadinanza per il male che hanno fatto in tutti questi anni?

Lo sò che sono pie illusioni, troppo forte il richiamo del potere, ma questo mondo dovrà dire basta a tutto questo se vuole cambiare ed evitare il disastro totale che a tanti sembra inevitabile.

Ricordiamoci che:

Rispetto degli altri di qualunque colore e nazionalità

Rispetto del territorio: acqua, aria e terra

Rispetto di noi stessi. Non siamo solo un conto in banca ed una poltrona da occupare.

non solo più obiettivi di civiltà da raggiungere, ma necessità stringenti senza le quali:

MAMMA BUTTA LA PASTA CHE LA PARTITA E’ FINITA!!

GAME OVER !!!

TUTTO FINITO!!

.

La belleza, escribió Georges Steiner, es la ruptura de la regla.

En efecto, el poema desarma, trae la palabra afuera de la convención,

incluso de la convención del propio poema. En el poema, la palabra busca la sombra de sí,

el espejo en el cual no verse, a fin de permitir la caza de lo imponderable,

ese vacío (lleno de nada) que se alcanza, a veces, por el esfuerzo del fracaso.

La palabra poética sería, así, un puente entre ningún lado y ningún lado. Una consternación.

Un atajo para ir, de lo que todavía no ha sido a lo que, tal vez, nunca será.

De este modo, y no de otro, el poema habla del dolor y re-conoce, en ese mismo gesto,

una suerte de alegría, para la cual aún no existe un nombre.

La poesía es una epistemología del no saber.

_________________________________________

Venecia completamente hundida. Sólo se ven los duomos, estatuas sobre
los duomos, el cobre de algún campanil. En la tarde, el agua tiene el
color de los espejos falsos. Melancolía en gris, duelo a la deriva. Pasa
un zapato de charol negro, enorme, de taco altísimo. Féretros envueltos
en terciopelo rojo se mecen en el agua, como góndolas. Pienso; Estoy
a salvo. El cementerio es esta isla amurallada. No hay nadie más que yo,
e hileras de camisas con corbata (siempre en tono gris), manos que
salen de la tierra, si uno levanta una de esas manos, aparece una mujer
en vestido de otra época, al instante se desvanece, su expresión no es
infeliz.. (Siguen los ataúdes, siguen los espejos bajo la tarde en vilo.)
Una bufanda azul se agita sobre una cruz, una fecha improbable sobre
un muro. Entonces aparece el ángel con una pluma en la mano y dice:
—Ahora, cierra los ojos y vuelve a perder el sitio de tu extravío.

.

María Negroni

Fata Morgana

.

Ingredients:

• 1 ounce Gordon’s Gin
• 1 ounce sweet vermouth
• 1 ounce Campari
• A slice of orange

Directions:
Pour the gin, vermouth, and Campari into a chilled glass over ice; garnish with a slice of orange.

Source:
This recipe is mentioned in Ian Fleming’s short story Risico, which can be found in For Your Eyes Only. As Bond waits for Kristatos in the Excelsior Bar, he orders a Negroni, specifying Gordon’s gin.

This article is not advocating the abuse of alcoholic beverages.
It is intended for responsible adults of legal drinking age.

Cult. Tra un mese in sala il “Barbarossa” leghista di Martinelli. Intanto spopolano in rete i ridoppiaggi, figli dei fuori onda di Magnotta e Mosconi. Da “Ramboso” a “Pissio”, versione violenta di “Ufficiale e Gentiluomo”. Meno Storia, più pecoreccio: bestemmie, ubriacature e qualche «terroni!» di troppo.

«Bravi tosi, gavì fato un laòro coi fiochi!», «Grandi! sdazi, in mona tutti quanti!», «Mitico! sembra de esser a Belluno!», «Che monardi!!! me son pisá doss dale ghignade…saludi trentini!». Non sono ancora i commenti entusiasti al Barbarossa di Renzo Martinelli. Il kolossal leghista è atteso per il 9 ottobre nelle sale, anche se da qualche giorno circola in rete un lungo trailer di 8 minuti. I bravi tosi sono quelli di http://www.utobevareancati.com, autori di Ramboso, un Rambo in versione veneta. A doppiare invece il prode Alberto da Giussano, cioè Raz Degan, è il romano Adriano Giannini e il feroce Barbarossa impersonato da Rutger Hauer è Francesco Pannofino, il cui volto è diventanto celebre nelle vesti di Renè Ferretti da Fiano Romano, il regista degli Occhi del cuore, serie tv prodotta nella romanissima cinecittà, protagonista di Boris.

