Finally affordable Pastrami in New York Sandwich

The PASTRAMI SANDWICH

S&P PRVOSIONS

Flatiron, NYC

Fianlly there's a place that makes a great Pastrami Sandwich at a resonable price. It's S&P Provisions in the old Eisnberg's spot on 5th Avenue, just below 23rd Street. "Thank God," it's about time. What's a regular working guy to do? Pastrami Sandwiches at $23 and up, before tip and tax? Can't do it. Maybe one or two times in a year, and that's about it at those prices. But at just $16 a pop, which for me is still a bit steep to pay for a sandwich, but it's quite a bit more reasonable than the "Ripoff" prices at Katz's, at an isnsane $25.95 for a meager sandwich that's highly over-rated. I hate sto say it, but after Il Milino Italian Restaurant, and Joe's Pizzeria, both in Greenwich Village and two of the most over-rated food establishments in New York, the famed Katz's Jewish Deli on East Houston Street in the LES of New York, is another one of the city's most overated restaurants in town. The last time I had a Pastrami Sandwich at Katz's I was so highly disappointed, I haven't been back since. That was 3 years ago. The place is a total and compled "RIPOFF" with a capital R. My sandwich that day at Katz'w was one of th biggest and most disappointing letdowns in my entire life. I had been Jonesing for a Pastrami Sandwich for weeks, and I finally went and treated myself at Katz's/ It was a complet and utter waste of time, and a whole lot of money. $23 for the smallest Pastarmi Sandwich that I've ever seen in my life ! I couldn't beleive it. And lukewarm and not tasty at all. What a disappointment. I was in shock.

Years ago, in the 1980s I lived in the East Village for the entire decade of the 80s. I lived on Avenue A at St Marks Place, a few short blocks from the greatest Pasrami that ever existed in New York. It was at The 2nd Avenue Deli, owned by Abe Lebewhol, who was brutually murdered in 1996 while making a night deposit at a nearby bank. 

Abe Lebewohl sweeps the sidewalk of 2nd Avenue

At East 10th Street in front of his Famous Jewish Deli

The 2nd AVENUE DELI

New York

The 2nd Avenue Deli had the most amazing Pastrami. It was incredible, and for me, no Pastrami has come close. Not even the new 2nd Avenue Deli which opened a few years after Abe died, and his originalmasterpiece closed down. My buddy raoul and I went up to the new place in Gramercy Park engihborhood of New York. The Pastrami was good, but it just wasn't the same. It was good, but it didn't have the greatness that the old place under ownership Abe Lebwhol did. 

The Carnegie Deli

New York NY

And another sin to happen besides the outrageously high prices of Pastrami these days, is the closing of another great Jewish Deli, and my second favorite after 2nd Avenue, the Carnegie Deli closed a few years back in 2016, when the then owners "Couldn't Cut The Mustard," and closed the place down. It was a very sad day in Jewish Deli History, and the history of New York restaurants on a whole. I had so many good times going there with some friends, getting a bowl of their superb Matzha Ball Soup, and a half of a Pastarmi Sandwich. There was nothing like it. The place was always jumping, and you could often see big name celebrities like ; Milton Berle, Jacki Mason, Alan King, or Woody Allen there. And speaking of Woody, he made a masterpiece of a movie, Braodway Danny Rose, a jilarious comedy film, of which a good portion of the movie takes place at The Carnegie Deli, with old Jewsish Comedian sitting around a table, eating Corned Beef and Pastrami, and telling stories about the main character of the movie, Danny Rose, aka Braodway Danny Rose, a washed up talent agent in New York, and his misadventures navigating the business of being a lackluster talent agent in the Big Apple of New York. It's a great movie, and if you've never seen it, trust me, please do.

Well back to Pastrami. the high price of Pastrami really urks me, in these days of the gross price of music concerts of top perfromers. When I was a teenager, I was able to see all the great Rock N Roll, R&B for just about $12 a ticket. These days you have to pay $200 and up for crappy nose bleed seats. It's atrocious! I ssaw the late great Frank Sinatra perform 7 times, and never paid more than $40 a ticket for the pleasure of seeing the greatest singer of the 20th Century perform live. Not like the crap that goes on these days, $200, $300, $500 aticket, and $26 Pastrami Sandwiches? What is this World coming to? I want to know!

