You might define a really, really good cocktail as one that is perfect just how it is, requiring no alterations. So it’s a bit funny that it’s the really good cocktails that get riffed on and played around with the most. It’s not a bad way to experiment, especially if you’re new to designing your own drinks: take a formula you know you love and try swapping out one of the ingredients. Maybe it won’t work right away; craft cocktail recipes are carefully-tuned, and switching something out may require a bit less or more of something. Figuring out exactly what works can be really interesting, and good practice for building your own recipes from scratch.
It’s hard to find a cocktail more beloved (or one with more variations) than the Negroni. Its simplicity is what makes it great, and also what makes it easy to adjust. Like whiskey more than gin? Try a Boulevardier. Find Campari too bitter? Use Aperol instead. Want something a bit lighter? Substitute dry vermouth for the usual sweet. I’ve seen some Negroni variations get quite elaborate (and in my book it’s debatable whether it’s still a Negroni once you veer away from the formula of three-ingredients-including-gin) but like great cocktails, great variations are often simple as well.
In that spirit I give you the Kingston Negroni. It’s simple as can be: use rum instead of gin. Specifically a Jamaican rum if you have one. Jamaican rums are quite unique. They are fermented longer than most rums, and this process often includes something called “dunder” or “muck,” essentially the leftover stuff from previous distillations, which is left exposed to the ambient air and microbes before being added to a fresh batch of rum. If that sounds pretty gross, it kind of is – descriptions of the muck pits at Jamaican distilleries are not exactly appealing. But the product of this fermentation is then distilled in pot stills, leaving behind anything questionable and yielding a rum that has a truly singular quality called “hogo.” The word refers to the funky, fruity flavor that separated Jamaican rum from others. As my virtual friend and rum afficionado Faith writes, the hogo of Jamaican rum is similar to the smokiness of Islay Scotch – a unique flavor quality that comes from the local practices and separates it from other spirits in the same category.
Like a smoky Scotch, a truly funky Jamaican rum can be a bit polarizing. I recently bought a bottle of Smith & Cross, the recommended rum for this cocktail, and wow is it funky. It’s honestly a little much for me. I currently prefer Appleton Estate in this drink, which still has those critical qualities but tones down the funkiness in comparison. If you’re a Jamaican rum novice, the Signature Blend is the bottle I’d recommend. I use it in tons of cocktails.
Jamaican rum makes the Kingston Negroni a bit sweeter and fruitier while still maintaining the balanced and bitter essence of the original drink. If you like Negronis, you’ve got to try this twist.
History: The Kingston Negroni was created by Joaquín Simó at Pouring Ribbons, one of my favorite bars in New York. He invented it immediately after tasting Smith & Cross for the first time.
Kingston Negroni
1 oz. Jamaican rum
1 oz. sweet vermouth (Carpano Antica recommended)
1 oz. Campari
Combine ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube. Garnish with an orange twist.
Recipe and history from Punch.