[:en]The Gran Gala dell'Aperitivo reaches its fourth edition and celebrates 100 years of the Negroni.
On Tuesday 26 February at the Turin Automobile Museum, starting at 7.30pm, 3 bartenders will compete in the creation of two versions of the Negroni: a classic one and one revisited in their own way. The public will be able to immerse themselves in the fascinating atmosphere of a grand gala by tasting Negronis, bubbles, excellences proposed by the Masters of Taste of Turin and its province and an exclusive recipe by the starred Chef Marcello Trentini.
THE NEGRONI AND THE APERITIF, A 100 YEAR LONG MARRIAGE
It was the beginning of the 20th century in a Florence full of charm and nobility. In those times, Count Camillo Negroni was returning from a stay in England and probably found himself chatting about it during aperitif time with some friends in the Giacosa shop, located in via de' Tornabuoni 83. There, perhaps thanks to a bit of nostalgia, involuntarily gave rise to one of the cocktails that would soon become among the most famous of all time, the Negroni, to be precise.
The Count, who he used to always order the Americano, asked the shop's barman, Fosco Scarselli, to create some a slightly more "strong" version, with a splash of gin which would have increased its alcohol content while maintaining its color unchanged and adding its typical bitter and dry note. It was love right away. Legend has it that for some time the cocktail was referred to as "the Americano in the manner of Count Negroni", before simply taking on the name "Negroni" as we all know it today.
It was 1919, and today, 100 years later, the Negroni is a mature gentleman who has no intention of giving up the scepter of the second most drunk cocktail in the world, as attested by the ranking drawn up by Drinks International in 2018.
If the Negroni was born in Florence a century ago, the aperitif ritual is much older and much more "at home", a pride that we like to boast about even if Turin is not one of those cities that like to make people talk about themselves too much. Yet, around the end of the 1700s the Savoy capital gave birth to a rite that would soon become loved and above all practiced throughout the Peninsula.
Its birth was linked to Vermouth, not surprisingly one of the products that most made Turin famous in the world and an ingredient in Negroni together with Campari bitters and Gin.
THE GRAND APERITIF GALA HAS REACHED ITS 4TH EDITION
The Grand Aperitif Gala is an event conceived by Lalla Carello and created by the To Be Agency, with the aim of celebrating an all-Turin ritual which, even after more than two hundred years, we have no intention of doing without. This year, with the celebrations for the hundredth birthday of the Negroni, the opportunity was too good to miss.
The format is simple and fascinating: a high-impact location like the Turin Automobile Museum will welcome 3 bartenders:
- Antonio Rosato, from the Mandarin Hotel in Milan, fresh winner of the Patron Competition Italia
- Julian Biondi, from the Mad Soul & Spirits of Florence
- Carlotta Linzalata, from Casa Mago, Turin
In homage to the 100 years of the Negroni, the three bartenders will compete in the creation of two cocktails: a classic Negroni and their personal reinterpretation.
The team was not chosen by chance:
Antonio Rosato in fact it represents the category of large hotel bars, those in which perhaps more than any other the Negroni has built its fortune.
Julian Biondi instead it represents Florence, the city where the Negroni was born.
Carlotta Linzalata instead, the youngest of the group will bring a breath of contemporary freshness to the revisitation of the iconic cocktail.
Which Negroni will win the 2019 Aperitif Grand Gala? The verdict will be up to a technical jury, but the tasting will be entirely open to the public!
THE FORMAT
The Grand Aperitif Gala, as the word itself says, is the Aperitif to the nth degree, a gala evening in which guests, in addition to being able to taste the Negronis prepared live by the bartenders, will be able to accompany them with a rich selection of excellent products presented and served by Masters of Taste of Turin and its province.
To make the event even more unique will be the dish designed and created by Marcello Trentini, Chef and owner of the Magorabin Restaurant, 1 Michelin Star, who during the evening will offer guests the Negroni and Truffle Risotto, a recipe designed especially for the occasion.
As with all self-respecting aperitifs, the Grand Aperitif Gala will also offer, for wine lovers, a more than ever rich selection of great bubbles.
THE OPTIONS FOR THE EVENING
By purchasing the ticket online by February 23, 2019 (at the link http://www.tobevents.it/gga/)
€30.00 entry to the Grand Aperitif Gala
€40.00 entry to the Grand Aperitif Gala + visit to the Automobile Museum
By purchasing the ticket after February 23, 2019 (at the link http://www.tobevents.it/gga/ or on site)
€35.00: entry to the Grand Aperitif Gala
€45.00: entry to the Grand Aperitif Gala + visit to the Automobile Museum[:]