NEGRONI SPAGLIATO MAI TAI
COCKTAILS OF THE MONTH By Jessica Basnett of The Library Oxton
Negroni Spagliato :
We ’ ve all heard of the classic negroni , ruby red in colour , a perfectly balanced blend of both bitter and sweet . However , have you heard of this trending twist on the famous Italian cocktail ? Given worldwide fame with the thanks to Emma Darcy in a promotion video for House of the Dragon , where they state their drink of choice as a ' negroni spaglaito with proseccco in it ' - which is complimented by her coworker Olivia who replies ‘ oh stunning ’. Since this interview the drink has taken the bar scene by storm with many people trying this new twist of an old classic .
When asking for this cocktail you are quite literally asking for a mistaken negorni as spagliato translates from Italian to ‘ mistake ’ or ‘ wrong ’. It received its name , as legend has it as by a milano bartender who simply picked up a prosecco bottle instead of a bottle of gin , thus accidentally creating the negroni spagliato . Therefore , to make this drink you simply replace the gin for prosecco . This makes the perfect alternative for drinkers who don ’ t want to end up stumbling out of the bar , as stated by Henry Jeffreys , author of The Cocktail Dictionary , ‘ the Negroni is so drinkable , but so strong ’. With swapping the prosecco for gin you make a drink about 10-15 % less ABV , meaning you ’ re less likely to be nursing a hangover the following day .
Ingredients :
• 1 ounce Campari
• 1 ounce Sweet Vermouth
• 1 ounce Prosecco
Method : For this cocktail equal parts of each ingredient are used . Now , you can create this drink as large as you want at home but for bar measures we use an ounce of Campari , an ounce of Sweet Vermouth for the perfect bitter / sweet balance and finishing off with a top of Prosecco . Now this cocktail is STIRRED not SHAKEN for around two minutes , this helps to create the ideal dilution and temperature of the drink . Serve in a lowball glass over ice with an orange peel or , if you ’ re feeling fancy serve straight up in a champagne flute .
Mai Tai :
Now we move on to talking about a completely different type of cocktail , the Man Tai , arguably the most famous tiki cocktail there is . Tiki cocktails are fruity , tropical cocktails that usually contain rum and are lavishly decorated . The word tiki originated from Maori mythology and is the representation of the first human created by the gods . The fascination with tiki culture spread worldwide one the 1930 ’ s with the first tiki bar being opened in 1934 . This incorporated Polynesian art with exotic drinks , wooden tiki mugs and flaming torches . Tiki bars are still extremely popular in the bar scene today with many bars also incorporating at least one tiki cocktail on their menu .
The Mai Tai was rumoured to be created by Victor J . Bergeon , who was better known as Trader Vic . Although this has been disputed with many others claiming the original idea . When trialling this drink out on some friends visiting from Tahiti , after a sip , one exclaimed “ mai tai-roa aé ” meaning “ out of this world-the best !” which is were the name originated from . Trust me , this drink more than lives up to it ’ s name
Ingredients :
• 1 1 / 4 ounce of White Rum
• 3 / 4 ounce of Dark Rum
• 20ml Orange Curacao
• 20ml Orgeat Syrup
• 1 / 2 ounce lime juice
Method : The Mai Tai consists of two rums , white rum and Bacardi and it get its unique taste from the orgeat syrup . First you mix the white rum , fresh lime juice , orgeat syrup , orange curaçao and 10ml of simple syrup if you want to add a little extra sweetness . This is the then shaken with a Boston shaker and can be served in any glass over ice . Single strain with your Hawthorne strainer . Once completed , pour the dark rum over the ice so it sits at the top of the drink , serve with a slice of pineapple , lime wheel or maraschino cherry . If this sounds a little strong and you want more of that tropical taste , why not add pineapple or mango juice ?
38 wirrallife . com