Less Is More: Negroni

©  Damien Guichard

This month, I decided to take a stab at what I’ve long considered an abomination: the Negroni.

I’ve never liked it. To me, it has always tasted artificial and unbalanced.

And yet it’s beloved by millions around the world, so who am I to judge?

(I’m judging.)

For a moment, I considered removing Campari. But that felt too easy. Too obvious. So instead, I removed the vermouth.

And that’s about where the inspiration stopped.

Looking back at my early bartending days, many of the drinks I created were unnecessarily complicated. In hindsight, they simply didn’t need to exist. When we know less, we tend to overcomplicate. We assume simplicity makes us look inexperienced, when in reality, it’s often the other way around.

So this time, I did the opposite.

I went back to what I used to do behind the bar: limit the playground. Pick a shop. Use what’s inside. That’s it.

So I headed to the Korean shop around the corner.

Within two minutes, I had a can of lychees and a bottle of flavoured soju in my hands, something I’d seen countless times but never actually tried. A quick search suggests around 10% sugar—noticeably lighter than sweet vermouth.

And just like that: Yuzu & Lychee Negroni.

I used the lychee syrup as the sweetening element to bring a little texture and extra layer. Gin and Campari remain from the original build. To push the bitterness slightly further, a few drops of Boker’s bitters. And to round it out, just a couple of drops of cucumber eau de vie.

And I’ll tell you what, that right there is a tasty little beverage.