As perhaps the world experts on brunch, Australian culture looms large in the culinary world. And now, an Australian-inspired restaurant has come out with its own Aussie take on the classic Negroni cocktail.
The Chapel Street Café in Chicago will open next month, in January 2025, and will have a selection of Australian cocktails on offer like the Japanese Slipper (combining Cointreau, Midori, and lemon juice) and the Kangaroo Kicker (made with vodka, dry vermouth, and orange bitters). But one offering that really has our attention is the Australian themed Negroni riff named the Lygon Street.
It keeps the classic Negroni formula of three equal parts of gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari, but it swaps in some Aussie ingredients for a different take.
It features Four Pillars Olive Gin, which uses olive oil and native botanicals for some savory heft, with citrus-flavored Yuzu Vermouth and Okar Liqueur, a bitter orange aperitif which takes the place of the Campari. And for the cherry on top, as it were, the drink is garnished with an olive for emphasis on the savory notes of the gin. It sounds like the perfect savory take on this classic and beloved bitter cocktail, and you know I love an olive garnish.
How to make the Lygon Street
Ingredients:
- 1oz Okar Liqueur
- 1 oz Yuzu Vermouth
- 1 oz Four Pillars Olive Gin
Method:
Add ingredients to a mixing glass and stirred with ice till chilled. Double strain and serve over a 2 by 2 Australian bitter orange ice cube in a chilled 12 oz rocks glass. Garnish with an olive.
