COCKTAIL SPOTLIGHT: NAREN YOUNG'S CHOCOLATE NEGRONI @ POLITE PROVISIONS
So maybe you like Negronis. Hell, maybe you like drugs. What you're probably not prepared for though, is this Negroni…that happens to be on drugs. Drugs of the really, really good kind.
I walked into Polite Provisions earlier this week with high hopes, and they did not disappoint. But they did catch me off guard with their Chocolate Negroni. In the best way.
Whenever I’m truly excited to visit a new bar for the first time, I follow a ritual: I don’t jump into the first open seat. Instead, I find a spot with a good view of the scene. Plant my feet. I stand there, for a good minute, and observe… the interaction between purveyor and patron; the sounds; the snippets of conversations and body language spoken in the room… then I let the aesthetic of the space sink in.
Their Venetian-esque design was fantastico! Polite Provisions isn't another cookie cutter craft bar in barburbia. White marble, gold accents, skylights, and lamp posts that look straight from the Venice streets have graciously replaced reclaimed wood, subway tiles, and an obnoxious amount of taxidermied animals (I still don't get the homage to Norman Bates). As a previous architecture major, I could go on and on and on 'til the breaka breaka dawn, but I’ll spare you the yawns and get back to the real reason for this post.
I finally took a seat next to my friends/ fellow indulgers. Within seconds, five at the most, of scanning the cocktail menu, my eyes had fixated on the this line:
Plymouth Gin, Campari, Punt e Mes, Cacao & Chocolate Bitters.
I set my menu down and waited for the rest of my party to make their decisions. I had found the one.
My Chocolate Negroni arrived. The bitter chocolate hit my lips and suddenly I was a kid again. Next…the soft velvety texture of the Plymouth Gin married with the Campari and Punt e Mes (more like a threesome). The Plymouth Gin with its softer juniper notes makes a lovely base for this cocktail. Add in the Campari (it would be blasphemous not to), and leave the extra character to the Punt e Mes. A not-your-everyday Vermouth, Punt e Mes delivers a slightly more bitter note than you would expect from, say, the standard Rosso vermouth—but not as bitter as Carpano Antica. It was the right amount of bitter and finished nicely with a hint of sweet at the tail. Goldilocks would have approved.The cacao provided a harder touch at the top. I didn’t get to ask Aaron at the bar how much of the cacao the recipe actually calls for (and I wouldn’t be surprised if I didn’t get a top secret answer), but I’ll make a point to ask next time I’m enjoying one. And the bitters, well, I like me some bitters. And although I can’t confidently say that the bitters had a major impact in this cocktail, I’m sure it’s contributory properties are similar to that of salt. It’s presence not overly felt, but it’s absence leaving the subject tasteless. Maybe I’ll have to try another one without the bitters to see how different it would actually taste.
Moral of the story: I love balanced drinks that lean on the bitter side. Maybe sometimes a bit heavy on the bitter side. Ok fine, I like a bitter fu*kin’ drink. And although this Chocolate Negroni wasn’t extremely bitter, it wasn’t designed to be. And it absolutely hit the spot. It was perfect.
Big ups to the the gentlemen of Consortium Holdings for creating another brilliantly designed space.
And a true tip of the hat to you, Naren Young, for a delicious cocktail. Extremely. well. crafted.
Now go enjoy a Chocolate Negroni before it’s too late. Or before I drink them all.
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