Basta !

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

SANDWICHES at The CARNEGIE DELI

Unlike the MINESCULE PROTIONS Served at KATZ'S DELI

The CARNEGIE PILED THEIR SANDWICHES HIGH

A PASTRAMI SANDWICH

From the former CARNEGIE DELI

RIP

PASTRAMI SANDWICHES of NEW YORK

2022 / 2023 Prices

KATZ'S DELI  $25.95

PASTRAMI QUEEN  $22

SARGE'S DELI  $23.95

BARNEY GREENGRASS   $19.75

2nd AVENUE DELI  $24.95

HOMETOWN  $28

S&P  $16 

.

 

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The Perfect BURGER Recipe

 

The Perfect BURGER by The DUDE

BURGERS & DOGS What’s more American than Hamburgers and Hot Dogs? Answer: Nothing! Not even Apple Pie! Doesn’t even come close. Americans probably eat 100 times more Burgers than Apple Pie. This is true of the beloved Hot Dog too, and the reasons The Dude Loves both.    Hot Dogs are one of the easiest things you can ever want to make, and The Dude, Walter, Donny, and Brandt all love them. Bunny too, especially Bunny. Get it? Bunny likes Hot Dogs. “That Slut, she Kidnapped herself,” says Walter.    Donny, as we all know really loves a good In-N-Out Burger, and Carneys too, or Chili Dogs at Pinks. Dude most of the time goes out for a Burger, but he likes makin em at home too. But when it comes to Chili Dogs, Dude prefers them at home, especially since he makes his awesome Cowboy Chili once or twice a month and often has Chili on hand. So the Dude besides making Burritos and Tacos, always makes a good number of Chili Dogs too.    And when Dude makes some tasty Chili he usually invites Walter and Donny over for a couple Dogs before they head over to the Bowling Alley. Walter and Donny do appreciate The Dudes tasty Chili Dogs before or after a good night of throwing Gutters but hopefully mostly Strikes. “Fwehh I’m on fire tonight. Mark it Dude,” (says Donny after throwing a Strike). It’s Good Old Fashion American Fun; Chili Dogs, Beer, and Bowling.    Yes Hamburgers & Hot Dogs, Frankfurters, Weenies, or simply Dogs, millions of each are eaten every day of the week. They are part of the American Fabric, Dudes World, mine and yours, Achievers too.    Cooking them? The Hot Dogs? The Easiest way is to boil them. You can cook them in a frying pan with a little oil, which browns them nicely and is super easy. This is the way Dude most often does them, but he’ll occasionally boil them too, especially when he’s gonna throw on some Cowboy Chili & Cheese. What’s better than that?    Now the Burger, that’s a little more complicated. You’re are dealing with raw meat here. Ground raw meat at that, and you need to cook the Burger according to the way you like them; rare, medium, well done, whatever? A Hot Dog is already cooked and all you’re doing is heating it up and adding Chili or “What Not.”    The single most important thing with a Burger is that the meat is fresh! “Super Fresh” at that, Dude says. What kind of meat? Well chopped-meat, Ground Beef. Ground Chuck or Ground Sirloin are most popular. And you usually want to get ground beef that has a fat content of between 15 and 20% fat. Twenty percent fat is better for tastier juicy Burgers.    Dude wants you to know the most important thing after freshness when it comes to Burgers is to keep it simple. Don’t mix flavorings like spices and other things into the meat. The only seasonings you need when making a Burger is Salt & Black Pepper on the outside of the beef patty. After the Burgers are cooked, you can add; Mustard, Ketchup, slice raw or sautéed onion, maybe sliced tomato, and lettuce. And of course, a slice or two of Cheese thrown on top is always great. Being a Californian, Dude likes to make a California Burger at times, with a slice of ripe Tomato and Avocado, or a New Mexican, with some good Green Chili Sauce.    But Dudes favorite is a plain ole Cheeseburger or, you guessed it, Chili Cheeseburger now and then, though most often Dude reserves the Chili for the Dogs. And yes, Bacon is always great. After these aforementioned items, if you want more, then you are going overboard and killing a good thing. Keep it simple Dude says. You want to taste of the Beef, and embellished by either a little mustard, Ketchup, onion, and maybe lettuce and tomato, yes, The California Burger, it’s okay.    Burger Size? Dude doesn’t like burgers that are too thick as some like them. The best size is about a half-inch to ¾” thick and round to fit a Burger Bun perfectly or just slightly going out past the bun, just a little. And the best Burgers are cooked on a Flat Top surface in their own fat. Forget about cooking on a hot grill that leaves hard burnt surfaces and you lose the tasty fat when in falls through the grill slots. That’s lost forever! Sad! “The tastiest Burgers gotta be cooked in their own fat,” says the Dude.    At home, The Dude says cooking your burgers simply in a frying pan with a bit of oil added in, is the best and tastiest way to go.    And when serving your burgers at home, you might want to serve some nice pickle spears on the side, along with some Potato Chips. That’s The Dudes favorite way, with some Chips and a couple Sour Pickle Spears on the side. Yummm!!! 

