I am not a big fan of the regular Negroni, with the Campari being a bit too much for me. Whenever I want some kind of Negroni I prefer it made with Aperol instead of Campari. Still trying to find uses for my Cocchi Americano, since I want to try it in as many different cocktails with the Cocchi, I wanted to try it in a Negroni. The recipe is simple, equal parts gin, Aperol and Cocchi. The characteristics are completely different than the Aperol Negroni. Switching the Vermouth for the Cocchi changes the cocktail completely. The Cocchi seems to be a bit more similar to aperitifs like Aperol and Campari, due to it being a wine that is characterised by the flavouring using quinine. Vermouth, on the other hand, is sweet and herbal. I personally feel like vermouth is more complementary to the gin and the Aperol than the Cocchi. The Cocchi, while being a fantastic fortified wine, does not work well in this combination. The wine is not sweet enough, the bitterness that characterises the wine is lost behind the bitterness of the Aperol. In all this cocktail was disappointing, I have made it, now as a reader you will know that it is not even worth bothering. If you want to use Cocchi there are better cocktails than this.

Some cocktails you try don’t work out as you had hoped. While there are many aspects of this that should make it a good cocktail, I find that in the end it isn’t a good cocktail. BY sharing my thoughts on this cocktail, I hope that I discourage those who are not interested in creating cocktails from drinking this as there are many other alternatives. Further others who would be interested in the cocktail despite what I have said about it, there is an open challenge to making this a nice cocktail. Other amari may be used, other base spirits. Personally, this exercise opened my eyes to where the Cocchi does not work in my opinion.

My Recipe:

• 1 oz (3 cl) Gin
• 1 oz (3 cl) Aperol
• 1 oz (3 cl) Cocchi Americano

Add the ingredients to a mixing glass. Stir to chill and dilute. Strain into a double old fashioned glass with ice and garnish with an orange twist.