A Moment of Tiki Episode 47: Kingston Negroni Shootout

Every year (in the U.S. at least) Negroni Week sweeps through cocktail culture, giving everyone a charitable excuse to imbibe that bitter, insanely popular equal-parts drink invented more than a century ago by the flamboyant Count Camillo Negroni. So what? You may well respond, as neither Count Negroni nor his namesake cocktail are remotely tiki. This is true. BUT, dear readers, in 2009 the inspired Joaquín Simó of New York's famed Pouring Ribbons bar swapped out the traditional gin for Smith & Cross, a funky Jamaican rum taking the bar world by storm at the time, and a legend was born. Well, maybe not a legend, but a deliciously complex riff on the original cocktail that I find myself enjoying a heck of a lot more than the traditional gin Negroni (which, in and of itself, isn't a bad tipple).
That got me to thinking (as these things often do) that Smith & Cross was wildly popular because it was the most ester-filled, hogo-laden Jamaican rum readily available in the U.S. at the time. In the years since, we have been blessed with an array of even more potent potables from that Caribbean nation. Might some of the newer, funkier rums make for an even better Kingston Negroni? At the very least, a shootout incorporating a selection of four pungent Jamaican rums would highlight the nuances that separate them from each other and offer deeper understanding of their roles in cocktail creation. So that's exactly what I did. FOR SCIENCE!
THE CONTENDERS
Smith & Cross: smithandcrossr...
Wray & Nephew Overproof: / wrayrum
Rum Bar Overproof: worthyparkesta...
Rum Fire: hampdenestater...
KINGSTON NEGRONI
1 oz. Smith & Cross rum
1 oz. Campari
1 oz. Italian (sweet) vermouth
Combine ingredients in mixing glass with ice. Stir well to chill. Strain into rocks glass over single large ice cube. Garnish with an orange slice, if desired.
Negroni Week: www.negroniwee...
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[@jackwilliamson1929]

Oof my hangover from the weekend is coming back I shouldn't have mixed that shiner raspberry with all those mojitos.monitors. I don't usually garnish my drinks with a strip of leather and a tobacco leaf but when I do I miss all the football games the next day.

[@LagoonofMystery]

I can't imagine why! 🤣🤣🤣

[@h0li3day]

Great video! Now I know what to do with all that Rum fire at work!!

[@LagoonofMystery]

I don't know if I'd make Rum Fire my go-to for a Kingston Negroni, but the result is wildly unexpected for its normal flavor profile. I actually like to put a quarter ounce in a Mai Tai. Brings just the right amount of weirdness to elevate the whole thing.

[@h0li3day]

@@LagoonofMystery well we have Smith & Cross too. I appreciate that you took the time to try the different rums in the drink. Every video on your channel is rad!

[@LagoonofMystery]

@@h0li3day Thank you, Elvis! For me, S&C is the best choice for a Kingston Negroni, but each rum produces such a wildly different cocktail I'm sure everyone will have a different favorite. The Rum Fire version still blows my mind. I'd never have expected leather to be the primary flavor component from that rum!

[@justinrodriguez234]

Be right back! Going to go clean out the Total Wine! 🍹

[@LagoonofMystery]

That's the spirit! 👻

[@capitansangre]

And now I’m thirsty! Another great episode

[@LagoonofMystery]

Much appreciated! Armed with knowledge, you may now go forth and Kingston Negronify!

[@capitansangre]

@@LagoonofMystery have you ever had a Ferrari?

[@LagoonofMystery]

@@capitansangre No, but I had one pass me on the highway once! 😂

[@capitansangre]

@@LagoonofMystery it’s half Fernet half Compari in a shot glass. It’s the bee’s knees

[@LagoonofMystery]

@@capitansangre No, no, I'm certain the Bee's Knees is gin, honey and lemon juice! 😁

[@jcost0099]

ax2+bx+c=4(score)+7... convert to Rum Fire Kingston Negroni. I'm in on this new math.

[@LagoonofMystery]

🤣🤣🤣