Classic cocktails have rightly had a resurgence in the last few years, and the humble Negroni is at the top of the pile. Nobody knows this better than drinks innovator Tony Corigliano and his team who have created not one but four unique bottle-aged versions of the Negroni using a sous-vide cooking method in their Hackney-based Drink Factory. The Classico is made using a traditional blend of London dry gin, Italian vermouth and Italian bitters, which provides the base for the other three expressions – Rosato (rose-infused), Superiore (pink peppercorn-infused), and Robusto which has a more intense taste as a result of a lengthened cooking period in the sous-vide.
The best place to drink them is in one of Tony’s flagship bars – 69 Colebrooke Row in Islington or Bar Termini in Soho. I went down to the latter on a Monday night to take a look at some new artwork on the boozy bottles. The labels have been designed by award winning graphic design group AS-CC and depict four nostalgic Italian scenes in a Ligne Claire style, tying in with the origins of the Negroni and the inspiration behind Bar Termini. There will be a limited run of prints available which I would love to get my hands on, but I fear they’ll be out of my price range! Keep on eye out for them on the walls of Bar Termini. I’ll just have to make do with a bottle I guess…
