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New Negroni from Ischia – Stir Not Shake!

Hall-of-fame Cocktail

And most likely the true story how Negroni came up in in a bar in 1919

ISCHIA, ITALY: Summer in Italy is filled with sun, sand and aperitivo or cocktails. In the cocktail universe, the Negroni has one indisputable advantage: Order one in the bar and you will sound well-travelled and sophisticated. Negroni is a hall-of-fame cocktail, and now a new cocktail-alternative knock on the door: The Iskian Negroni.

Ready, steady, stir the Iskian Negroni; Mix Biancolella white wine and soda, add tonic water and garnish with lemon.
Ready, steady, stir the Iskian Negroni; Mix Biancolella white wine and soda, add tonic water and garnish with lemon.

Hotel in Ischia: HOME AWAY FROM HOME

How to make Negroni

The Iskian Negroni was created in spring 2020 on the green island of Ischia. The recipe is simple, easy to remember and with a local profile. Mix 2 ounces Campari Soda, 2 ounces Schweppes Tonic Water, 1 ounce Biancolella Wine and garnish with lemon slice.

Stir white wine and the soda with ice in a double old-fashioned glass. Add tonic water, the lemon slice and stir briefly. The Biancolella wine by Casa d’Ambra on the slopes west of Ischia is one of the best Biancolella of the island.

Ischia also launched and celebrate the summer season with another new flavour and fresh idea; The Iskian Negroni Ice Pop. There is a saying that goes like this: Behind every tasty cocktail is a woman. In this case, it is Valeria Nazzaro with Pep Minichino and Vincenzo Notaro in the team.

A star was born in 1919: Nigroni is a star in the cocktail universe
A star was born in 1919: Nigroni is a star in the cocktail universe

The birth of Negroni

The most widely reported version of the Negroni´s origin is that it was invented at Caffe Casoni in Florence. Let´s go back to the year 1919 when Count Camillo Negroni asked his bartender to add some extra kick to his usual drink, the Americano. Forsco Scarselli strengthen the cocktail by replacing the soda water with gin. The bartender mixed one-part each of gin, vermouth rosso, and Campari, then garnished with an orange peel—and the Negroni was born. True story or not, Count Negroni´s namesake cocktail has since become vital at bars, cocktail parties, and everything in between.

The Modern Man

In Italy, Negroni is the modern man’s martini or the go-to drink for men who once ordered martini. World-wide, the Negroni is to this decade what the cosmopolitan was to the ’90s—a zeitgeist-defining cocktail that’s as beloved as it is global.

Tips; Stir not shake

Unlike the Martini, say, the Negroni works well served up or on the rocks. If you prefer your sans rocks, stir your ingredients over ice before straining into a chilled coupe. We, however, tend to enjoy a Negroni on the rocks for its sunny, aperitif quality. To make the perfect Negroni, the ingredients should be stirred with plenty of ice to bring the temperature down. Do not shake it.

Way of Life: The people in Ischia take care of old traditions
Way of Life: The people in Ischia take care of old traditions

The people of Ischia

The Negroni’s popularity shows no sign of slowing. Order the Iskian Negroni, and it will help to fit in with the people of Ischia in the Bay of Naples. The famous film-star Sophia Loren from Naples has always been in love with Ischia. The island in Campania region is about 18 square miles and has a population of nearly 60,000 residents. Sandy beaches, blue sea and natural thermal is easy to reach by hydrofoils from Naples.

Must-see places

People come to Ischia to experience its famous thermal water spas. There are six towns with their own character and charm: Ischia Porto & Ischia Ponte, Forio, Casamicciola, Lacco Ameno, Serrara Fontana and Barano. The medieval Aragonese Castle is a must-see place. You can´t go to Ischia and not visit a thermal spa, it means outdoor water parks with pools, grottos, and hot springs.

Breakfast with a view: The medieval Aragonese Castle is a must-see place.

What to wear in Ischia

August in Ischia is pretty hot and packing for holiday means swimwear, sandals, sunglasses and shorts. Ladies fashion means a mixture of luxury brands and high street fashion, such as D&G, Roberto Cavalli, Gucci, and Hogan. I found Ischia to be a rather casual island which was nice. We dressed for dinner, which we like to do, but otherwise during the day, dress ran informal.

Italian style: The art of Negroni - served with olives
Italian style: The art of Negroni – served with olives

The bars in Ischia

Lounge bars, wine bars and cocktail bars all over Ischia, places where you can go for a drink, meet people or dance at night. The Negroni has converted into a back bone of any self-respecting cocktail menu. This is a drink almost impossible to dislike. The only danger, of course, is how easily you can make another one.

ISCHIA SPECIAL: SPA AND NATURAL VIAGRA

Gudmund Lindbaek
Gudmund Lindbaek
Journalist founded King Goya online travel magazine. Meeting people for engaging stories. I´m off to uncover the best strategies for long life living. This is part of my venture “Around the World in 80 Lanes” – about travel, run sprint, staying fit! I just want a tiny slice of adventures to feel alive, and then excited to return home.

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