Even if you wanted to, the European Union won’t let you travel to Italy right now.

Not a problem. Stay home. Sip a Negroni and pretend you are on the Amalfi Coast without the teeming crowds.

The thought of getting on an airplane right now sends me into a panic. I can barely wear a mask in Jewel for twenty minutes let alone on an international flight.

A packed plane? Middle seats filled? Not a chance.

Thanks, but I’ll vacation in my own backyard without the need to wear a mask or worrying about a passenger behind me sneezing, even if it’s just allergies.

I’ve discovered the perfect summer cocktail to make life sizzle after being cooped up at home since March 21st.

Leave it to those Italians, the fine purveyors of tasty food and drink, to craft this jewel in a glass.

Thus, the Negroni. A classic cocktail perfect for these hot, sticky, humid days of a Chicago summer.

Rumor has it that Count Camillo Negroni had a thirst for a stronger version of his favorite drink, the Americano.

As the story goes, back in Florence in 1919, the Count asked the bartender at Cafe Casoni to substitute gin for the soda water. The barkeep also switched out the lemon peel for an orange.

Perfection was born.

Did you notice the year? 1919, during the Spanish Flu Pandemic. Hummmm? Is there a pattern here?

A COVID-19 cocktail worthy of pandemics.

It’s so easy to make, you don’t even need a recipe, just the right ingredients.

Negroni

1 oz. Gin

1 oz. Campari

1 oz. sweet vermouth

orange peel.

Mix ingredients over ice in an old fashioned glass. Garnish with an orange peel.

Gin? I refuse to drink gin you stammer. I know you don’t drink gin. Neither do I. It’s an acquired taste for sure. But I promise you won’t even taste it. You don’t want to mess with over one-hundred-years of perfection. Use the damn gin.

Campari is an Italian aperitif that has an herbal, bitter, spicy taste. They used to put crushed insects in the recipe. Don’t worry, not anymore. Campari and soda is another classic.

Vermouth, also an Italian aperitif, is an aromatic wine. Herbs, roots and barks are added to the wine base.

The only tweak I did was add a squeeze of fresh orange juice and an orange slice. Hey, if you are going to all that trouble to peel an orange, why waste the juice?

Mix these together and you have a taste of Italy to sip and savor while your chicken and corn are grilling.

Remember, please do sip. This drink is all booze and can sneak up on you.

Stay home this summer. Travel can wait.

You can dream about the sounds, smells, food, wine, art, ancient history, beauty and people of Italy and better days ahead within the comforts of home.

Meanwhile,

Cin Cin!

Salute!

Grazie, Count Negroni.

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