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Epicurious

East India Negroni

4.7

(3)

Photo of rumbased Negroni cocktail riff with orange twist in rock glass.

I created this rum-based riff on the Negroni in the fall of 2009.

Rum typically stars in Cuban and Tiki cocktails, so I chose the Negroni as my inspiration to open bartenders’ minds to rum’s versatility. East India sherry is a blend of oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherries that are aged in a hot, humid bodega in a special solera that mimics the conditions the wine would have undergone during transatlantic journeys of the seventeenth century. Cook’s ship would have stocked sherries like this one, which stands in for sweet vermouth quite admirably.

Notes

This drink's name makes East India sherry the key ingredient here. If you’re going to sub the rum, I’d choose an English-style rum with some barrel age, such as Appleton Reserve or Mount Gay Black Barrel. Martini, Luxardo, and Contratto bitters mix well, but you’ll have an easier time sourcing Campari.

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