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How to Buy A Musk Melon in Japan (for cheap!)

November 17, 2025 • Leave a comment • Posted in: melon, shopping, tokyo, travel

I’ve been wanting to indulge in a whole Japanese musk melon for a while now and it’s finally happened. I feel like I’ve always been fascinated by fruit culture in Japan. Fruits aren’t just for eating — instead they’re works of art, specially grown and cultivated not just for taste, but for perfect, unblemished specimens intended for gift giving. Specialty melons can literally cost hundreds of dollars and a single slice is often served as the dessert at the end of high-end omakase sushi. While in Tokyo, Mike suggested that we check out the melons at Takashimaya, a well-known department store, we saw a bunch on a deep discount, and I am now one melon rounder!

What is a musk melon?

A musk melon is a category of melons. Some common musk melons are honeydew and cantalope. In Japan, musk melons refer to a specific variety of melon grown exclusively in Japan. They look like honeydew or cantalope, but they aren’t the same at all. Musk melons are prized for their juicy smoothness, honeyed sweetness, full flavor, and incredible aroma. Japanese musk melons come in both green and orange, typically with an intricate, netted rind.

Where to buy expensive fruit for cheap in Tokyo

In Japan, you can buy regular fruit at the grocery store but if you’re looking for fancy, premium fruit, you’ll need to go to a specialty fruit store like Sun Fruits, Sembikiya, or Takano. Of course, premium stores come with premium prices, so if you’re looking for the sweet spot of somewhat affordable luxury, go for a fancy department store instead of a dedicated fruit shop.

Department store fruit in Japan

Fancy department stores (and, well, regular ones too) in Japan have food halls in the basement where they sell a plethora of ready-to-eat items as well as groceries. The grocery store part is where you want to be for cheap-ish, high quality fruit. Head to the part where they actually sell groceries and you see regular fruit as well as specially gift-wrapped fruit. This is where you’re going to find the deals.  The best department stores to try your melon sale luck at are: Takashimaya, Iseten, and Mitsukoshi.

Shop after 5pm

If you’ve ever lived in Japan, you know that grocery stores put all of their ready made food on sale near closing time. It’s the same with fruit! Of course, a fruit sale is partially luck and partially timing, so no guarantees, but on the day that Mike said we should get a melon, we happened to see a bunch of sale stickers. I was SO EXCITED because these melons were originally priced at ¥5400 and marked down to ¥2000! This is insane; my little cheap-o heart was beating so fast. I waffled, but Mike said to me, “when are you ever going to see a melon sale like this again” and I laughed at the absurdity of the situation and Mike insisted we get it and now I am one melon, minus the two bites Mike tried, larger.

How to get the best Japanese melon

After the decision was made, I wanted to obtain the best melon of all the sale melons. The obvious move was to ask the fruit vendor to pick a melon for me. I sumimasen-ed and then Google translate was my wingman as I showed him my screen with “can you please help me choose the best melon” translated into Japanese. The fruit man was so friendly! He immediately started going through the on sale melons, evaluating and determining the best one. He spoke English and asked when we wanted to eat our melon: today or in a couple of days. I have no sense of restrain so of course I said, today. He happily handed me his chosen melon. Mike said he also said, “good deal, it’s big one!” and winked at me, but I was so smitten, I only had eyes for our melon.

How do they grow premium musk melons in Japan?

Unlike the typical melon, premium musk melons in Japan are hand pollinated and pruned to grow one fruit per plant, or “ichiju ikka,” in Japanese. One fruit per vine guarantees that all the growing power and nutrients of the plant going into just one melon, making it intensely sweet and juicy. The melons are periodically rotated and checked on so they grown up uniformly netted, spherical and essentially perfect. The more perfect the melon, the higher the price. All premium melons are sold with their stems on, to showcase the one plant, one fruit ethos.

What does Japanese musk melon taste like?