Make em, Enjoy em, and always Abide, says our Hero, The DUDE.

   

Dudes BACON CHEESEBURGER

Abide in It !

  The DUDE BURGER Dude says this is Thee Classic Burger. His rendition of an In-N-Out Double-Double that he and Donny developed follows this one (The Dude Burger). As for taste and what not, Dude likes them both. When he’s experimenting a little; throwing on some Green Chili, Bacon, or Cowboy Chili, Dude uses this one. Dude says, try em both. You’ll like. INGREDIENTS for 4 DUDE BURGERS: 1 ¼ Lb. Fresh Good Quality Ground Beef (15-20% fat) Salt & Pepper 4 or 8 slices good quality American or Cheddar Cheese 4 Hamburger Buns 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Ketchup (Heinz is the Best)

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS: Sliced raw Onion or sautéed Onions, Bacon, Mustard, Pickles, Lettuce, Tomato  

DUDE BURGER COOKING INSTRUCTION:

Divide the Ground Beef into 4 equal parts. Shape Beef into Patties about ½ inch thick. Heat a frying pan (Skillet) over medium heat for 3 minutes. Add oil, and heat 15 seconds. Turn flame up to high. Add raw beef patties. Cook 2 minutes. Season burgers with Salt & Pepper, turn the heat down to medium, cook for two minutes.. Turn heat back up to high. Turn burgers over to other side. Cook for two minutes until Burgers are about medium well, which is the Best way to cook a burger. Cook a little less if you want a medium Burger and less still if you want your cooked Burger Medium Rare. BURGER NOTES: To cook your Burgers on the back-yard grill, it usually takes about 6 minutes to cook a Half-Inch Thick Burger depending on the heat of the grill, about 4 minutes on the first side and then you turn the burger over and cook it two three minutes on the second side. Also, make sure not to make the common era of flipping your burger several time. You need to flip it once to get the best results. Yes, just once. That’s it, 1 Tim, and as Roberto Duran would say, “No Mas!” A good trick for you to know, which most home cooks do not know is that you can use a knife to poke into the center of the burger to see how much it is cooked in the center. If you look into the center and see it is rarer than you would like it to be cooked, then you will know that you have a few more minutes to cook it. This is a great trick to know for all cooking, so get in the habit of doing it as it is one of the greatest pieces of cooking knowledge you’ll ever get. This is particularly good method to use when cooking chicken or turkey to look inside to see if the bird is cooked through or if it is still a little raw and you’ll need to cook it more. As we have laid out instructions to cook a Burger on an outdoor grill as many like to cook them this way. We will reiterate that personally, we feel cooking a Burger cooked in a pan or a Flat-Top-Grill where the Burger can cook in its own fat is the Best way. It gives the burger more flavor, and the burger gets evenly browned, but if you want to cook the burgers on an outdoor grill, that’s your choice and your prerogative as the Stranger would say.   Note: The above recipe is for 4 Dude Burgers. If you want just one then just use a ¼ of the amount of ground beef, Hamburger Buns, and Cheese. To make 2 Burgers, cut the ingredient amounts in-half.

