The Black Negroni is my modern take on an old Classic.
While I was doing my research on the classic cocktail, The Negroni. I had several conversations with friends of mine who have experimented with adding coffee to their Negroni recipes. At the same time, I ran across the Educated barfly on YouTube, who loves this cold brew coffee liquor called Mr. Black. If you haven’t checked out The Educated Barfly on YouTube, he is an excellent source on cocktails and the history of drinks. Well worth a look.
Mr. Black is a cold brew coffee liquor that is made in Australia. The distillers blend of top-grade Arabica coffee beans (which they roast themselves) and Australian wheat vodka to make a cold brew liquor. The result is a bittersweet coffee liquor that is simply divine. Mr. Black isn’t like any coffee liquor I have tried. It is not sweet and cloying, like Kahlua can be. This liquor has just a hint of sweetness. I decided to play around with gins and try Spring44’s Old Tom Gin in this cocktail, which has a rich, full-bodied flavor from being aged in barrels. The combination works well together. Blending the caramel notes of the aged gin with the bittersweet coffee flavor. The end result of this pairing became the Black Negroni.
There are several versions of using Mr. Black in a Negroni. But I found that the balance wasn’t to my liking. I toned down the Mr. Black just a bit, so it is not overpowering the rest of the cocktail and yet still adds so much depth of flavor. The once again as with a Negroni, the orange peel comes into play. It is crucial to use a good fresh peel and twist it over the cocktail to release some of the oils. The orange brings the whole cocktail together, and I feel without it, The Black Negroni is not worth making. I think I have designed one excellent cocktail here that I will enjoy many times. You could play with the gin in this cocktail, depending on the season. A lighter gin will make The Black Negroni more of a summer sipper, for instance. But do try it with Spring44’sSpring44’s Old Tom Gin. I feel it is a perfect combination.
- 1 1/2 oz Spring44 Old Tom Gin
- ¾ oz Campari or another bitter aperitif such as Spring44 Fortify
- ¾ oz Sweet Vermouth
- ½ oz Mr. Black or similar cold-brewed coffee liquor
- 1 large piece orange peel pith removed with a peeler
- Ice
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In a lowball glass combine the gin, Campari, the Sweet Vermouth, and Mr. Black. Or you can make this in a pitcher.
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Add a couple of Ice cubes or one large ice cube and stir with a spoon spinning the ice cube to stir the cocktail. The idea is to chill the mixture down and to slightly dilute it.
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If you mixed this in a pitcher pour into a Low ball glass filled with more ice or one large ice cube.
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Twist the orange peel over the cocktail to help release some of the oils and add to the finished cocktail.
This is a cocktail that can be made in a batch of multiples, stirred, chilled, and poured into individual glasses.
