A negroni tasting flight with paired bar bites, a $1,250 cocktail, negroni-flavor Jello Shots and more of the best Negroni Week 2018 specials.
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| Explore the bitter notes of Campari with The Flatiron Room's paired tasting menu. |
By
Eva Kis, Metro
It’s the first full week in June, which means it’s time to raise a negroni for a good cause.
Normally a humble aperitif cocktail of equal parts Campari — the
bitter, boozier predecessor
of new summer darling Aperol — vermouth and gin garnished with an
orange peel, Negroni Week (June 4-10) celebrates this European tradition
by turning it up a notch and adding a charitable twist. Bartenders and,
recently, chefs create their own takes on the Italian cocktail and
designate an organization to receive a portion of the proceeds; over
$1.4 million has been raised in the event’s six years.
Last year’s unicorn food trend meant things got
pretty wild
with specials like The Horny Ram’s My Little Pony-inspired negroni
waffle. So whether you already love aperitifs or just want to try
something fun,
nearly 200
bars and restaurants in Manhattan and Brooklyn are taking part — here
are our picks for your best and wildest Negroni Week 2018:
Boozy sundae vibes
Everything you need to know about
Tipsy Scoop
is right in the name. Bring some friends to their Barlour ice cream
shop for the Negroni Pony Sundae, made with orange sorbet infused with
Campari, vermouth and gin, topped with rainbow sprinkles and served with
a giant Pinkie Pie sugar cookie in a Funfetti cone bowl. Each sundae
sold is $1 donated to the James Beard Foundation.
217 E. 26th St., tipsyscoop.com
Cocktail in a ball
Don’t challenge the
Arancini Bros to turn something into one of their fried Italian risotto balls if you don’t mean it. Their
Negroni Arancini is filled with negroni-infused risotto and stuffed with mortadella, pistachio and fontina cheese, benefitting No Kid Hungry.
Various locations, arancinibros.com
Make time for a tropical nightcap
From a
Hawaiian garden in the Bronx to a soon-to-be
legendary tiki bar in Midtown, New York is feeling pretty tropical. At chic Lower East Side speakeasy
Nitecap,
relax with a Paradise Negroni, which swaps gin for overproof white rum
by Wray & Nephew and pineapple-infused Appleton Reserve. Sales
benefit the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project.
120 Rivington St., nitecapnyc.com
Save room for dessert
Besides the return of their hit Negroni Pop Tarts, the ladies who take dessert as seriously as their cocktails at
Butter & Scotch
are adding a Negroni Pie (Negroni custard, butter crust, whipped cream
& orange zest) and Negroni Jell-Ohh shots served in an orange wedge
to the menu this week. Three ways to benefit Lambda Legal!
818 Franklin Ave., Brookly, butterandscotch.com
Where negronis are the specialty
Dante is a stylish bar is
zero pretense, all mindful craft when it comes to cocktails. But the
negroni is a passion project — their idea of serving it on tap is a
Negroni Fountain, in addition to a Signature Negroni menu of 10
varieties, all priced at $10. This week they’re donating a portion to
God’s Love We Deliver, so get yourself a Chocolate Negroni with three
chocolate flavors if you've got a sweet tooth, or the Negroni Frappe
made with the bar’s famous fluffy orange juice.
79-81 Macdougal St., dante-nyc.com
A lux cocktail with a hefty donation
Midtown’s upscale jazz lounge
Fine & Rare is breaking open a $700 bottle of Nolet’s Reserve Gin for its
Luxury Negroni Sbagliato,
with Campari, Champagne Armand de Brignac (aka Ace of Spades) brut
rose, orange bitters and zest, with a flurry of gold flakes on top. The
cocktail costs $1,250, with $1,000 going to Children of Restaurant
Employees.
9 E. 37th St., fineandrare.nyc
Cocktails and paired bites
Known for its expertise in balancing assertive spirits,
The Flatiron Room
explores the bitter notes of Campari with its Negroni Flight ($75), a
menu of bar bites paired with takes on the classic cocktail. Going from
least to most bitter, there’s the Sparkling Negroni with salmon rose
caviar, cucumber and ikura; Smoking Boulevardier with a turkey meatball
in bourbon BBQ sauce; and a Grappa Negroni with chocolate truffle dusted
with matcha.
37 W. 26th St., theflatironroom.com
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