Questa estate Bossi aveva detto che «l’insegnamento del dialetto deve essere diffuso in tutta Italia e dovrebbe essere obbligatorio» e che se il dialetto non è un problema, semma lo sarebbe stato il metodo di insegnamento. «Mia moglie, che se ne occupa da anni, dice che deve essere legato alla musica, al ritmo, ai modi di dire, a qualcosa che abbia una cadenza quasi musicale». Va trovato un modo di insegnare il dialetto che sia «in qualche modo accattivante». E le differenze tra i mille campanili d’italia? «Non ti preoccupare, uno che parla milanese parla in tutta la Lombardia». Dichiarazioni estive anche per il ministro Gelmini nel senso che, come ha dichiarato l’altro ieri, «la polemica sul dialetto a scuola è sovradimensionata, è una polemica estiva. Credo che sia giusto studiare la storia locale e le tradizioni e in questo può rientrare il dialetto».

Intanto c’è chi anticipa i tempi dei programmi scolastici e, senza dover aspettare il Barbarossa ancora doppiato in semplice italiano, gioca per diletto su Youtube a ridoppiare i film celebri e di ogni genere, da Guerre Stellari a Grease, dal Signore degli Anelli a Full Metal Jacket, da 300 a Shining. Avvertenza: dal doppiaggio in veneto o lombardo al riadattamento il passo è immediato, e si finisce per cambiare le carte in tavola. Ci si imbatte subito nella parodia o nella violenza, come se il dialetto non reggesse altri registri, o almeno non suscitasse altre letture negli autori dei video.

Uno di questi celebri riadattamenti è appunto Ramboso, dove il reduce dal Vietnam è in realtà un barista di cocktail in cerca di lavoro, come spiega Stallone nella prima scena a una donna di colore intenta a stendere i panni: «So fare il B52, il Manhattan, So fare anche il Negroni, senza offesa, eh signora». L’epica del reduce respinto dalla società finisce in un trionfo di battute e lazzi sul bere e sul proibizionismo. Più che Roma, è ladrona Astemiopoli, la città analcolica di Astemiopoli, e Ramboso ci arriva proprio durante il periodo della fiera dell’acqua. Vallo spiegare allo sceriffo però. Il suo vanto è la patente sospesa per tre volte: «E ora, guida in stato de ebbressa uno, guida in stato de ebressa due, e guida imbriago marso, e là go pagà da bever a tutti».

Un’altra mancanza alcolica (sempre in attesa del liberatore Alberto da Giussano di Martinelli) terrorizza i bravi tosi. Quella della birra: «E qui del patronato, i me voe far bere spuma e chinoto!», «Noooo! I me fa schifo!» urla la folla veneta ne gli Uoriors, il riadattamento dei Guerrieri della notte di Walter Hill. Anche per Uoriors l’affetto conterraneo arriva subito: «Ea bira nea ga ciavà i’tajani!!!» ma anche «can dal porco proprio beo sto video bravo canaia».

Quando si prova a tradurre un musical i dilettanti allo sbaraglio fanno fatica: il kitch impomatato di John Travolta in Grease, mentre osserva Olivia Newton John completamente cambiata, si risvolve in un «Cesira! ke figa dio te me tira al cuuuuuuucooo!!!!!!». Oltre agli applausi per le inevitabili battutacce, nei commenti su Youtube appaiono anche altre considerazioni. Un commento al femminile prova a ripararsi dalla pioggia fitta di parolacce e bestemmie: «Io sono veneta però una roba che non mi piace del mio dialetto è che si dicono tante bestemmie e parolacce… io non le dico ma sono contenta di essere veneta». Poi però nei commenti si passa agli insulti: «In Italia ghe xe tanti bei diaetti, a scomissiar dal veneto e dal romàn. ma el napoetàn fa proprio cagàr! Me par der sentir i marochini».