          

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        .

How to Cook Perfect STEAK Recipe

Percectly Cooked Steak

Medium Rare 

A BIT ABOUT STEAK

Beef purists may prefer to take in the unadulterated, rich flavour of a quality steak by adding nothing more than a sprinkling of salt and a generous twist of pepper. 

Searing a steak until it gets a caramelised brown crust will give it lots of flavour. For this to happen, the pan and the fat need to be hot enough. The conventional way is to sear it on one side, then cook it for the same amount on the other side. This gives good results but the second side is never as nicely caramelised as the first. To build up an even crust on both sides, cook the steak for the total time stated in the recipe, but turn the steak every minute.

HOW to COOK YOUR STEAK

Get your Butcher to cut you a nice Sirloin or Rib Steak a inch & a half thick. If you can afford it, it is best to buy Prime Beef Steaks, you will taste the difference, and Prime Meat is the best (though not cheap). If you can't afford to buy Prime Beef, you can get Choice Beef, and it will taste good if proerly seasoned and cook, but it just won't taste as good as Primed Beef. 

COOKING YOUR STEAK

1. Season your Steak liberally with Salt  and fresh ground Black Pepper.
2. Heat a heavy-based frying pan until very hot but not smoking.
3. Drizzle some oil into the pan and leave for a moment.
4. Add the steak to the pan.
5. Sear evenly on each side for our recommended time, turning every minute for the best caramelised crust.
6. After you have turned the Steak over to its second side, after it has cooked for 1 minute on the second side, add a nob of butter to the pan.
7. When the butter melts, baste the steak with the butter for the last minute of cooking by, using a spoon, pour the melted butter over the top of the Steak.
8. Leave to rest on a board or warm plate for about 5 mins.
9. Serve the steak whole or carved into slices with the resting juices poured over.

NOTE : MEDIUM RARE STEAK . This (MR) will be the benchmark for you to cook your steak. If you are cooking a 1 & 1/2" Steak at medium-high heat, you will need to cook your Steak between 2 1/2 and 3 minutes per side for a nice Medium Rare Steak.

RARE  ... Cook about a minute less per side than the above Medium Rare Steak

MEDIUM ... Cook about 1 minute more per side than the medium rare Steak. About 3 1/2 to 4 minutes per side.

Well Done ... Cook about 4 1/2 minutes per side for a Well Done Steak.

Additional flavors :  You can add a couple drops of Worscheter Sauce to the pan juice. Add the Worcestershire Sauce to the pan juice, mix together. Once you have placed the Steak (or Steaks) on to the plates, evenly drizzle the pan juices over the steaks.

Serve with potatoes, Creamed Spinach, or whatever you like.

Two Nicely Cooked SIRLOIN STEAKS

A COUPLE NICE RIB EYE STEAKS

Notice the Garlic and Rosemary in Pan

If you Like, you Can Cook your STEAKS

with or Without GARLIC & ROSEMARY in the PAN

BON APPETITE !

SUNDAY SAUCE

AMERICA'S FAVORITE

ITALIAN COOKBOOK

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"COOK FREE or DIE"

TEE SHIRT

 

PIZZA at JOE n PATS Manhattan

 

JOE & PAT'S PIZZERIA  ... A Brief History

Established in 1960, the restaurant was named for Giuseppe Pappalardo and his brother (Joe) and Pasquale Pappalardo (Pat) of Naples, Italy. In 1958 the brothers had immigrated from a small town near Naples, to Staten Island, New York. They opened Joe & Pat's in 1960. Doing well, their mother joined them a year later in 1961.

