Tags
Aperol, Campari, Cibo, Cocktails, Negroni, Negroni Week, Nostrana, PDX, Portland, Richmond Bar, Savoy Tavern
Savoy Tavern. Photos courtesy of Ted Brown
It’s no secret that the Negroni is one of my favorite cocktails in the world. I, like many bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts, was immediately won over by its herbal, citrusy, bittersweet notes and bright, vivid color the first time I had one. So when I found out that Portland, and many other cities both nationally and beyond, would be celebrating the cocktail for a week in June, I knew I had to get out there and write about it.
Negroni Week: Introductions
A month ago, I was sitting at Aalto Lounge, one of my favorite bars in the city, flipping through Imbibe Magazine while waiting for my friends to arrive, when my eyes fell on an advertisement for Negroni Week. “Woah! Are you guys participating?” I asked the bartender.
“I’m not sure yet. But I’m designing the website for it.” He said, sliding my drink in front of me, “My fiancée is one of the editors of Imbibe.”
Aalto Lounge isn’t one of the 25 or 30 participating Portland bars this year, but the festival did start here. The idea began with Nostrana, who has been featuring a Negroni of the month for years now. They came up with the idea that different bars could develop their own take on the mutable concoction, and then find charities to benefit by selling the drink. Imbibe Magazine and Campari took off with the idea, and developed Negroni Week, an international festival of Negronis, where each bar selects a charity of their choice and donates money for each one sold that week.