Japanese musk melon tastes like what you imagine melons to taste like. Sweet, refreshing, juicy, and just so, so good. They taste like the essence of melon, intense melon flavor condensed into a juicy, sweet, tender globe of deliciousness. I have had two melon epiphanies in my life: once in Colorado (shown below) and once here in Tokyo. I might be ruined for life, forever hunting for on sale melons in the basement of department stores…see you there? PS - Just incase you were wondering, my melon’s provenance is Ibaraki, a prefecture in Japan known as the Melon Kingdom. Ibaraki melons are especially sweet and juicy because they have an amazing melon growing climate with well drained soil and huge temperature swings between day and night. Ibaraki grows the most high quality melons in Japan and my grower was #144.

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Homemade Hot Chocolate Bombs

November 16, 2025 • 165 comments • Posted in: hot chocolate, tiktok

It's hot chocolate bombs season! It’s super cute and fun and you can make SO many flavor variations! They sell hot chocolate bombs/hot chocolate balls at the store, but around here I haven’t seen any so I decided to make my own. You can too, but you need to get the right molds before it's too late.

What is a hot chocolate bomb?

Hot chocolate bombs or hot cocoa bombs are cute lil balls of chocolate that you put into a mug. When you pour hot milk into the mug, the chocolate melts and magically releases the marshmallows and cocoa hiding inside.

What you need to make homemade hot chocolate bombs

• chocolate
• half circle baking mold
• hot cocoa mix
• marshmallows

How to make homemade hot chocolate bombs

1. Melt your chocolate. Use the microwave to melt the chocolate melts or chocolate stirring in between until everything is smooth and pourable.
2. Fill the molds. Scoop some chocolate into the mold and use the back of a spoon or pastry brush to push the melted chocolate around the molds, making it thick enough along the sides and edges. Pop the molds into the freezer for 5-10 minutes to set.
3. Remove the chocolate from the molds. Gently push the half spheres out of the silicone mold.
4. Melt the edges. Microwave a microwave safe plate for a minute, you want the plate to be just hot enough to melt the chocolate. Pick up the empty half of the chocolate bomb and place it on the warm plate for a couple of seconds, just until it melts.
5. Fill. Add 1 tablespoon hot cocoa powder and mini marshmallows (and any other add-ins you want) to half of the spheres. Pick up another half and melt the edge on the warm plate then push the two sides together to seal.
6. Decorate. Drizzle on some extra chocolate, decorate with crushed cookies, candy, or sprinkles!

If you don’t have a mold, wrap two eggs in saran wrap and dip them in the melted chocolate. Place on a plate and let set. Dip them again (so the shell is slightly thick), then melt the edges, add the insides, and seal.

For snowman hot chocolate bombs:

1. Melt some white chocolate.
2. Make the spheres as outlined above.
3. Fill with hot chocolate mix and marshmallows.
4. Seal the hot chocolate bombs.
5. Pipe on eyes and a mouth with melted chocolate.
6. Pipe on an orange nose with orange candy melts and enjoy!

For peppermint hot chocolate bombs:

1. Melt some white chocolate
2. Make the spheres as outlined above.
3. Fill with peppermint hot chocolate mix and marshmallows.
4. Seal the hot chocolate bombs.
5. Drizzle with extra white chocolate.
6. Sprinkle on crushed candy canes and enjoy!

What if I don’t have a silicone mold?

Don’t worry, you can still make chocolate bombs without a mold! You can wrap eggs in plastic wrap dip them and let them set. They don’t end up completely round, but it still works.

Which mold should I get for hot chocolate bombs?

The best mold for is a half sphere silicone mold. You can easily push the mold to pop the chocolate out. Silicone molds are cheap (compared to professional acrylic molds) and easy to use. The molds I use are 2 inches, but you can use up to 2.5 inches.

What chocolate can I use for hot chocolate bombs?

I went the easy route and melted down chocolate chips, but you can also use candy melts which are easy to work with but don’t taste as good. There is also chocolate called couverture chocolate which is formulated to be easy to melt and set.

How can I tell if my chocolate is high quality?

