The essence of style is a simple way of saying something complex.

Giorgio Armani

Count Camillo Negroni, a Florentine aristocrat with an intriguing past that included stints as a rodeo cowboy in the wild west and a gambler in New York, returned to his Italian homeland during the onset of American Prohibition. It was in 1919, in the welcoming confines of Caffé Casoni in Florence, that the story of Italy's most famous aperitivos began to take shape.

The legend goes that while seated at the bar, the Count chatted with bartender Forsco Scarselli and told him he fancied something a little stronger than his normal Americano—Campari, sweet vermouth, and soda.

In a stroke of genius, Scarselli replaced the soda in the Americano with an equal measure of gin and garnished the drink with an orange slice, deviating from the customary lemon slice accompanying the Americano. This novel creation swiftly captured the palates of the local patrons, who began requesting their Americanos "the Negroni way." And thus, an icon was born.

Preparation:

1.0oz / 30ml Gin

1.0oz / 30ml Campari 

1.0oz / 30ml Sweet vermouth

Orange slice 

Prepare an orange slice garnish. Add all ingredients to an ice-filled old fashioned glass. Stir for 15-20 seconds. Garnish.