The Negroni is a swashbuckler cocktail with a strong backbone and some serious character, so who better to mix a one for PUNCH original series “People Making Drinks” than an American soldier? Ada Hagy, a native New Yorker, served in the United States army for 23 years from the time she was 17 years old before retiring and becoming an actress. That’s serious character.
The original equal-parts cocktail, the Negroni’s origin involves rakish Italian nobility and a man of legendary proportions. Most accounts credit the recipe to one Count Negroni, a swashbuckling proto-boho who reportedly spent time as a rodeo cowboy in the United States. Compounding his wild ways, legend has it that back at a bar in Italy in 1919, he asked for a something like an Americano, but boozier. Swap gin for soda water, and presto, the Negroni. Navigating a through line between bitter and sweet, this powerful drink—a study in balance—has evolved into one of the cornerstones of the classic cocktail revival.
In last week’s how-to, another trooper—a firefighter—stepped in to make an Aperol Spritz (with a flamed orange peel, of course). Until the next installation of “People Making Drinks,” watch officer Hagy dominate this Negroni. Hooah.
