A Negroni is one of the great cocktail classics. In fact, it’s celebrating its 100th birthday this year, when, as legend would have it, Count Camillo Negroni asked his bartender to add a drop of gin to his Americano.  

Folks are changing up ingredients all the time and the negroni has been tinkered with by creative bartenders trying their hand at redefining the basic recipe of vermouth, campari, and gin.

Our guest today knew the native flavors he had in his backyard were crying out for attention and he was going to be the one who answered their call!  I can’t say his original m.o. was to rework the Negroni per se, but the outcome of his pursuits have provided bartenders with a new spirit to play with.

I’m Susan Schwartz, your drinking companion, and this is Lush Life Podcast, every week we are inspired to live life one cocktail at a time by the best in the industry. 

Eddie Brook’s family had macadamia nuts on their mind when purchasing an old dairy farm in Byron Bay ,an eight hour drive north of Sydney. They discovered they had landed in the region’s largest subtropical rainforest, home to hundreds of Australia’s native  botanicals.

After a childhood spent enjoying literally the fruits of his parents labor and a chance meeting with his idol, Jim McEwan of Bruichladdich fame, Eddie established Cape Byron Distillery and the awards keep pouring in, especially for that one ingredient that gives his take on the negroni a particularly Australian character.

Our cocktail of the week is the Slowgroni! It has the best of both worlds - the old and the new. It starts with the traditional Gin, Campari and Vermouth recipe, but this time the gin is Brookies and the additional ingredient is the Byron Slow Gin that Eddie described!

Ingredients:

• 30ml Brookie’s Byron Dry Gin
• 15ml Brookie’s Byron Slow Gin
• 30ml Campari
• 15ml Premium vermouth
• Garnish: Orange slice or zest.

Method:

Stir over ice in mixing glass until chilled. Strain over ice-filled glass. Garnish with an Orange slice or zest.

You’ll find this recipe and more Negroni recipes, plus all the cocktails of the week at ALushLifeManual.com, where you’ll also find all the ingredients in our shop. 

Full Episode Details: http://bit.ly/2LF7hEo

Always remember the wise words of Oscar Wilde, “All things in moderation, including moderation,” and always drink responsibly!

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Until next time, BOTTOMS UP 🍸