A rifare Grease sono quelli di http://www.pissio.it. Hanno un pubblico dove il meno entusiasta dei commenti per la lingua usata è «W i veneti! semo i mejo! fora l’italia dal Veneto!!!!!». La riprova è Ufficiale e gentiluomo con Richard Gere e Louis Gossett Jr. Si saveva che quest’ultimo, il black sergent Foley, fosse molto ufficiale e zero gentiluomo, ma non a questi livelli:«Negro dio can! A te staco na recia dioehh, a te dò na man de bianco dioehh!! A mi co vedo i negri a me gira i cojoni». E giù un plebiscito di commenti incattiviti contro i terroni.

Violenti o meno, i coloriti ridoppiaggi più che di Zanzotto o Meneghello si dichiarano figli degli sfoghi fuori onda ma in rigoroso veneto del pacato Germano Mosconi, storico giornalista e conduttore tv della veronese TeleNuovo. Erano gli anni 80, gli stessi del bidello abruzzese Mario Magnotta, i cui sacramenti nacquero ai tempi delle musicassette. Quindi nulla di nuovo. Meno male, comqunque, che l’israeliano Raz Degan sarà doppiato professionalmente.

Let’s face it, Bayswater road can be a bit hit and miss. Venues like the Bayz nestle beside crowds of extremely drunk tweens, calling anyone over the age of 23 ‘old mate’.

Walking through this can be a pain in the ass. Sitting on a comfortable seat, sipping a perfect mojito while tucking into and asparagus pizza on a gluten free base while watching aforementioned tweens making asses of themselves, however, can be an extremely fun experience.

Booking is advisable, but you can generally turn up before 7 and still get a seat outside. The seats on Bayswater Rd, right at the front are my pick for the view, but you’ll get attentive service wherever you sit.

On the Cocktail List, I really enjoyed the Spaghetti Western, a Havana Club negroni clone featuring aperol. The Peach Sidecar was also mighty fine, and as the photo on this post suggests, they do a good mojito.

The Pizza’s were perfected by Pete Evans, before he moved to Melbourne to concentrate on his new venue, The Pantry. He’s still the consulting chef, and his fresh stamp is still very much in evidence. Gluten free bases are available on all pizza’s for any of you that have friends in advertising who’re convinced they’ve got celiac disease.

A great place to meet a small group of friends for a bite and some good drinks.

33 Bayswater Rd, Kings Cross.  (02) 9332 1227

On Google Maps here.

This cosy little gem hides out amongst the Gaslight and the back alley’s of little Oxford. An expected find on my nightly walk home and a talked about venue by all the people who’ve told me they’re in the know…

Low 302 is quite close to the cross of Oxford and Crown, on the Surry Hills side, evidenced by the clientele and their clinging black jeans. A smart, small space with a bar inside, six or so tables  and a piano to sit around, four tables out the front, one of which that will take 6-8 of your closest friends with ease.

The list is good, and the bottles behind the bar speak of a venue that is trying for something special. I kicked off proceedings with a Tequila Manhattan, Herradura and sweet vermouth, garnished with a delightful port soaked cherry. Smoky, dusty, rich all poured up into an elegant glass.

My crew turns up and we are seated outside, the smart design of the terrace makes the most of being outside, while keeping you out of the busy Crown St Friday night menagerie. Table service is provided, but for a venue with so few tables, it seems to take a while to get drinks back outside to us. I follow up with a Negroni, with almost everyone else hitting the Pimms and Ginger Ale, which comes looking a bit sad and missing the cornucopia of fruit and leaves that it will, at best, be festooned with. The Negroni is as it should be, perfectly diluted and marvelous; equal parts gin, vermouth, campari and effort.

Dinner plans interrupted further investigation of the list, but I can say without hesitation that I’ll be back.

302 Crown St, Darlinghurst
Drop them an email at info@low302.com.au or give them a bell on (02) 9368 1548

Google Maps here.

It’s been a while since a venue has pulled me back for a second night in a row over a weekend, but Gazebo achieved this feat on Friday and Saturday night.