Take a look at the ingredients. You’ll want a chocolate with 65% or more cocoa. The cocoa percentage that you see on chocolate packaging tells you how much of the chocolate is made from actual cocoa beans. Your chocolate should also have cocoa butter in it, which creates the melting quality of chocolate. Couverture chocolate (as I mentioned above) has a high percentage of cocoa butter, which is why it melts smoothly making it an excellent chocolate for making hot chocolate bombs.

Help! My hot chocolate spheres keep breaking!

If your spheres keep breaking, you want to double check three things:

• How you melted your chocolate/chocolate tempering.
• The edges.
• How long you let it set.

How to temper chocolate

Tempering chocolate is a fancy way of saying melting chocolate, but it’s a bit more than just melting, it’s making sure that it doesn’t get too hot. If you don’t temper chocolate properly, it will melt at room temperature, it doesn’t really hold it’s shape, and it’s as shiny. Here’s how to temper chocolate.

1. Chop your chocolate. Chopping up your chocolate with a knife makes sure all the pieces are small - smaller pieces means it melts more evenly. If you get couverture chocolate, it will come in wafers, you don’t need to chop this.
2. Put the chocolate in a heat safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. It won’t look melted but don’t put it in for any longer! Use a rubber spatula to move the pieces of chocolate around. Some of the chocolate will be more melty and you’re going to use that heat to help melt the rest of the chocolate. Once you’ve stirred, it’s time to put it back in the microwave.
3. Microwave the bowl again for 15 seconds, then remove and stir from the outside in. The outside pieces of chocolate will be more melted than the inside. Use the heat from the outside chocolate to help melt the pieces in the middle. If you have an instant read thermometer, check to see if your chocolate is between 88-90°F. That is the ideal range for tempering chocolate.
4. If your chocolate isn’t smooth yet, microwave it again for 15 seconds and stir. Keep stirring until all the chocolate is melted and smooth. It’s best to underheat the chocolate because the residual heat from the bowl and the rest of the chocolate will help you will the melting.
5. Spoon a bit of your smooth tempered chocolate onto a piece of parchment and put it in the fridge for 5 minutes. If it looks shiny and snaps when you break it in half, your chocolate has been tempered properly!

What if I heated up my chocolate too much?

If your chocolate is bendy and doesn’t snap when you do the test in the fridge, it’s okay! Just add some more chopped chocolate to the bowl with your melted chocolate and stir it until it melts. Aim for 90°F and then do the fridge and snap test again.

How to temper chocolate on the stove/How to temper chocolate without a microwave

To temper chocolate on the stove:

1. Chop your chocolate into small pieces
2. Make a double boiler by placing a heat proof bowl on top of a small pot. Fill the pot with just an inch or two of water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water. Turn the heat on to low.
3. Add 2/3 of chopped chocolate to the bowl and stir, while the steam from the simmering water melts the chocolate.
4. When the chocolate is smooth and melted, carefully remove it from the double boiler and stir in the remaining chocolate. This will help the melted chocolate cool down to the right temperature, 88-90°F.

How to fill the molds for hot chocolate bombs

If you’re having problems with your spheres breaking or not releasing, I have tips!

• Clean your mold. Use a lint free-paper towel and make sure the inside of your silicone mold is nice and shiny. If there’s lint it in it or any residue it will come out on your chocolate.
• Use a (clean) paint brush. I used the back of a spoon to push the chocolate around but if you use a paint brush you’ll have a lot more control. Paint the inside of the mold generously, let set for 5 minutes in the fridge, then apply a second coat being sure to paint extra along the edges so they edges are reinforced.
• Make sure you let the chocolate set enough in the fridge. When the chocolate is set, it will be shiny and snappy and release easily from the molds.

Can I make hot chocolate bombs in advance?

Yes, you can absolutely make hot chocolate bombs in advance. If you temper the chocolate properly (read the chocolate tempering tricks), you can make hot chocolate bombs well in advance.

How long do hot chocolate bombs last for?

All the ingredients in hot chocolate bombs are shelf stable and they will keep, if tempered properly, on the countertop almost indefinitely, if they last that long. Think of them like a chocolate bar – chocolate bars last a really long time!

