Stanley Tucci is a wonderful actor but please don’t shake your Negroni

Let’s start with the universally recognized fact that Stanley Tucci is a wonderful actor. In “The Devil Wears Prada”, “Big Night” and “Spotlight”, his performances are excellent. That being said, his bar technique regarding the creation of a classic alcoholic drink, shared with the the Internet recently and having received millions of views, leaves much to be desired.

In the video, Tucci makes a Negroni – my favorite cocktail – with all the charisma and enthusiasm for which he is known in front of the camera. Yet his step-by-step tutorial is lacking, and his proclaimed love for the drink was not reflected in his ability to do so.

May this Stanley Tucci video making a cocktail masterclass be a blessing for your Twitter feed. pic.twitter.com/62R1TjsAqA

– Nerd Girl says (@Rachael_Conrad) April 21, 2020

not being excited about the dish but stanley tucci doing a masterclass cocktail on igtv is the most erotic thing in the world pic.twitter.com/LphyhHHKS8

– lucy ford (@lucyj_ford) April 20, 2020

All cocktails can be changed and changed in different ways. But the perfection of Negroni, a classic Milanese drink with mysterious origins and a perfect balance of aromatics, bitterness and warmth, leaves little room for deviation.

Tucci almost immediately began its litany of building cocktails by asking viewers to pour a double shot of gin in a shaker. “Lace it up with gin,” he says, and he does it. A double hit, per book, is three ounces of hooch. Keep in mind: we were already talking about a massive cocktail – all the ingredients here are alcoholic. Putting that amount of gin up front throws away everything else.

The second, more serious problem with this instruction, however, is that the heart of a Negroni lies in the perfect balance of ingredients. With only a single stroke of sweet vermouth and Campari in Tuccis’ viral recipe, he has already neutralized the drink with a massive overload of gin.

Tucci avoids catastrophic missteps in the next steps, but doesn’t name its specialty sweet vermouth, asking its followers not to use Martini – by which it certainly means the low-end Martini & Rossi, popular in forgettable bars from around the world.

Once the cocktail and the ice are assembled in the shaker, everything goes very wrong.

Tucci shakes the drink not only a circular shake “gently stir the aromatic drink with ice”. It bruises the Negroni to death, giving a cloudy, frozen and dead soldier a cocktail, much more to do with ice and well-designed drink gin. Shaking a drink that contains no juice or sugar – where did Tucci learn this barbaric method?

Tucci jokes about the pre-cut orange slices, then asks the viewers to break the corner with your fingers while dripping juice into the drink. A much better garnish would have been just the zest, twisted on the drink. He then teases his patient wife / cameraman, Felicity, while taking a big sip of this iced / orange gin drink.

Tucci has managed to correct some things. His choice of ingredients was perfect, although he refused to name them. He used Plymouth gin, a classic dry style with vibrant aromas, perfect for cocktails. His choice of vermouth, Carpano Antica Formula, is preferred by most artisan bartenders, and Campari is Campari – do not accept any substitute.

The Negroni is simple: its equal parts of each ingredient. The amounts may differ, but the ratio must remain the same. Start with 1 ounce of each spirit, incorporated into a glass container or shaker. Gently pour ice over the spirits and stir with a bar spoon for one minute. Pass over fresh ice in a whiskey glass and garnish with an orange strip or, if necessary, an orange wedge.

Everything else might taste good, but it’s certainly not a good Negroni.