Lunch at JOE & PAT'S .. Friday, January 28, 2022

My buddy Pat called me up on Thursday, and said, "What are you doing." I told him I was getting ready to go to work. He told me that ahe was getting together with a couple of our friends the next day for lunch at Joe & Pat's Pizzeria, and asked if I wanted to join them. Are you kidding me? Of course I do. What's better than getting together with friends or family, to eat some good Italian Food and have a couple glasses of wine? I'm sure you all know the answer. 

Pat, "OK, we're meeting a 1, see you then."

Me, "Awesome. See you tomorrow brother."

Friday rolls around, and I'm having my morning coffee, when Pat calls. It was just 11:30 am. I pick up the phone, "What are you doing (Pat)"? Having coffee. "Where are you?" I told him I was at a cafe on 6th Ave. "OK, I'm driving through the tunnel, I'll pick you up in 20 minutes." 

Cool, I continued drinking my coffee, and doing some work on my laptop. Twenty minutes later Pat calls and tells me I'm in front of the theater (IFC). "OK, I'll be there in a minute. 

I hop in Pat's car and we had to the East Village. We get to the East Village, and it takes us a few minutes to find a parking space, but we do. Two minutes later, we're in Joe & Par's and Lou and Noah are already there. The bartender checks our Vaccine Cards (these are Covid days 2022). We sit down and give our Pals a hug. It's always great getting together, whether in times of a pandemic or not, and we're all gald to see each other. We sit down, and Lou ask us if we want some beers. "Not me," I tell him, "I'm gonna get a Negroni." Pat orders a Dewars & Water, and I ask the waiter for a Negroni. When our drinks come, we all cheer one another.

We chit-chat a bit, and our buddy JP is not there yet, and we all decide we want to order a couple things. We're all hungry. Pat ask if anyone wants some Baked Clams? Hell yeah, I tell him. How bout some Scunili? "Hell yeah," again. A few minutes later the Clams and Scungili come and they both right on the money. The Clams are nice and tasty, and the Scugili is tender and perfectly cooked in a slightly spice Fra d'Avalo Sauce. "Yumm."

DIGGIN The PIZZA

We ordered 3 different pieces : one with Pepperoni, one called a Tri Pie which is a Margherita Pizza with a little touch of Basil Pesto. Both of these Pies were damn good. I really liked the Tri Piec which Lou loves and he ordered that one, it was very good. The Pepperoni Pie was absolutley amazing. We all loved it, especially Pat and I. I think I ate about 5 or 6 pieces of it (we had 2 large Pepperoni Pies). Someone asked how we rated the Pepperoni Pie, and 3 of us gave it a 9, including me. But after I thought about it again, I gave it a 9.5, it was that good! Damn Good.

Lou also ordered the Vodka Sauce Pie, which wasn't bad, but far from being my favorite.

Overall, we had a great time, and I loved the Pizza, and gained a new found respect for Joe & Pat's, as I went there about 2 and a half years agao with my cousin Tony, and we weren't super thrilled. I wanted to get a Clam Pie, because I used to Love eating them at Lombardi's on Spring Street. We got one, and it wasn't very good (mabe better now). Then we got a couple slices of the Origianal 1960 (Pizza Margherita) and we loved it. So now, my new view on Joe & Pats 1st Ave, is that it's great, and one of the best Pizza's in New York, the city that makes the Best Pizza in the World. "Yes better than Napoli, I tell you." It's true, and many would agree. So that's that. If you want good Pizza in New York, you can't go wrong with Joe & Pat's. "Tryit."

Daniel Bellino Zwicke

January 28th 2022

 

JOE & PAT'S

Thankfully, the owners of Joe & Pat's have preserved the old storefront of the old Lanza's

Sicilian Restuarant on 1st Avenue in Downtown Manhattan. Lanza's operated for more than 100

on 1st Avenue between East 10th and 11th Streets in the Lower East Side of New York, now known

as the East Village for the past 40 years or so.

