So, this writer walks into a bar….
No, it’s not the beginning of a joke. It’s what I did Tuesday night. Not a craft cocktail bar, not a fancy hotel bar, just an ordinary neighborhood bar on my way home. And I ordered what’s become my go-to recently: “A Negroni, please.”
“Certainly,” the bartender responded. “Would you like that with vodka or gin?”
That gave me a moment’s pause — no one has ever asked me that before!– and I stuttered out my response: “Gin, please.” As the bartender finished another order and then began mine — Campari, sweet vermouth, and gin –I thumbed out a quick post on Twitter:
Hmmm…first time a bartender has asked if I’d like my Negroni “with vodka or gin.” Should I run?
— Kara Newman (@karanewman) February 22, 2012
The responses flew in before I’d even finished my drink. “RUN!” urged @inukena. “YES, RUN!” echoed @feeedme. Emboldened by alcohol, I finally asked the bartender: “So…do people really order Negronis with vodka?” He nodded solemnly. “Oh, yes. It’s the vodka generation. But personally, I prefer gin.” I polished off the rest of my drink and posted again:
Ok, final result on that Negroni: false alarm. Guy knows what he’s doing; good Negroni. He’s just extra accommodating.
— Kara Newman (@karanewman) February 22, 2012
But clearly I had touched a nerve. The responses continued to roll in over the next 24 hours:
@inukena: (Collective sigh of relief)
@RobertOSimonson: He still should never ask that question. With a Martini, I’d grudgingly accept it. A Negroni? No.
@LegendofMyself: you can choose between the Negroni which is with gin, the Negroski with dry vodka and the “wrong” Negroni with brut champagne 
@orpheum: People order Negronis with vodka? Shame on them. Shame!
@raelinn_wine: VILE! pffff vodka in a negroni.
@nikki_d: Vodka in a negroni? Yikes!
@SpiritManager: But if you make it with Vodka, is it still a Negroni? Shouldn’t it have a different name?
All this anti-vodka vitriol! OK. So cranky contrarian that I am, I couldn’t help it. Last night, I returned the same bar, and asked the same bartender: “Negroni, please. But this time….I’ll try it with vodka.”
He did a double-take, but quickly recovered, and made my drink. As he stirred, I explained my reasoning: My preferred gin for a Negroni is Plymouth, because it’s soft and neutral, and not overly juniper-y. But isn’t that just a step removed from vodka anyway? And wouldn’t bitter Campari overwhelm the nuances in gin, anyhow?
He nodded, clearly placating the babbling guest, and set my drink down.
So how was it? The gin-based Negroni was much, much better than the vodka version. I can’t explain why. Frankly, it’s not logical, and the best I can offer is some lame excuse about the alchemy between the three ingredients that make up the cocktail.
But the bartender understood when he saw me push away the barely-touched drink, and repeated his line from the night before.
“Personally, I prefer gin.”
Me too, barkeep. Me too.
‘One beer, please.’
‘Sure. Beer, or seltzer?’
you win. in what universe are beer and seltzer equivalent?
I’ve got to say, and maybe this is too anti-vodka, but I think it’s on the customer to ask for a mangled Negroni. If you want to substitute something in a classic cocktail, ask for it. I mean, how often, really, could this bartender possibly have people sending back normal Negronis, complaining that he didn’t give them the vodka option?
Like I said on twitter, I’m with Robert Simonson. It’s okay (kind of) to ask a customer whether they want a gin or vodka Martini. But these days, there are so many ratio variations common to Martinis that it probably necessitates a whole conversation. I never order Martinis at bars (I drink plenty at home though), but if I did, I’d be asking for the Audrey Saunders-style Fitty-Fitty Martini. I’d order it as, “I’d like a Martini with equal parts gin and vermouth with orange bitters,” so as not to presume anything.
And speaking of vodka where it don’t belong, I’ve been trying convince people who order Vodka Red Bulls to try the energy drink with gin. Seriously, if you must drink it — there’s a time and a place, right? — it actually tastes kind of good with gin.
Red Bull and gin? That is a noble crusade, my friend.
Damn. Now I want a Fitty-Fitty.
I know! I swear it tastes better than vodka and Red Bull. I mean, that’s believable, right? But yeah, I want a Fitty-Fitty too. I’ve been making them with New York Distilling Company’s Dorothy Parker Gin, Dolin Blanc, and Gary Regan’s bitters. very nice.
Something that confuses me is that I don’t see much reason to ask for a vodka Negroni, even if you don’t like gin.
Plenty of people like vodka Martinis because they don’t like the taste of gin. For a Negroni, it seems to me that the flavor of gin is so pummeled by the Campari that it doesn’t really matter.
As you found, the cocktail may be missing that “extra something” without the gin, but I’m hard pressed to believe that someone could pinpoint their distaste of gin through a Negroni.
I see your point — and to be perfectly candid, I ordered that vodka Negroni wth the assumption that the Campari would overwhelm and it would all taste the same. I was primed to write a blog post on “you’re all gin snobs.” But without the gin, the Negroni tasted flat — so that “gin snob” premise went right out the window!
I know this is neither here nor there, but I have been known to order a gin-heavy Negroni. Sometimes I find that the equal parts can end up a little cloying or heavy.
Finally, a man with some sense.
Not a bad idea, Al. Although for me, I find that the big variable is the vermouth — depending on what kind they use (read: not Carpano Antica!) it can overwhelm and I find myself wishing for more gin.
40 mls old tom , 25 antica formula, 30 campari, stair on big fat ice… thats a negroni,,, the vodka generation can go and have long islands ice teas or cosmopolitans for those who like tv,,,
well to be hones i enjoy a good ”Rosita”, 30mls Gran Centenario reposado (highlands tequila) 30 pum e mess, 30 campari… but is not a negroni.. is a Rosita,,,,
I’m intrigued by the idea of a tequila “Negroni” – I may have to try that soon!