Thirsty Thursday: The NEGRONI

Well it's Thirsty Thursday Folks and Time for us to share with you the Drink of the Week. This week we are shining the Spotlight on the Negroni.

We chose the Negroni after reading In the Dec '09/Jan '10 Issue of Men's Journal on the last Page titled "Survival Skills", that Anthony Bourdain's favorite Drink is a NEGRONI. Bourdain says that the Negroni is his favorite drink that was taught to him by Mario Batali and that this simultaneously ruined and improved his life!!

The base alchohols of the Negroni are Gin and Campari. It's widely considered an aperitif, a pre-dinner cocktail intended to stimulate the appetite although it can be enjoyed at any time. The most common legend is that it was invented in Florence, Italy when Count Cammillo Negroni in the 1920's ordered an Americano Cocktail and asked the bartender to add Gin.

New Orleans Modern Drunkards, Steve, Ryan, and Eric, tested this cocktail at the Bridge Lounge in Uptown and at Bar Tonique in the Outskirts of the French Quarter. At the Bridge Lounge, Styles crafted this Drink using Beefeater Gin and it was a bit light but nice. At Bar Tonique, Christine crafted her Negroni's with Plymouth Gin which added a more fragrant flavor and she also openes the orange twist by burning it which helps add a light fruity finish. Overall, I, Eric, liked it cause it was a light cocktail.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 oz sweet vermouth
1 1/2 oz Campari
1 1/2 oz gin
orange slice or twist for garnish

Preparation: Pour the ingredients into an old-fashioned glass with ice cubes. Stir well & Garnish with the orange slice

Try it out and let us know what you think!!

New Orleans Modern Drunkards

Hi, my Name is Eric Gamble & I had been stuck in a rut with the same old adult beverages. Everytime I would go to a bar I either order a Jack Sour (a whiskey sour with Jack Daniels), a Chimmey (a belgium beer), or just a regular beer. While most would people say that this is just you finding comfort in life, I disagree because I live in New Orleans where drinking is a great social experiment combined with unbelievable history and adventure.
Thus, I have been inspired by a great book that I recommend to anyone looking for interesting cocktails and history. This book, that came to inspire me, is an interesting look into the world of drinking called the Modern Drunkard by Frank Kelly Rich. The Modern Drunkard offers today's befuddled drinkers a comprehensive and instructive manual on how to drink-and how to do it well. This book campaigns to revive the lost art of tippling and taps a deep vein of boozy lore and legend through the ages, uncovering etiquette and expertise from some of history's greatest guzzlers.
Thus came an idea to create a social drinking club and a webshow in honor of this book and a great cocktail lifestyle found in our great city of New Orleans. The New Orleans Modern Drunkards blog and Webshow is a brainchild that was brought to life by my neighbors and several close friends who all are also in search of a new drink. In an attempt to expand our booze knowledge and a social activity, we had created a new society dedicated to the art of mixology. Each gathering, webshow, or adventure will spotlight a particular libation, a New Orleans location, history, education, and other wonderful Modern Drunkard tips. The name of the game is creativity & fun. However, this is not a puke-in-your-shoes-pass-out-in-the-gutter kind of gig. We're a classy society or will pretend to be one.
So what will you find in this Blog? Well everyday we hope to follow a theme:
Monday - Modern Drunkard Mall Review: Here we will review a product, books, music, booze, ingredients, apparel, & drinking paraphernalia
Tuesday - Top 5 Tuesday: Here we will announce the top 5 things to do with a Cocktail in New Orleans this week!
Wednesday - Where Are We Wednesday??: On Wednesdays Some of the Modern Drunkards will be out enjoying a few libations. We will post up a few clues and if you can find the Modern Drunkard out, we will by the first 2 people to approach us with the secret word or phrase a drink!
Thursday - Thirsty Thursday: On Thursdays, we will post up a New Cocktail recipe that we feel is worth drinking
Friday - Fun Facts Friday: Friday will allow us show the world that we just aren't a group of pretty pieces of meat but we have brains too. We plan on giving you definitions, history lessons, famous quotes, and tips found in Frank K. Rich's Modern Drunkard.
Saturday - Saturday Sauce Spotlight: As the New Orleans Modern Drunkards, we would be amiss to not share with you some of the hottest alchohols and beers that can be found in stores and bars within this magnificent city.
Sunday - Nothing: even the Lord rested on this day so give us a break won't ya!!