Classic Cocktail(s): El Presidente and Negroni

Our campaign to explore a new cocktail each month took a turn in November. We started things off by pouring the Negroni, a drink we first learned to love while visiting Rome earlier this year. However, the 2012 presidential election was the perfect excuse to add the El Presidente to the plan for the month. So, yes, November was a twofer! Enjoy one of each.

Negroni

• 1 oz dry gin
• 1 oz sweet vermouth
• 1 oz Campari

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

The Negroni

El Presidente

• 1.5 oz light rum
• .5 oz dry vermouth
• .5 oz orange curacao
• A dash of Grenadine

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.
David Wondrich on the El Presidente:

A Cuban creation, the El Presidente was the house cocktail at Club El Chico in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, where America was introduced to the rhumba in 1925. Regulars considered the El Presidente “elixir for jaded gullets,” and who are we to disagree?