How to store hot chocolate bombs

The best way to store hot chocolate bombs, after they have been made is at room temp in an air tight container.

Hot chocolate bomb flavors

I love hot chocolate bombs because you can go wild with the flavors. Try these ones!

• Oreo - place some crushed up oreos inside and on the outside for decoration.
• S’mores - crush some graham crackers for inside the bomb and on top for decoration.
• Peppermint - crush up some peppermint candies for inside the bomb and on top for decoration.
• Pumpkin - put a teaspoon of pumpkin spice in with the hot chocolate mix and sprinkle some on top.
• Coffee - add a teaspoon of instant coffee to the inside of the bomb.
• Dark chocolate sea salt - sprinkle on some flaky sea salt.

Tips

• Don’t overheat the chocolate! Take your time and microwave in 15 second intervals.
• Make sure you have enough chocolate on the edges of your mold so the molds don’t break when you take them out.
• If you need to, add more chocolate to the edges then let set again.
• Use food safe gloves while you’re assembling so you don’t accidentally melt the outsides or leave fingerprints on your hot chocolate bombs.
• Keep your place cold or run your hands under cold water for a while, the heat of your hands will make the chocolate melt.
• Be gentle when sealing the bombs together, don’t push too hard.
• Use your (gloved) finger to gently rub along the seam where the two halves come together to smooth it out.
• To store the hot chocolate bombs, keep them in an air tight container in a cool spot in your kitchen or in the fridge

Even more tips!

If you’re having problems with your spheres breaking or not releasing, I have even more tips!

• Clean your mold. Use a paper towel and make sure the inside of your silicone mold is nice and shiny. If there’s lint it in it or any residue it will come out on your chocolate.
• Use a (clean) paint brush. I used the back of a spoon to push the chocolate around but if you use a paint brush you’ll have a lot more control. Paint the inside of the mold generously, let set for 5 minutes in the fridge, then apply a second coat being sure to paint extra along the edges so they edges are reinforced.
• Make sure you let the chocolate set long enough in the fridge. When the chocolate is set, it will be shiny and snappy and release easily from the molds.

Will it be chocolate-y enough?

Some of you are worried that there won’t be enough hot chocolate mix inside the the hot chooclate bomb. The outside of the bomb melts down and adds a HUGE chocolate hit. You can also add hot chocolate instead of milk to melt your hot chocolate bomb if you want a double hot chocolate!

How to temper chocolate

Quick and easy tempered chocolate via the seeding method Tempered chocolate is what you want for hot chocolate bombs - it’s what will make them shelf stable with a shiny finish and a consistent snap. I’ve mentioned several other ways to temper chocolate in this post, but if you’re still having trouble, this is a foolproof way called “seeding” that doesn’t need a thermometer. First, melt two thirds of your chocolate, either in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, or in the microwave for 30 seconds. Melt the chocolate completely but don’t burn it - the chocolate shouldn’t be hot on your fingertip. Stir the melted chocolate and add the remaining chocolate into the warm chocolate in three batches, stirring completely after each addition. Continue stirring until the chocolate is smooth and shiny. Test by swooshing a bit of chocolate on a piece of parchment paper - it should start to set immediately. If it doesn’t, add a bit more solid chocolate to your melted chocolate bowl until it sets when you test it.

My recommended chocolate for hot chocolate bombs

I like using Ghirardelli melting chocolate wafers. I find that they temper easily and set really well. xoxo -steph

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Yaki Imo: Roasted Japanese Sweet Potatoes

November 14, 2025 • 5 comments • Posted in: Japanese, sweet potato

Baked Japanese sweet potatoes are the best sweet potato you’ll ever eat: nutrious, creamy, and sweet.

What is yaki imo?

