Negroni

The spec

One, one, one. The Negroni’s whole appeal is that you can make it from memory after the second one, which is also why it’s the drink people tinker with most once they’ve stopped needing the card.

Stir it. Some bars build it in the glass over ice and give it a quick stir. It works, but the first sip is warmer and boozier and the last is watery. Stirring in a mixing glass and straining over fresh ice gives the same dilution every time, which matters more here than in most drinks because there is no citrus to hide behind.

The gin should push back. Campari and sweet vermouth are both loud. A soft, floral gin disappears; a juniper-forward London dry holds its own. This is the drink to use the gin you find too aggressive in a Martini.

Where people disagree

• Ratio. Equal parts is canon. Plenty of bartenders go 1½ oz gin to 1 oz each of the others to dry it out, and it’s a reasonable house spec. Write the ratio on the card if you change it, because “a bit more gin” is not reproducible.
• Vermouth. The vermouth is the swing ingredient. Carpano Antica makes it rich and vanilla-y; Cocchi di Torino keeps it brighter; Dolin Rouge is lighter still. Three cards, one drink.
• Garnish. Peel, expressed, is the modern answer. A half-wheel of orange is the Florentine answer. Both are correct; the peel is drier, the slice is sweeter.

Make it yours

The Negroni family is enormous, and most members are a one-line change. Swap the gin for bourbon and you have a Boulevardier. Swap it for prosecco and you have a Sbagliato. Swap it for mezcal and you have something smoky that a lot of people now prefer. Swap the Campari for another red bitter and the drink changes more than you’d expect.

Because the ratio is fixed, this is a good drink for learning what each bottle does. Change one bottle, keep the card otherwise identical, and note what happened. That note is the recipe.