The great drinks debate
Has the martini been usurped by the negroni as Londoners’ go-to drink? Both have murky beginnings. The martini was invented in Italy, or perhaps San Francisco in the US, in the mid 19th century. The negroni appeared in Florence a century later— some say when a count of the same name asked for an americano made with gin in place of the soda water. However, beyond Italy, it never reached the same heady heights as the elegant gin and vermouth concoction (this magazine’s very Editor slips into reverie talking about the 1990s famed ‘three-martini lunch’). Until now. Ago Perrone, The Connaught’s director of mixology, puts this down to ‘people’s palates becoming more accustomed to bitterness’—and Stanley Tucci’s negroni-making video. Mr Perrone loves the original cocktail recipe with a float of Mezcal on top.
The martini is beautiful, but deadly. There’s a slow ritual to its making that should always be observed. At The Stafford, staff come round to re-chill the contents of your glass, passing it quickly through fresh ice. Back at The Connaught, martinis are assembled tableside from a special trolley. But have more than one, two if you’re made of sterner stuff, and you can wave goodbye to your essential faculties. The negroni looks more menacing and more masculine, but even I’ve been known to have three (or was it four?) and live to tell the tale. A negroni is all bark and minimal bite, which might be why—in a world where what something looks like is of paramount importance—it’s suddenly so popular. That, and it’s a bit quicker to make.