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About the cocktail
Ingredients
30mL dark rum 30mL amontillado sherry 30mL Aperol Glass: rocks Garnish: orange peel
Method
Add all ingredients to a mixing glass with ice Stir until it’s well chilled and diluted Strain the drink into a glass over a large ice cube Garnish with the orange peel
Dan’s top tips
The Negroni is a simple cocktail, which means that quality ingredients make a big difference. For our Toffee Negroni, the first port of call is finding a nice rum. Here, our cocktail experts recommend a pot-still rum (like Appleton Estate) or a solera-style rum (like Ron Zacapa). These are usually richer, more full-bodied styles that bring those burnt sugar flavours that will really deliver on the toffee aspect of the cocktail. Whatever you can find, though, it really should be a dark rum – white or gold won’t work as well here. The other thing to find is amontillado sherry, a dry-ish style that’s aged, which develops some hazelnut-like flavours. Ideally, you want a decent quality amontillado, since it will really make a big difference. Avoid the sweeter styles of sherry like oloroso or Pedro Ximenez, unless you’re set on going for a full-on sweetness.
What is the difference between a Negroni and a Toffee Negroni?
While they share a similar method and name, there are some important differences between the classic Negroni and Toffee Negroni. The Negroni is made with gin, vermouth and Campari, while a Toffee Negroni uses dark rum, amontillado sherry and Aperol.
What makes the Toffee Negroni taste sweet?
Dark rum usually retains a little sweetness (rum is made from sugarcane, after all) and flavours we associate with sweetness, like brown sugar and caramel. Amontillado sherry is usually quite dry, but its nuttiness helps give the impression of sweetness here.
- What is amontillado sherry?
Amontillado is a variety of sherry, dark in colour (but not as dark as oloroso) and aged in oak barrels. It’s nutty and complex.