The stylish counterpoint to King’s Cross Police Station and the adjacent park warms up from early evening, with outside gas heaters and radiants keeping away all but the most persistent gusts of late winter chill. Cocktail wise, the Negroni was excellent, well iced and perfectly diluted when it hit the table. The Garden jars of Pimms could have done with a splash of ginger to better suit my palate, but the were beautifully presented with heaps of fresh fruit keeping the colour up.

The staff are friendly and attentive, even when every table is in full swing they keep the drinks coming and the table clear. A great wine list, including Australia’s world famous Grange by the glass and solid representations from around the world are enough to keep everyone busy, happy and merry. The beer list is small by Aussie standards, but the addition of the Asahi Black, a lager style stout from the land of the rising sun keeps things interesting.

Food is available, choices of entrees easily adapted to Tapas style eating and Mains that represent great value and taste, stars for me; the calamari, the sausage roll, the roma salad and the provencal mussels.

Book if you can, turn up if you can’t. Superb fun with a group, small or large.

02 9357 5333

2 Elizabeth Bay Rd, Sydney 2011.

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ROBERTO ORENGO CAPOGRUPPO LISTA E’ TEMPO:

Comunque è curioso e singolare come il centrodestra di Taggia pubblicizzi sempre i suoi pessimi prodotti.

This is one of those drinks you either love or you hate. I can’t remember if I loved them from the start, scrunched my face up like I’d been sucking lemons or if I just toughed it out to impress my bartender friends and my Italian coupled business partner. A Negroni has a soul, I can put it in no simpler terms than that. It’s scent is as powerful as it’s kick and the taste is one that takes some getting used to. It is one of the truly great cocktails, and as such, it comes with a history, or a few different versions of them.

The History(s) of the Negroni Cocktail.

1. The Drink was invented by a man named General Pascal Olivier Count de Negroni. He was a French soldier who fought under Napoleon in the Franco Prussian war of 1870. We was obviously as good at fighting as he was at mixing drinks, picking up a Commander of the Imperial Legion of Honour for his trouble. This version of history is light on details outside of the Comtes military success.
2. The drink was invented in 1920 at Bar Casioni in Florence. The Americano, vastly inferior drink of equal parts Sweet Vermouth and Campari and soda water, had become popular in the wake of the American late entry to the First World War. Count Camillo Negroni was a regular at the bar and asked for his to made with Gin instead of sparkling water. Unsurprisingly, the drink took off and people visiting the bar started to ask for their Americanos “the Negroni way”
3. My Favourite history etwines the glamour (for some) of occupied Paris during the Second World War. While officers of the OSS slipped into highbrow parties held by the occupied aristocracy and rubbed shoulders with jackbooted Germans and the likes of Coco Chanel, the bars of Paris were hotbeds of espionage. The American and British were being fed intelligence by an Italian count who went by the name of Negroni. His signature drink was equal parts Gin, Camapri and Sweet Vermouth. Hemingway, who was in town for at least part of the time, was inspired to create the Boulevardier (below) Negroni’s bourbon cousin. This story probably has the least chance of being true, partyly because the Hemingway’s drink hit print in 1927 in “Barflies and Cocktails,” by Harry McElhone. I don’t care really, a story with Nazi’s is always a little more compelling.

All this writing is making me thristy, so let’s get on to the method.

The Negroni

30 mls Gin, 30 mls Campari, 30 mls sweet vermouth. Stir in a rocks glass over ice, garnish with a fresh Orange slice.

I’d use a bigger gin with plenty of bite, say Plymouth or Beefeater, export strength is better if you have it. pay attentions to the measures, equal parts renders a very special drink. If you, like me, favour a more botanical gin like Tanqueray, South or Hendricks, up the Gin measure so the punch of Juniper is not lost.

One Negroni is almost never enough, and each one is better than the last, right until you fall off you seat. If you do decide that you need a variation to get you through the night, or just like experimenting, you could always try one of these.

 Negroni Sbagliato.

Sbagliato means ‘wrong’ in Italian. Substitute Spumante Sparkling wine for the Gin and you’ll find out why this is a wrong negroni.

Negroski.

A Russian Negroni. Substitute vodka for Gin. Kind of a more alcoholic Americano. Kind of pointless.

Cin-Cyn.