Yaki imo is a baked Japanese sweet potato! Yaki imo translates to baked (or roasted) potato. Most people in Japan, when they’re referring to yaki imo, they’re talking about Satsuma imo, which are Japanese sweet potatoes, named after the Satsuma region on Kyushu island. Satsuma imo have dusty pinkish-purple skin and pale cream insides. When they’re roasted, the insides turn a beautiful golden yellow. They’re quite a bit smaller than your usual orange sweet potatoes. If you’ve seen the sweet potato emoji, you know exactly what a satsuma imo looks like: 🍠 . They’re super sweet and delicious, incredible and satisfying.

What is the best way to cook a Japanese sweet potato?

Baking! It’s the absolute best way: the subtle sweet and toasty aroma that will fill your house is absolutely irresistible.

Types of sweet potatoes

In Japan, there are hundreds of varieties of Satsuma imo, each with different sweetness levels, textures, and skins. Here in North America, the sweet potatoes we usually see are orange skinned sweet potatoes. Orange sweet potatoes are completely different, both in looks, taste, and texture. Japanese sweet potatoes start out their lives with pale creamy insides that turns golden after being cooked. They’re also a lot starchier, fluffier, and a bit more dry than orange sweet potatoes. When you bake them, their incredible sweetness caramelizes and condenses into a slightly, sweet, soft texture.

Where to buy Japanese sweet potatoes

They sell Japanese variety sweet potatoes at Asian grocery stores, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and farmer’s markets. Sometimes speciality stores will actually import in potatoes that have been grown in Japan, but usually what you’ll find are the Japanese variety of sweet potato that’s been grown in North America. If you have the chance and see imported Japanese sweet potatoes that have been grown in Kagoshima, please get them! I just did a side by side taste test and they are SO MUCH BETTER. Creamier, softer, sweeter, and more custard-y. I found imported Kagoshima Honey Potato Beniharuka and they were amazing. They were labeled as small and were very slender. I would have preferred the medium size, but even having access to Japanese grown potatoes is amazing so I’m not complaining! Pro tip: If you live near an Asian grocery store such as H-Mart or a Japanese grocery store, they may sell yaki imo. They keep roasted sweet potatoes in brown bags in a heated box and sell them as snacks. If you don’t have time to roast your own, you can grab some ready to go.

How to choose good sweet potatoes

Choose firm, smooth skinned potatoes that are dense and not too big. The smaller potatoes are sweeter and have the bonus of not taking as long to bake!

How to store

Keep your raw sweet potatoes in a cool, dry, dark space for up to 4 weeks.

How to bake Japanese sweet potatoes

Making yaki imo at home is incredibly easy: simply bake and allow the starch in the potatoes to break down and caramelize, becoming soft and sweet. Start off by scrubbing and drying your sweet potatoes. If desired, use a fork to lightly poke a couple of holes in the potatoes. Place them on a wire rack and bake in the oven, naked and without foil, until the skins are crisp and the insides are very tender and soft.

Baking at different temperatures will give you different potato textures.

325°F. Bake for 1-1.5 hours depending on size for a super sweet fluffy cake-like texture. 375°F. Bake for 1-1.15 hours depending on size for a super sweet tender custard inside and crisp caramelized outside. I personally like baking at 375° which makes the outsides super crisp and caramelized with a very tender, very sweet, buttery dessert, custard-like texture.

Stove top yaki imo

If you don’t have an oven, you can also make yaki imo on the stove top. Place the sweet potatoes in a cast iron pan and cover the potatoes and cook over low, turning every 20 minutes until they’re soft and cooked through, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Nutritional information and health benefits

Japanese sweet potatoes are super healthy complex carbs. They’ll fuel you with energy and keep you full because they’re high in dietary fiber. They’re also rich in Vitamin A, C, and B6. Because they’re so satisfying, they make a great snack, side, or main.

How to eat yaki imo

Just like that! Enjoy them warm out of the oven after they’ve rested a bit. You can hold them, peel the skin, and eat them, or you can eat the skins too. Sometimes I like to use a spoon to scoop out the insides then eat the crispy skin at the end when I’m done scooping out the creamy middles. Seriously SO GOOD.

