Four years ago Imbibe Magazine and the makers of the liqueur, Campari, started Negroni Week. This year it runs from June 5-11. Many cocktail bars will offer a Negroni (Campari, gin, vermouth; recipe here) and give part of the proceeds to a charity.
In honor of Negroni Week, Tammy Coxen of Tammy’s Tastings came up with a variation inspired by another variation of the Negroni. It was concocted by a bartender in Iceland.
“As I drank it, I thought this could really work with this Michigan amaro,” Coxen said. She explained that typically amaros are bittersweet liqueurs from Italy.
That Michigan amaro is made at Brengman Brothers Winery in Leelanau County.
She calls her drink The Stopover because it was inspired by her trip to Iceland.
“Airlines allow you to take a free stopover there. It’s become something of a meeting ground for people from all over the world,” Coxen said, adding that the three ingredients also come from all over.
The Stopover
¾ oz Brengman Brothers’ Piccolo Dito Amaro
¾ oz Montenegro Amaro Italiano
1-1/2 oz Becherovka (a liqueur from the Czech Republic)
Stir ingredients with ice (30 to 50 revolutions), then strain onto fresh ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Express the oils from a bit of orange peel and drop the peel in the glass.
Coxen says during Negroni Week, some cocktail bars come up with their own variation on the drink. There could be some surprising and interesting twists on the classic cocktail. And you don’t even have to go to Iceland to find them.
