Negroni
I recently celebrated my (gasp) 40th birthday. As the oldest grandchild on both sides of my family I am quite used to being the brunt of age-focused jokes. Still this one hurt a little. By most definitions I have entered the dreaded ‘middle aged’ era and yet I don’t feel old in any way. Age is a not felt on the inside, only shown on the outside.
What I have felt is the general aging of those around me. Despite their promises my children grow taller and older by the day. They are in that perfect kid age where they have left behind all vestiges of baby but still love me fiercely in a way that only children can. I am acutely aware of how fleeting these moments are; sand in an hourglass. My parents are beginning the retirement phases of their lives. I am no longer a ‘child’ to them. Of course haven’t been in a long time. I am unsure when that switch happened, when they ceased parenting me and we became on even footing. Like most things, these shifts happen gradually. I am fortunate enough to still have two grandparents with me. Though again, I have felt their age acutely over the past few years. A constant, progressive slowing. Our days together are surely being counted as days.
And so I enter another decade with a bittersweet toast. I am loved and blessed beyond measure, futilely wishing I could slow down time and keep things just as they are.
This is the perfect bittersweet cocktail. An excellent choice as the cold settles in and the days get shorter. The Campari adds a pleasant bitterness and the sweet vermouth gives the drink a beautiful red hue. It is a festive fall drink, sure to ease your worries as well!
Negroni
Makes 2 cocktails
2 oz gin
2 oz Campari
2 ounce sweet vermouth
2 thin piece of orange peel
Use the orange peel and swipe one across the lip of a rock glass and place it in each glass. Repeat with the other peel and glass. Add ice if desired (a large round or square ice cube is an excellent use here). In an shaker, add ice followed by the gin, Campari and vermouth. Shake well to combine and strain into the rock glasses. Enjoy!