A CENTURY AGO THE COCKTAIL ACHIEVED PERFECTION when, according to
legend, Count Camillo Negroni asked his bartender in Florence to stiffen
an Americano by replacing the soda water with gin. The world never
looked back. With its cosmically simple 1:1:1 ratio, its balance of
bitter and sweet, its pleasant kick, its aura of sophistication, the
Negroni has bewitched cocktail lovers ever since. Perhaps none more so
than Matt Hranek, who intones this love song to his favorite drink and
offers a curated collection of recipes, both the classic and dozens of
variations, deviations, and delicious reinterpretations.