How to store cooked roasted sweet potatoes

If you have any extra yaki imo left over, wrap them up and place them in air tight container in the fridge. You can enjoy them straight from the fridge or reheat them in the microwave for a warm potato. I love yaki imo so much. We’ve even been to Kagoshima, where satsuma imo are from to enjoy super local sweet potatoes. I love them so much that I have a favorite yaki imo shop in Ginza. It’s called Tsubo Yaki-imo. They sell Japanese sweet potatoes that roast in traditional pots. They are absolutely amazing. Lots of people buy them for omiyage and their imo is one of the things I miss most about Japan. If you love Japanese sweet potatoes and are ever in Tokyo, please go! I hope you find some Japanese sweet potatoes and roast them at home. You’ll love them, trust me!

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The best Negroni recipe (alcohol and alcohol free)

November 12, 2025 • 11 comments • Posted in: cocktails, negroni

To me, the Negroni is the iconic holiday drink. There are cocktails, then there is the Negroni, for many, the cocktail. No other cocktail is as tasty and refreshing in summer, so cheerful and pretty during the holidays, and so easy and simple to make into countless variations. For me, a Negroni is the ultimate holiday cocktail. Firstly, you can make a lot of it at the same time, should you have a larger group. Secondly, it’s pretty and colorful. And finally, it’s perfect with a little spice should you want to go there. Give me a Negroni over gluhwein or eggnog with rum any day. Some people will say they don’t like Negronis because they are too bitter or too sweet. More than likely, they had their first Negroni at a bar that didn’t care. Here is how to make Negroni the right way, one sip and you'll see why it’s the most popular cocktail of the last 100 years and looking to be the most popular cocktail for the next 100 too.

What is a Negroni cocktail

A Negroni is a sweet and slightly bitter tasting drink that's reminiscent of an aperitif, but packs a huge punch, unlike most aperitifs. It’s perfect as a cocktail pre- or during dinner, as the bitter notes highlight the flavors of food really well. The invention of the Negroni goes to a count named Camillo Negroni who wanted something stronger than his usual drink, a Mi-To, named after the twin cities of Milano and Torino, later named the Americano because Americans loved it so much during WW1. A Mi-To was made up of campari, vermouth, and soda. To make the drink stronger, he subbed out the zero ABV soda for gin, and just like that, magic was made.

Negroni ingredients

Although most sources will tell you that a Negroni has 3 ingredients, a Negroni actually has 5 ingredients: gin, campari, vermouth, ice, and orange peel, and I argue, a glass too. Which is to say, the ice you use matter, and so does the garnish. For those who love cocktails (and mocktails), there's nothing sadder than top dollar drinks in a paper cup with ice-machine ice chips. You don't need to break the bank, but definitely look for some decent glassware, and invest in a larger ice cube mold.

Classic Negroni recipe

The classic Negroni recipe is equal parts gin, campari, and red vermouth, built over ice and served with an orange peel garnish.

Negroni Sbagliato

Recently, it's become popular on tiktok to swap the gin for a sparkling wine (ideally, Prosecco). It makes for a lighter, fizzier, more fun cocktail. This one is great both in summer and during the holidays, especially if you love the taste but don’t want to be completely wasted around family. It's also just a great cocktail to serve to people with a lower tolerance for alcohol.

Gin

Most people splurge on the gin, and in most bars you’ll find they are very proud of the gin they use. I disagree though, the gin is important, but the punch of the campari and vermouth pretty much kill any subtle herbal nuances top shelf gin will get you. I use whatever gin I have on hand, but usually I use Beefeater. Currently I'm drinking Drumshanbo, a gin with Asian inspired botanicals (star anise and cardamom) that is excellent in a Negroni.

Campari

Campari is absolutely needed for a proper Negroni. Accept no substitutes.