Mafia Boss Salvatore "Lucky Luciano's family immigrated from Lercara Friddi, Sicily in 1906,  young Salvatore was just 8 years old. They settled in a small apartement on East 10th Street, right around the corner from Lanza's, which Michael Lanza opened in 1904. Over the years, Luciano had many a meal at Lanza's, as well as another Sicilian Restaurant around the block, John's of East 12th Street which opened in 1908, and is still operating today (2022), and still has the original decor of tile floors, and painted murals of scenes in Italy and Sicily. No doubt "Lucky" ate many a Cannoli from DeRoberti's Sicilian Pastries, which was just two doors north of Lanza's on 1st Avenue.

Inside JOE & PAT'S 1st Avenue

New York, NY

They did a fine job preserving as much as the old Lanza's as possible.

The place looks great, and I'm happy to see the old murals and remember

man good times with my friends : JP, Jorge, Kohn O'Sullivan, Miachael,

Toem, and my ex-girlfriend Dante, Saturday lunches and dinners at Lanza's,

sadly no longer in operation, yet it has been preserved as best it now can.

Basta !

Inside JOE & PAT'S

The OLD LANZA'S

1st AVENUE

NY NY

Our TASTY PEPPERONI PIE

JOE & PAT'S MANHATTAN

1/6/2022

NYC

RECIPES FROM MY SICILIAN NONNA

SOUPS - PASTA -DOLCE and ???

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RECIPE

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Get Ready For Christmas Turkey Recipe

 

TASTY CHRISTMAS TURKEY

RECIPE From The BADASS COOKBOOK

PERFECT ROAST TURKEY

Turkey? It’s the All-American dish that you can’t do Thanksgiving without. Have you ever cooked one? Do you know how? Are you afraid? Don’t worry many are. Well one day may come when you’ve got to cook the turkey. Don’t fret! Here’s the perfect way to roast one, a Turkey that is. Just follow these easy steps, make some tasty side dish and you good to go. Happy Thanksgiving! And don’t forget, it’s not just for Thanksgiving, but any time of the year

1 – 12-14 pound Turkey

1 ½ sticks Butter, softened

2 teaspoons Kosher Salt

1 teaspoon ground Black Pepper

2 tablespoons Flour

2 ¾ cups Chicken Broth

½ cup water

In a bowl mix the Salt & Black Pepper together with the butter.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash the turkey, then pat dry with clean paper towels.

Put a wire roasting rack in the large roasting pan that you’ll roast the turkey in. Rub the butter all over the skin of the turkey. 

Place the turkey in the oven and roast at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Baste the turkey with the juices in the pan, getting the basting juices all over the turkey.

Turn the heat down to 325 degrees and cook the turkey until is cooked through. Baste the turkey every 20 to 30 minutes during this time. To check if the turkey is done, stick a meat thermometer into the thigh of the turkey. The thermometer should read 180 degrees and the turkey is done. If you don’t have a meat thermometer, poke a turkey thigh with the tip of a sharp knife. If the liquid comes out clear, the turkey is done. If the liquid has blood in it, the turkey still needs to be a cook some more. In this case put the turkey back in the oven and check after 10 minutes.

One you have determined that the turkey is cooked through, remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes, while still in the pan, but out of the oven.

Remove the turkey from the pan and set on a carving board. 

MAKING The GRAVY :

Heat the chicken broth in a small pot.

Pour off all of the fat from the pan, reserving ¼ cup of the fat in the pan. Place the roasting pan on top of the stove and turn flame on to low heat. 

Add the flour to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon. Add a ½ cup of the hot chicken broth and cook while stirring with a whip. Add 1 more cup of the broth and continue cooking while stirring for 2 minutes more. Add remaining chicken broth and cook on low heat for 5 minutes as your stir. The Gravy is now ready. Strain the gravy through a wire sieve. Place gravy in a gravy boat and it’s ready to go, to pour over your turkey and Mashed Potatoes.

Recipe courtesy of Best Selling Cookbook Author Daniel Bellino Zwicke, "Merry Christmas to All"

from The BADASS COOKBOOK by Dabiel Bellino Zwicke

MORE GREAT RECIPES

From The BADASS COOKBOOK

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BURGERS- TACOS

FRIED CHICKEN

SOUPS - MEATLOAF

BONE SUCKING BBQ SAUCE

And More ...

