We have always loved Prairie Vodka and were excited to have the opportunity to use the new Prairie Gin in a Minneapolis inspired Negroni

The Gin: Prairie Organic Gin, Minnesota USA

The Vermouth: Punt e Mes, Vermouth con Bitters

The Amaro: Amaro Montenegro

More: Dutch’s Prohibitters

We have family in Minneapolis, a wonderful city that we visit as often as we can. There is a great cocktail culture there along with a thriving food and arts scene.

My brother-in-law, who lives there turned me on to Prairie Vodka and it became one of my favorites. It is true farm-to-bar, grown and handcrafted by dedicated Minnesotan organic farmers with great love and respect for the land. This provenance brings a purity to you lips that is a true delight.  Prairie Gin is dry and subtle in its aromas and flavors making it the perfect base of a well crafted Negroni. 

Of course there is a story to the other ingredients. I first discovered Amaro Montenegro at the small Kowalski’s uptown liquor store a few blocks from my sister and brother in-law’s Minneapolis home. This Amaro has a beautifully complex yet well balanced array of herbal flavors with mild fruit sweetnes and carmel notes.

For this Negroni I wanted a vermouth that was rich but not as pronounced as Carpon Antica, I have been really loving Punt e Mes lately, and it was the perfect accompaniment to the Montenegro. Flavors frolicked together so nicely. I should have used Cocchi Vermouth Torino as that was another Minneapolis discovery. But it is not so easy to find.

Punt e Mes was created back around 1867 in Piedmont by the Carpano Distilleries. The name means “point and a half” and as the story goes, “on 19 April 1870 , a stockbroker, caught up in a discussion with colleagues whilst in the Carpano wine shop about the increase in share prices on that day – one and a half points – ordered his usual Carpano vermouth but asked for the barman to add half a measure of quina liqueur, a bitter, using the regional expression “Punt e Mes”.  This is inspired the Carpano family to create this unique vermouth. It is one of the few available “vermouth amaro”, or “vermouth con bitter,” a style of vermouth with extra bitters added. Creating vermouth cocktails like this with bitters or vanilla was very popular at the time.

Amaro Montenegro has a story too.   Made using over 40 herbs, it was created by Stanislao Cobianchi of Bologna  in 1885 after travels to Montenegro lead him to experience a drink with extrodinary digestive power called Karik.  He opened a small shop and then a large distillery, his drink gained great popularity and here it is today.

My last touch for this cocktail was a few drops of Dutch’s Prohibitters.  It lets you “enjoy the citrusy sunshine that dances a jitterbug with underlying notes of licorice, hibiscus, ginger root, and coriander.” Made in the Hudson Valley, NY on a site that was in the dark days of Prohibition a farm and distillery financed by the infamous New York gangster Dutch Schultz. Today Harvest Homestead Farm is a thriving “Farm to Bottle” operation that has enlivened the community and enhances many a cocktail with their wonderful bitters and spirits.