Cocktail Corner – The Negroni

Our go to cocktail of late is The Negroni.  A simple cocktail, found most commonly in Italian restaurants, but is now making its way into craft cocktail bars across America.  The Negroni is best known as an aperitif due to its bitter notes brought on by the Campari.  Bitter flavors help us get ready for a meal by stimulating the appetite and the palate.

Besides being delicious, here are a few other reasons why when the bartender asks what I’ll have, I regularly say, ‘a Negroni please’.

Iron Bartender at Cicchetti

There is no shortage of good food and drink here in the Pacific Northwest. So what could be better than spending a Saturday afternoon watching Seattle’s best cocktailers let their imaginations run wild, dazzling us with their wicked craft. Oh wait, how about pairing their liquid cuisine with delectable bites from local up-and-coming epicurean master Chef Brian Clevenger. Remember this name as I am sure he’ll be among the elite on the Seattle scene. And to top things off, let’s throw in the opportunity for these spirit tastemakers to be recognized by peers and admirers alike as top dog o’ the day. Yup, we’ll take two tickets please!

A Tom Collintini Kinda Day

A Sunny Thursday Afternoon Cocktail

Now I can’t say today is more special than any other day, just a Thursday afternoon after a hard day’s work. But today marks the fourth official day of summer and the weather is here to welcome us to the best season the Emerald City has to offer.

What you may not know is that we have recently taken on the responsibility of becoming good mixologists, tuning our skills and expanding our repertoire of seasonal cocktail favorites. At a balmy 78 degrees, it seemed appropriate to zero in on that perfect cocktail; something with kick, a little class and a refreshing element – Tom Collintini’s fit the bill perfectly!

What is a Tom Collintini? Glad you asked!

2 Parts Gin

1 Part Lemon Juice

1 Teaspoon Sugar (we used Agave nectar)
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker, add ice and shake vigorously. Top with a lemon twist!

And as the sun begins to set (at 9:30 PM) with yummy drinks warming our blood, we suddenly felt the urge to get out for an after dinner walk. We have heard so much about the magic of Seattle summers, it appears they are really on to something here!

A few parting shots from our balcony – 9:30 PM?  Wow!

The view from our 30th story balcony

A close up of Capitol Hill