Drink: Negroni on tap at Alla Spina
Just because "Alla Spina" means "from the tap" doesn’t mean those taps only stream with beer. At Marc Vetri’s new gastropub, there are also plans to start pouring kegged local wines on draft sometime soon. But while the official details are still being ironed out, beverage director Steve Wildy decided to make good use of his Cornelius homebrewer soda kegs to start pouring Negroni cocktails on draft, too. This classic Italian cocktail of Campari, sweet vermouth, and gin (Bluecoat in my house) is a favorite summer quaff — because of its simplicity and the quenching smack of good Italian bitters. Proportions, though, can make a difference. With equal parts of those three principal ingredients (plus a dash of Angostura), Alla Spina’s Negroni is a tad sweeter than the boozier version I’ve seen in other recipes, or the double-Campari dose added by some obsessive Negroni-ficionados I know (ahem, Mr. Nichols!) For the extra-picky, Alla Spina’s bartenders still shake a custom Negroni to order. But with one of the restaurant’s giant ice cubes just waiting there in a tumbler, and the garage doors hinged wide open to the summer breeze, I say flip the tap, barista, and let the Negronis flow.Negroni on tap, $11, Alla Spina, 1410 Mt. Vernon St.
Just because "Alla Spina" means "from the tap" doesn't mean those taps only stream with beer. At Marc Vetri's new gastropub, there are also plans to start pouring kegged local wines on draft sometime soon. But while the official details are still being ironed out, beverage director Steve Wildy decided to make good use of his Cornelius homebrewer soda kegs to start pouring Negroni cocktails on draft, too. This classic Italian cocktail of Campari, sweet vermouth, and gin (Bluecoat in my house) is a favorite summer quaff — because of its simplicity and the quenching smack of good Italian bitters. Proportions, though, can make a difference. With equal parts of those three principal ingredients (plus a dash of Angostura), Alla Spina's Negroni is a tad sweeter than the boozier version I've seen in other recipes, or a slightly reduced dose of vermouth and Campari added by some obsessive Negroni-ficionados I know (ahem, Mr. Nichols!) For the extra-picky, Alla Spina's bartenders still shake a custom Negroni to order. But with one of the restaurant's giant ice cubes just waiting there in a tumbler, and the garage doors hinged wide open to the summer breeze, I say flip the tap, barista, and let the Negronis flow.
Negroni on tap, $11, Alla Spina, 1410 Mt. Vernon St.