[title]
Some people are using this time at home to master meditation or learn how to paint like Bob Ross. We're taking a boozier approach and becoming at-home bartenders. To assist us in our mission, we enlisted the real pros—the barkeeps behind some of the best watering holes in Chicago. This week, we're learning how to make a classic Negroni with help from Pat Ray, the beverage director at the Violet Hour in Wicker Park.
RECOMMENDED: Learn how to make Lost Lake's frosty Daiquiri Frappe
"You can make a Negroni without any special tools or glassware," Ray says. "This cocktail can send you down a rabbit hole of finding the perfect ratio, and the bottles are some of the most versatile to have for at-home cocktailing."
Ingredients:
Gin (Ray uses Beefeater)
Sweet vermouth Ray uses (Carpano Antica)
Campari
Bonus points: a dash of orange bitters
Instructions: Start with equal parts of gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, then experiment to find your perfect Negroni ratio. Pour over ice, stir, strain and garnish with an expressed orange peel. ("I clock in somewhere around 1.5 parts gin to one part vermouth and just under one part Campari, but there is no wrong answer," Ray says.)
Can't get enough of this Negroni? Tip your bartender. The Violet Hour is closed for business right now, but you can follow the bar on Instagram for more cocktail inspiration or donate to One Off Hospitality's employee relief fund.
Most popular on Time Out
- These Chicago illustrators perfectly capture what life is like right now
- Uber Eats launches Virtual Restaurant Week in Chicago, offering meal deals through April 23
- For the first time ever, Au Cheval offers its fan-favorite burger for delivery
- The Shedd Aquarium’s live cam is equal parts relaxing and mesmerizing
- Chicago will begin enforcing a curfew on liquor sales while the ‘stay-at-home’ order is in effect