Market cocktails

Firing Range Sour cocktail.

Count Camillo Negroni, most likely inventor of the classic aperitif that takes his name, was almost certainly a bit of a wide boy.

Substituting gin where soda water would normally be used is undeniably bold.

Likewise his latter-day countryman, Luca, who imports Sardinian delicacies to Tottenham Green Market, tends his stall with a swagger.

A few minutes spent here takes you on a journey of incredible handmade flavours from his homeland, an experience you’ll not forget in a hurry. I haven’t.

Inbetween mouthfuls of Pecorino cream, I put his bittersweet Corbezzolo honey to good use with hand-made in Hackney 58 gin and a delicious Oloroso cream sherry, both from Wine Scouts.

Garnished with orange and a sprig of rosemary, the aromatics really add another dimension to this rework of the Count’s own favourite.

Before returning to Florence to invent the indispensable Negroni, the Count rode the range in the United States. It’s fair to say that he was some kind of adventurer, and this is just the spirit I’ve tried to capture in another summer apéritif.

Using Bramley apple juice from Marsh Produce in place of lemon makes for an interesting twist on the classic sour format. Push the boundaries further by sweetening with Jammy Val’s excellent chilli jam.

Together with yet more 58 gin, we’ve got a rootin’ tootin’ gin sour. No-one would have made this drink in the 1820s, but had they done so, I’m sure it would have sat as comfortably in the Count’s hand as his six-shooter. Or his Negroni for that matter.

Amaroni cocktail. 

Recipes:

Amaroni

• 1 part gin
• 1 part Oloroso cream sherry
• 1 part Corbezzolo honey syrup (equal parts bitter honey and hot water)

Stir until well diluted. Serve over ice with orange and rosemary.

Firing Range Sour

• 1 part gin
• 3 parts Bramley apple juice
• Chilli jam to taste

Shake hard with ice. Strain through a sieve or tea strainer into a chilled cocktail glass. No garnish required.

Words and recipes by Tim Sparrow

Photos by André Ainsworth