Celebrate Negroni Week With Portland's Best Negronis

Any of the cocktail bars in the metropolis , such asRaven & Rose , Teardrop Lounge , Shift Drinks , Bit House Saloon , orOven & Shaker , are able-bodied to whip up a fantastic classic or varied negroni . But we stuck to just the ginmill and restaurants that boast one on their menu . So in honor of Negroni Week , here are our eight favorite negronis in Portland .

Renata

Renata is Portland ’s newest capital Italian restaurant , and swash an first-class cocktail program . It also offers its own mutant on the negroni – three , actually . The first drink of the negroni flight is the Mattina , which means dawn . This one is made with snare , Cocchi Americano , and Campari ’s lighter , more citrusy cousin , Aperol . The Mattina is the double-dyed outset : vivid , delicate , somewhat bitter , and floral . Next is the Parms , which is far less bitter than most , and made with gin , Cappelletti , and Cinzano Rosso . This lack of bitter makes the final boozing , a definitive negroni , even more astringent . The bar ’s purpose is to have you savour your way through the flight once , and then go back to mix & agree to see how the variation affect one another . Each drink in the flight is served half - sized , in endearingly myopic tumbler pigeon .

Trifecta Tavern

Collin Carroll is a mad scientist behind the bar , infusing great deal of cocktails via sous vide with woodwind char in Trifecta ’s oven . It serves a two-fold purpose : the batched cocktails allow for quick service to the eating house and bar ’s many seats , and it allows Carroll a unequaled , culinary approach to his potable . It would be hokey if it were n’t so damn effective . The White Negroni is made with Beefeater gin , Suze bitters , and Dolin Blanc , and tincture with charred Pinot Chardonnay stem , which lends a subtle smokiness and an spare stratum to an already nuanced cocktail . It would n’t work well with a more traditional “ red ” negroni , but pair nicely with the abstemious spirit of the citrusy Dolin Blanc vermouth and gentian - based Suze .

Aalto Lounge

The rum negroni at Aalto Lounge , with a funky Jamaican rum substituting for gin , instance that mutableness of the drink . With just one telephone exchange , you get a drink that ’s unmistakably a negroni , but notably unlike . Really , this swallow is probably closer to a noulevardier than a negroni , rum being more like whiskey than noose . But whatever the slip , this rich , gamey , bittersweet potable is everything you ’d want in a cocktail , as each ingredient stands out yet blends holistically .

Bang Bang

From the bartending duo that brought us the Smith & Cross Negroni at Aalto comes the White Negroni at Bang Bang , Kate and Alex Wood ’s newer Thai eating house and stripe . It ’s distinct from Carroll ’s , and not just for the want of charred chardonnay . This White Negroni habituate Suze as well , but also Aria , a Portland gin that ’s perfect in negronis , and Cocchi Americano , a vermouth with quinine . This make it more bitter and more instantly recognizable as a negroni despite the difference in coloring . It ’s a fun , vivid edition on the deglutition that pairs well with the Thai boozing snacks .

Nostrana

The place of origin of the Negroni Social , an industry costumed gala , which inspired the creation of Negroni Week , Nostrana is Portland ’s capital of the negroni . This Italian eating house in residential SE Portland is where Douglas Derrick started the negroni of the calendar month platform , later lend in outside barkeeper ' and chef ' recipe . Derrick left Nostrana a few years ago , and the Browning automatic rifle program is now in the capable workforce of Peter Carpenter , who was instrumental in start out other talent , like wine industry folks for last year ’s program , involve in the monthly negroni . Starting this month , this class ’s curriculum will see a comeback to its roots , using recipes develop by Carpenter and his staff . If the negroni of the month does n’t thrill your interest , you’re able to always just order the standard negroni , made with predictable aplomb .

Ava Gene’s

After leaving Nostrana , Douglas Derrick ended up at Ava Gene ’s , another excellent Italian place . There , he has continued his passion liaison with the drink and launch his unexampled brainchild : work with Beckham Estate , a winery and amphora Godhead , fill clay amphorae with batched negronis and inhume them . Derrick and Beckham Estate determined the exact temperature at which to provoke the Lucius Clay to countenance the ripe level of oxidization , so the negroni mellows and takes on new , earthier qualities . The next batch to come out of the amphora will be made with Aria Gin , Campari , and Pinot grape noir rosé from Beckham , with the rosé forming the bulk of the crapulence . It ’s going to be first-class . Due to limited bloodline , the amphora negronis are woefully not always on the computer menu . In their absence seizure , Derrick feature a magnetic declination on the negroni called the Blonde Redhead ( named for the band ) . Another wild creation , this one is almost like an reverse Manhattan , with Carpano Antica Formula vermouth , Barolo Chinato , and rye or Japanese whisky , depending on availability . This drink is then trim with Derrick ’s invention – desiccate Campari - orange dust . It ’s like a deconstructed negroni , and it ’s delectable .

Clyde Common

The drink that set off the barrel - aged craze nationwide : Jeffrey Morgenthaler ’s barrel - elderly negroni . What can be said about this drink that has n’t been already ? Morgenthaler took an already - everlasting drink and somehow hone it further , all while insuring that he and his bar faculty could turn out negronis quicker than anyone else ( this was before everyone begin batching their drinks ) . The barrel aging deal to both concentrate and mellow out the drink , giving you a wonderfully smooth negroni that still manages to have bitterness through . There ’s a cause it became as notable as it is .

La Moule

The negroni is ubiquitous and democratic enough now that there ’s generally no reason to put it on a menu unless a ) you ’re doing something really dissimilar , like barrel - aging or infusing it with charred Grant Wood , or b ) you ’re making the best damn version of the drink . Option b is the case at La Moule , Portland ’s favorite new cocktail bar and mussel eating place . It ’s only $ 10 , adequate portion Martin Miller ’s Gin , Campari , and Antica Formula . Derrick at Ava Gene ’s has said that pee is the fourth factor necessary in balance a negroni , and the staff at La Moule pull off to hit that perfectly . The drink starts with a kick , and very slow mellows as you drink it , without ever getting water down . It ’s just a great representation of the crapulence , without any embellishments .

Alex Frane have it away negronis more than almost any other drinkable , and is glad there ’s an entire week devoted to them . recover out his pet spots@franiacdrinks .