Bony Negroni
2015-12-01Ingredients
- 1 oz. Aquavit
- 1 oz. Sweet Vermouth
- ¾ oz. Campari
- 1 Cow Femur Bone shot glass with Marrow
- To prepare the cow femur shot glass: Have your butcher cut off (with his band saw) the two ends of a cow femur so that you have about 2½” of shaft attached to the knuckle (joint). Have him cut through the knuckle so that it sits flat, being careful not to cut into the marrow space. Place the bone shot glass onto a cookie sheet and into a 450° oven and roast until the marrow is bubbly around the edges. Remove from the oven when the bone marrow reaches 125° (about 15-18 minutes) and let cool slightly. Place onto a serving plate. With a spoon, scoop out most of the bone marrow and spread it onto a toasted baguette slice. Mix the Aquavit, Sweet Vermouth, and Campari in a beaker with a pourable spout. Pour the room-temperature cocktail into the warm bone shot glass and serve. Garnish with finely chopped chives (optional).
Few things roll off the tongue with more fluidity than “Bony Negroni.” Excepting, that is, the haiku and limerick-loving rhyme of: Spumoni Negroni…) We realize that we’re setting ourselves up by substituting the Negroni’s gin with Aquavit, but one has to consider such heresy when aiming for the perfect combination of ingredients. Without apology, we’re taking liberty, here, with the Negroni’s classic combination of Gin, Sweet Vermouth and Campari. Substituting the Gin’s juniper-heavy botanicals for Aquavit’s more meat-friendly caraway notes, we marry the roasted bone marrow with a gem of a cocktail. (A stickler might use a gin infused with chives, garlic scapes, or oregano.) Regardless, vegetal-forward notes lead to a dramatic cocktail which is as much fun as it is delicious. Enjoy!