Our Thanksgiving day meal has remained largely unchanged over the years. Whether in Northern California or New Jersey, the progression of courses and recipes have more or less remained constant. There is a pattern, an order to how we do things from reviewing last year’s meal for some minor tweaking to orchestrating the presentation of the feast. After several weeks of ruminating over the details, preparing the to-do lists, marketing, starting the actual cooking – understandably a well needed moment to collect oneself before the big event is in order. Beginning our celebration in the living room in front of a toasty fire, with glass of Prosecco and un bocconcino or nibble, coaxes our guests to relax while offering a peek of the delights to follow. Most civilized, wouldn’t you agree?…
Il Negroni Perfetto – The Perfect Negroni
Mio Marito has become quite the Italophile over the years, developing an appreciation and rather uncanny understanding of all things Italian, including yours truly. He has embraced the history, culture, customs, food, and wine. Did I mention the late afternoon aperitivi? A veritable master of that domain… Our early evening ritual when in Italy is to facciamo una bella passeggata (take a nice walk together) followed by an aperitivo before dinner. After years of experience, his preferred cocktail is without a doubt, the Negroni.
Apparently the Negroni came into being in Florence in the 1920’s when the nobleman Count Cammillo Negroni asked a local establishment to prepare an Americano asking him to substitute gin for club soda. Lucca Picchi, head bartender at Caffe Rivoire in Florence wrote a book about the colorful Count in 2008, available in Italian: Sulle Tracce del Conte: La Vera Storia del Cocktail Negroni (On the Trails of the Count: The True Story of the Negroni Cocktail)….