Substitutes Cynar, made from artichokes for Campari

Berlioni

As above, use Cynar instead of Campari, substitute Noilly Prat for the sweet vermouth. Change the ratios to 1 and a 1/2 Gin 1/2 Cynar 2/3 Noilly Prat. Maybe try this one early on, it’s a bit hard to remember.

Agavoni

Substitute a decent 100% agave tequila for the gin. My favourite outside of the original. Adorn with grapefruit, preferably ruby red.

Unusual Negroni.

Hendricks Gin, Lillet Blanc & Aperol.

Boulevardier.

Substitute bourbon for the gin. Maybe add a little more bourbon than the others.

Original Negroni.

Use Punt E Mes as the vermouth.

Others.

You can change the brand of gin, the brand of bitter aperitif and the brand of vermouth to create many, many variations. If you’ve stumbled on a gem, or found one that really works, i’d love to read it in the comments.

Il prolema dei cocktail è che devi farti un fondo di ingredienti che all’inizio sembra esagerato. (Un po’ come se non cucinassi mai e ti dicono -Devi avere olio, burro, sale, aceto, aglio, cipolla, limone… Sono già sette ingredienti, un’esagerazione, vero?). Però se cominci con un cocktail solo (che alla peggio richiederà tre alcolici diversi), poi puoi costruire sopra quello.

Sono passata per il gin tonic, lo spritz, ma adesso ho bisogno di roba dura. Un Negroni per l’aperitivo, e il mondo è più bello.

La ricetta è semplice, trovare gli ingredienti non tanto.

È necessario un buon gin – io di default prendo il Bombay, e quando passi la crisi tornerò al Sapphire (o finalmente proverò l’ Hendrick’s?). Poi del vermouth dolce (rosso), io ho preso il Martini visto che è un cocktail italiano, anche se c’è molto vermouth spagnolo che forse dovrei provare. E infine un bitter che è normalmente il Campari, e qua bisogna andare a cercarlo. Con un po’ di fortuna si trova al Corte Inglés; io ho preferito aiutare il piccolo commercio e sono andata al Mercatino Italiano (Alfalfa, 15).

Nella foto si vede un Negroni doppio – bevete uno di questi e siete ciucchi per tutta la sera, com’è successo a me e a Juan. Scegliete bene quindi la vostra unità di misura. Un altro avviso – è amaro. A me piace.

Negroni

1 unità di gin

1 unità di Campari

1 unità di vermouth dolce rosso (Martini rosso)

In un bicchiere grande versare il gin, poi il Campari e il Martini. Aggiungere abbondante ghiaccio, mescolare. Aggiungere della scorza di arancia (se non c’è, va bene anche del limone), servire.

C’è chi lo mescola nel mixer e poi lo serve, colato, in un bicchiere da martini. Io non mi faccio troppi problemi.

Above: A Negroni at Annies in Austin, the latest addition to the restaurant and nightlife scene here. Not bad for a snap taken with my Blackberry Curve, eh?

No one needs me to retell the story of the Negroni: the tale of Count Camillo Negroni and the cocktail named after him has been retold countless times (however apocryphal those chestnuts may be).

But what few remember these days is that the Negroni was one of the favorite cocktails of the Futurists, the avant-garde movement founded in 1913 by F.T. Marinetti (often called the father of the historical avante-garde). The Negroni — made with Campari, the quintessential Futurist bitters — was one of their polibibite or polybeverages, each intended to stimulate the idealized Futurist (in one way or another).

Yesterday evening, when I tasted a Negroni at the newly opened Annies Café and Bar on Congress in downtown Austin, I couldn’t help but think of the Futurist banquet I attended in 1993 at the Getty Villa in Malibu. (A few years later, I worked as one of the bibliographers of the Marinetti archive at the Getty’s Special Collections.)

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how Futurism and the historical avante-garde were essentially self-destructive movements, like much of twentieth-century critical theory: by destroying its fathers (and mothers, for that matter), the historical avante-garde presupposed its own destruction by future generations.

But the cocktails sure were good…

The Negroni at Annies wasn’t bad (although it should have served with an orange wedge or orange zest). The Lousiana-style gumbo I sampled wasn’t bad either. Seems like they have a few kinks to iron out there but I’ll be back: I liked the feel of the place, the hipster mixology, and the old-time music they had going.