Non-Alcoholic Negroni
Equal-parts zero-proof Negroni built on bitter aperitifs and juniper
Ingredients
- 1 ozWilfred's Bittersweet AperitifThe bitter half of the drink, in the Campari roleSubstitute: Ghia or Everleaf Forest for a drier, more herbal version
- 1 ozMartini VibranteTakes the sweet-vermouth part, bitter orange over chamomileSubstitute: Lyre's Italian Orange for a sweeter, more citrus-forward drink
- 1 ozNon-Alcoholic GinA juniper-forward zero-proof gin, which is what keeps the drink from reading as juiceSubstitute: Chilled juniper tea if no zero-proof gin is on hand
Instructions
- Set a large cube in a rocks glass and leave it in the freezer while building the drink
One big cube rather than several small ones, since a zero-proof build has no alcohol to carry it once it waters down
- Add 1 oz non-alcoholic gin, 1 oz Wilfred's Bittersweet Aperitif and 1 oz Martini Vibrante to a mixing glass
- Fill with ice and stir until cold
Around twenty seconds, shorter than a spirited Negroni: there is no alcohol here that needs softening
- Strain over the chilled cube
- Express an orange peel over the surface and drop it in
Technique Notes
Stir short, around twenty seconds. There is no alcohol here to soften, so dilution is the enemy rather than the point.
Why the Non-Alcoholic Negroni Works
Everything the alcohol was doing here has to be done by something else. In the original, ethanol carries the aromatics and gives the drink its weight and its faint burn; take it out and what remains is two bitter aperitifs and a juniper infusion that can slump into sweet fruit juice. Three things stop that. Stir it short, around twenty seconds, because there is no alcohol to soften and dilution is the enemy rather than the point. Serve it genuinely cold over one large cube. And express the orange peel properly, since the oils arrive before the first sip and do more work in a zero-proof build than in the original. If it still reads flat, add a dash of non-alcoholic aromatic bitters rather than more of the bitter aperitif.