Chocolate Negroni

Despite the fact that I’m a fan of Campari and gin and happen to whip up a vermouth spritz several times a week, I’ve never really been the biggest Negroni fan. That said, I subscribe to the belief that any drink served from a fountain — be it Champagne or Sangria — simply tastes better. So when I found the team behind New York City’s cocktail haven Dante putting together a bright red Negroni fountain at an event féting their gorgeous new Beverly Hills location, I couldn’t resist helping myself to a drink or two at the end of the night. 

Even if you’re not putting together a Negroni fountain in your dining room (but, call me if you do), there’s still a lot that’s special about this riff on the spirit-forward classic. In addition to a generous sprinkle of dark chocolate shavings as a garnish — I prefer Guittard or Valrhona, and encourage you to play with Lindt’s Intense Orange chocolate bar, which feels perfect for this drink —  the Chocolate Negroni truly benefits from the addition of comforting, indulgent chocolate flavor thanks to a quarter ounce of Tempus Fugit Dark Cacao, which is also known as créme de cacao. If you don’t have a bottle in your backbar, consider picking one up and using it to add an additional layer of bittersweet complexity to horchata, Grasshopper, or a mug of hot chocolate. 

When it comes to selecting the right vermouth to make a Chocolate Negroni, Punt e Mes is the way to go. Dark brown, almost syrupy in consistency, and sure to upgrade your next Manhattan cocktail with orange rind and baking spices, this bittersweet Italian vermouth is the perfect counterpoint to chocolate. For best results, make the chocolate shavings the last thing you add to your drink before serving, right alongside an orange twist — nobody likes soggy chocolate! – Oset Babür-Winter