Watch! A Negroni

 

Anyone that knows me knows that my favorite cocktail has always been, and will always be a Negroni.  Ahhhh just saying the word Negroni makes me smile.  This isn't a complicated cocktail that needs a ton of ingredients and special equipment to make.  It's simple, and often times I make it directly in the drinking glass.  A simple mix of 3 ingredients and a twist to orange is all it takes to make this beautiful and wonderful drink.  Gin, Campari, Sweet Vermouth, an ounce of each, mix, and you to can enjoy this lovely sweet, bitter, boozy drink.  

Typically, when I make a Negroni, I keep my ingredients as simple as the drink itself and use a nice dry London Gin like Beefeaters, however from time to time I like to mix it up and try an unusual gin which is what I did here.  I grabbed James Gin, made by petrolhead James May of Top Gear and Grand Tour fame, specifically his London Drizzle expression (although they are all wonderful, pro tip, try the American Ramstud in a dirty martini, pure bliss).  The London Drizzle is an incredibly unique gin made with beetroot, lovage, bay, orange, and ginger.  This is a much earthier gin that a traditional one is, but it comes together with the Campari for a unique take on a Negroni.

As an unabashed lover of all things Campari and Negroni you can imagine my joy at finding a watched that expressed it better than I could.  A couple of years ago Japanese watchmaker released a series of watches under their Presage Line called 'Cocktail' watches.  Each watch had a different colored dial that represented a cocktail, they had a champagne cocktail, and a green mojito dial, and of course a red Negroni inspired dial, which I of course picked up recently from online shop Teddy Baldassare.  It's a gorgeous watch, with a steel case housing the gorgeous dial on a calfskin strap.  It shimmers in the light and has a texture to it that keeps you staring at it to see the different shades of red.  A perfect watch to wear out on a date, or for a cocktail hour.  It also doesn't break the bank as it comes in well under $500.  Its a good size, not to big, nor too small at around 39MM in diameter.  While the crystal isn't sapphire it is Seiko's proprietary Hardlex which feels nice and strong.  Also has an open case back, although the movement isn't anything special to look at.  If you love to switch straps, you can do so easily as the lug to lug on this is 20mm which allows for any number of straps to be used. More stats below along with a more indepth video review of the watch if you are so inclined.

Movement	4R35 Automatic
Case Diameter	38.5 mm
Lug to Lug	45 mm
Lug Width	20mm
Thickness	12.22 mm
Crystal	Hardlex
Water Resistance	50M
Strap	Calfskin with quick release