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Stanley Tucci can't Make a Proper Negroni

 

 

STANLEY TUCCI Does Not Know How to Make a Proper NEGRONI

Yes it's true. The person who has become popular for making Negroni Cocktails, more than anyone else in the history of mankind, does not even know how to make a proper Negroni. This is scariligous, and shows once again, how people jump on the Band Wagon, so to speak.

I was horrified when I was looking in Tucci's latest book TASTE "My Life Through Food"and saw his recipe for the Negroni. In his recipe and instruction, Tucci cals for 50 milliliters of Gin, 25 millileters Campari, and 25 milliliters Sweet Vermouth with a slice of Orange. "oh my God, I can't beleive it, totally wrong Stanley. The proportions are totally wrong and would make a "Horrible Negroni, and one I'd never ever want to drink." and I've been drinking these bad boys Since 1985, a good 25 years before the Negroni Craze reached the American Shores.

How can you do it Stanley? Everyone who knows anything about a Negroni knows that you use equal parts of Campari, Gin, and Sweet Vermouth, and not and never ever twice as much Gin as Campari, you complete destroy the taste, by completely throwing the cocktail out of balance, a primary prerequisite to any good cocktail. How can you do it Stanley. Futhermore, it is beyond me that the press and general public have practicallymade Tucci the King of The Negroni, and the man doesn't know how to make one. This is horrifying ! Really Stanley? How can you do it. 

I've written extensively about the Negroni (in La Tavola), a good 10 years before the Negroni Craze even started. And as I've stated, I've been drinking these wonderful cocktails since the Summer of 1985, on my first trip to Italy.  My first Negroni? I remember it well. It was at the Caffe Giacosa (formerly Caffe Cassoni), in FLorence.  I went in and sat down. The waiter brought me a menu. I already knew what I wanted, as I had read of the Negroni in an Italian travel guide. I knew it was invented here, and that's what I was going to get. So when the waiter came back, I said, " Un Negroni pro favore." The waiter nodded and, replied, "Prego." A few minutes later he brought me my Negroni, with a few cocktail treats that they serve with cocktails in Italy. I took a sip. Yum, that's pretty good I thought. That was the first. The first of many hundreds to come. Way back then, very few Americans drank Negroni's. There were a few. The well traveled, but nothing like today. It really doesn't make me that happy that everyone and their grandmother drinks them these days. It sort of takes away from their specialness a bit. But what are you going to do" That's the way it is. They're still tasty and refreshing to me. Tasty and refreshing? Well yes. Just don't have Stanely Tucci make one for me. "Yuuk! Not very good. Not a Negrone (the way Stanely makes them). 

Sorry Stanley, but you got it all wrong.

... Daniel Bellino "Z" ....

HOW to MAKE a PROPER NEGRONI

1 ounce Campari

1 ounce Sweet Vermouth

1 ounce Gin

ICE

1 fresh slice of Orange

Preparation :

Fill a rock glass with ice.

Add the Campari, Sweet Vermouth, and Gin. 

Stir.

Add a slice of Orange, and serve.

NOTE :  You can change the proportions a little. Just don't change them up too much, or you will throw the cocktail out of balance, and it will not taste like a Negroni, defeating the whole purpose of making the drink, as is the case with Mr. Tucci's recipe. "It's all wrong. Way too much Gin."

If you wanted to stick around the prescribe recipe of equal parts of Campari, Sweet Vermouth, and Gin, to make a proper Negroni, you can put in just a little less Gin, but not too much less, or you'll change the make-up too much.

Also, it is very acceptable to add a plash of Club Sod on top. Just not too much. Make sure it is just a small splash.

Bitters : Campari

Sweet Vermouth Brands : Cinzano, Marini & Rossi, Antica Carpano.

GIN :  Any London Dry Gin. Most popular brands include : Beefeater, Bombay, Gordon's, Tanqueray, and Hendrick's.

Final Note : Negroni's can be made straight-up, or on the rocks, however, 95% of the time, they are                         served on the rocks. 

NEGRONI

POSITANO The AMALFI COAST

COOKBOOK / TRAVEL GUIDE

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