Navy Style Negroni

The negroni is a wonderfully simple classic cocktail and, like many cocktails, it can be improved with rum. Don’t get us wrong: we love a traditional gin-based negroni, but we also love the added depth and complexity that a good rum can bring to the drink. We’ve tried lots of negroni riffs that use rum and recently hit on our favorite thanks to a bottle of Lost Spirits Distillery’s Navy Style Rum. This rum is a funky, richly flavored rum that is bursting with raisin and dried fruits, overripe pineapple and oak. It is absolutely bursting with flavor, yet it is incredibly smooth. It has so much character that it stands up to the Campari with ease, seamlessly incorporating the bitter orange notes of the aperitif. In short, it’s delicious and you should seriously consider making one right now.

The recipe sticks to a very traditional 1:1:1 ratio of rum, Campari and sweet vermouth. We happen to like Noilly Prat here, but other brands of sweet vermouth will also work well. Since the rum is so full-bodied, this negroni works best on the rocks, as it can handle a little extra dilution as you sip it. Don’t skip the orange twist, which brightens up not only the Campari, but the tropical citrus notes of the rum.

Navy Style Negroni
1 oz Lost Spirits Navy Style Rum
1 oz Campari
1 oz Noilly Prat Sweet Vermouth

Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass and stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass with a large ice cube. Garnish with an orange twist.