Vermouth

Here is where, in my opinion, the biggest difference between a good and a great Negroni is made. I try to stay away from the bottom shelf vermouth such as Martini. I’d rather spend my money on a good vermouth over a top shelf gin any day. My favorites are Punt e Mes, Cocchi Torino, and especially Carpano Antica. When I first started drinking Negronis, Punt e Mes was $75+. I was over the moon when we were in Buenos Aires one year and they were the equivalent of $5 a bottle. I brought home 6 bottles. It's thankfully gone down in price as it's gone up in popularity since then. Of the three, I really like Carpano Antica because it comes in a smaller bottle. Vermouth is a wine based liqueur, which means the moment you open it, it starts to degrade. You should keep vermouth in the fridge, and buy only a size you know you can finish in under a month. You know the old maxim never cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink? My experience is that most people have never tasted vermouth on its own. The difference in price between a higher end vermouth and a bottle shelf vermouth is usually just a few dollars, but the taste difference is out of this world.

Ice

Invest in a good 2” covered ice cube tray for your cocktails. You don’t need to go crazy and make clear ice, but traditionally, these cocktails were served with large ice cubes from the days before plastic ice trays and nugget ice machines. A covered ice cube tray protects your ice from any stray freezer smells. If your tap water doesn't taste great, consider using filtered or bottled water for your ice, even though it seems like overkill.

Garnish

One of the key parts of a Negroni is the orange peel, which complements the campari and adds a bit of acid to offset the sweetness of the vermouth, especially if you took my advice and got a more premium vermouth, which tends to be sweeter. When I was younger, I skipped the orange peel (because you needed a fresh orange, which I never had) and the first time I tried it, I was amazed at the difference it made. For extra flair, you can  squeeze, spritz, or even flame your orange peel, but I prefer the subtle purity of a clean orange peel myself.

Shaken or Stirred

Please never shake a Negroni.

How to make a Negroni

1. Prepare a rocks glass with a large ice cube.
2. Peel a 1” x 4” strip of orange peel and trim as needed.
3. Build the drink over ice.
4. Stir for 30 seconds.
5. Garnish, and enjoy immediately.

Negroni Glass

A Negroni should never be served up or in a flute. Properly it should be in a low ball/rocks/old fashioned bar glass. A correctly sized Negroni is 3oz plus ice, so a double glass is just about the right size.

My Best Negroni recipe

If you’re at all a drinker, you’ll find the classic 1:1:1 ratio of a Negroni a little too sweet. If you aren’t a drinker, you might find it really bitter. Once, I served a Negroni for the first time to a wine snob friend of mine who had never had one. This was in the dark ages when appletinis were popular. He found it unbearably bitter, though in the decades since, he’s started serving them before dinner. But if you prefer your Negroni on the more balanced side, my go-to Negroni recipe that I've been drinking for years is 3/4 oz Carpano Antica Formula Vermouth, 3/4oz Campari, and 1.5oz gin.

The Boulevardier

I used to order this one in bars exclusively, and for the first few years, no bartender really knew what it was. Then, overnight, it was more popular on bar menus than the Negroni – which is either off-menu at most places or served with some variation, like sake. A boulevardier swaps the herbaceous gin for earthy, spiced bourbon, which makes for a darker drink that’s kind of the lovechild of a Negroni and a Manhattan, combining them into the best of both worlds, like New York Italian food. The Negroni is one of my favorite cocktails of all time, and I’ve been drinking this version for decades. I hope you give it a try, especially with the right vermouth.

Non alcoholic negroni mocktail (aka nogroni or NAgroni)

If you are avoiding alcohol or just don't like it, the Negroni happens to be one of the best mocktails you can make because both gin and vermouth lend themselves well to non alcoholic versions. Sadly, unlike with alcohol, non alcoholic brands seem to be highly regional right now, so I can't recommend specific brands easily, but your local non alcoholic gin is likely to be a good one. If you are comfortable buying online, these are the most easily ordered brands of non alcoholic Negroni ingredients:

• Zero alcohol gin: Monday Zero Alcohol Gin
• Non alcoholic vermouth: Roots Divino Rosso Non Alcoholic Vermouth
• Campari alternative: Sanbittèr Non-Alcoholic Aperitif

Cheers! Mike

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