BLT Negroni

The Negroni is easily one of the greatest beverages of all time. It’s bitter, satisfying, balanced, and so simple to make it’s virtually impossible to screw it up. Want a cocktail in a dive bar? Order a Negroni. Equal parts of three regularly stocked ingredients: gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth.

Though most definitely an Italian cocktail, there is some debate about whether Count Pascal Olivier de Negroni invented the drink in Senegal in 1857 or if Count Camillo Negroni accidentally invented it in Florence, Italy in 1919 by requesting that the bartender strengthen his favorite cocktail, the Americano, by swapping out the soda water for straight gin. I prefer the latter. Regardless of its inception, the great Orson Welles wrote this fabulous quote about the Negroni in 1947: “The bitters are excellent for your liver, the gin is bad for you. They balance each other.”

FAT-WASHING
Sounds intimidating, but like the Negroni, it’s simple. Essentially, all you’re doing is soaking booze in fat and then straining it out. But the question more people ask is: why? Fat-washing, besides an excellent excuse to add unique flavor and possibly create a use for by-products of cooking that might otherwise be wasted, imparts an unreplicated satiny smooth, velvety mouthfeel. Similar to mounting a sauce with butter, the luxurious effect and pure richness that “washing” liquor in fat creates is just something else.

(Note: the type of fat you use determines how much you need. Something softer in flavor like butter would call for about twice the amount of something more potent like this bacon fat - 8 ounces of fat to 750ml or 4 ounces, respectively.)

Gin: Melt 2 ounces fat from hickory smoked bacon- you want it liquid, but not hot. Pour into a jar with tight-fitting lid. Add 12 ounces gin and give it a good shake. Let rest an hour and then shake periodically for the next half hour. Put in freezer. Once the fat freezes, poke a hole through it and strain gin out through a coffee filter.

Vermouth: Rough chop a handful of super ripe tomatoes, add to a jar with tight-fitting lid, and pour 12 ounces Dolin Rouge vermouth over top. Let sit one day in fridge, shaking periodically. Strain.

Campari: Toast 8 teaspoons caraway seeds. Let cool. Add to a jar with tight-fitting lid. Pour 12 ounces Campari over top. Let sit a day or two on counter, shaking periodically. Strain.

BLT Negroni
1 ounce bacon fat-washed gin
1 ounce tomato infused sweet vermouth
1 ounce caraway infused Campari

Combine all in mixing glass. Add ice. Stir. Strain into old fashioned glass over fresh ice. Garnish with celery leaf.