An exotic Negroni with cardamom bitters and a dusting of curry powder. Seductive and delicious.

Inspired by a invitation to a middle eastern dinner, I purchased Scrappy’s Cardamom Bitters and created this cocktail with curry and cardamom. It disappeared like magic.

The Gin:  Plymouth Gin, Our New Favorite for Negronis

The Vermouth: Martini Gran Lusso Vermouth

The Amaro:  Cappelletti Aperitivo Americano Rosso

More:  Regans Orange Bitters, Scrappy’s Cardamom Bitters, Mild Curry Powder, Mandarin Slice

 The Plymouth Gin we used for this recipe is made of seven botanicals – juniper berry, coriander, lemon and sweet orange peels, angelica root, powdered orris root, and cardamom. The Plymouth distillers use an antiquated copper-pot distillation process that it results in  a very smooth and balanced Gin that is truly perfect for Negronis.   It has no bitter after taste like some London gins. While it is balanced it still provides a distinct dose of Juniper nose, that stood up well to the power of the Martini Gran Lusso Vermouth and Cappelletti Americano Rosso Aperitivo we used.

Gran Lusso (Grand Luxury) is a limited production vermouth made by Martini to celebrate their 150th anniversary. Based on a 1904 Martini recipe It has a beautiful ruby red color and rich flavors of fig, herbs, artichoke and moss. You can enjoy this alone, but it makes a damn good Negroni.

It has an equal level of depth and complexity to our favorite vermouth, Carpano Antica Formula, but is unique in that it is made with a rare Barbera red wine base that is accented with a little Moscato and highly aromatic herbs and botanicals then aged in barrels for 8 years.

Cappelletti Aperitivo Americano Rosso

It is a delightful bitter for Negroni, made with white wine, Trebbiano, rather than neutral grains and of course the secret recipe of vibrant herbs and botanicals. Made by the Cappelletti family in the Alto-Adige region of Italy for four generations it has been enjoyed for decades. It can be added to sparkling wine or seltzer to make a wonderful spritzer or a fabulous component of a Negroni or Boulevardier, or Americano. It has a tangy, yet easy to sip bitter flavor with orange that is a delight. Like Aperol but less sweet.

The recipe is the usual 1-1-1, equal parts of each main ingredient, we then added a few drops of these bitters and a dusting of mild curry powder and served on the rocks with a mandarin slice.  Fabulous.