Negroni Week 2015: 9 Places to Drink For Charity Next Week Phoenix

Usually you'd drink a Negroni just 'cause — 'cause, you know, they're delicious. But Negroni Week will give you the chance to drink for a cause.

Next week bars around the world, the country, and right here in Phoenix are participating in Imbibe Magazine and Campari's Negroni Week, which takes place from Monday, June 1 to Sunday, June 7. 

Whether it's Halo Animal Rescue, youth ballet, or the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation, portions of proceeds from more than three dozen restaurants and bars statewide will go straight to the charities of the restaurant's and bar's choice. 

Here's how some local bars will be serving Negronis next week.

BAR CRUDO
Charity: CCAP (Careers through Culinary Arts Program)
Micah Olson, part-owner of Crudo, explains the process: "Cured the barrel with salt water for two days to seal up the wood so it wouldn't leak the precious alcohol and also to impart salinity to the barrel. Salt helps soften the bitterness found in the drink as well as from the tannins in the oak barrel. I have also decided to do a twist on the traditional negroni by adding watermelon to the drink. Watermelon also plays nice with salt and add a summery refreshing aspect to the drink. After barrel was done curing, it was time to fill the barrel. I opted to use genever instead of the traditional gin for mine. Genever being a maltier cousin of gin from Holland. I also used Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, which adds depth to the negroni with its cacao, rhubarb and citrus notes. In addition to the vermouth I have split its roll with some Cocchi Americano Rosa, an aperitif wine made from Brachetto d' Acqui that adds floral, berries and a little ginger spice to complement the watermelon."

 J&G STEAKHOUSE
Charity: Ryan House
J&G Steakhouse employs Bulldog Gin as their base botanical, throws in pomegranate molasses, and chars up cardamom, fennel seed, peppercorn and orange peels, capturing the smoke with the glass-to-be-served. 

THE CLEVER KOI
Charity: Angelman Syndrome Foundation
"The purpose behind treating the barrel with Iwate Kura Oyster Stout was to add subtle hints of chocolate and saline to the drink," says The Clever Koi part-owner Joshua James. "Barrel aged cocktails tend to take on vanilla & caramel notes from the oak.  I upped the Campari, Carpano & Punt e Mes to allow for the oak to round out the sweetness and bitter notes of the cocktail."

BITTER & TWISTED
Charity: Halo Animal Rescue
Bitter & Twisted offers three different negronis all week: the Sbagliato (Campari, sweet vermouth, sparkling Italian prosecco), the B&T House Negroni (Campari, City of London Gin, sweet vermouth), and the First Class Negroni (Campari, Old Raj Gin, and sweet vermouth).

WINDSOR
Charity: Phoenix Children's Hospital Foundation
Windsor keeps it simple with their Negroni Week cocktail: a classic negroni, but modified with a saffron-infused gin.

LINGER LONGER LOUNGE
Charity: JDRF (Junior Diabetes Research Foundation)
"At Linger Longer Lounge we will be offering two different negronis," says General Manager Matthew McCullough. "The two that we will be offering for Negroni Week are very traditional. We will be using Bulldog Gin, Campari, and Dolin Vermouth de Chambery (sweet vermouth). They are both made at a 1:1:1 ratio. The difference that we will be doing on both is one is barrel-aged, which gives it a smokey, nutty, flavor. Just more depth. The other one that we will be doing is our Draft Negroni. We pour 4 different cocktails on draft as one would do a beer. But we have modified our corney kegs to agitate the cocktails to ensure that they will be constantly mixed and instead of using CO2 or beer gas, we use nitrogen to pressurize it. The Nitrogen will not carbonate the cocktail like CO2 would. If someone would rather have a negroni made with a different gin, or a different vermouth, we are always happy to accommodate and will consider those cocktails as part of Negroni Week as well."


BLUE HOUND KITCHEN AND COCKTAILS
Charity: Halo Animal Rescue
"We will be featuring two Negronis for the week. One classic Negroni for $8, and one barrel aged negroni featuring Bols Genever. The barrel-aged negroni is going to be featured for Negroni Week for the Bols Genever competition to win a trip to Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans," says Head Mixologist Stephanie Teslar. "Our charity that we will be donating to is Halo animal rescue, which is a no-kill animal shelter located downtown."


LITTLE CLEO'S SEAFOOD LEGEND 
Charity: Lucky Dog Rescue
Many Fox restaurants are participating (North with a classic negroni, Culinary Dropout with a barrel-aged Bols negroni, The Arrogant Butcher with an aloe vera negroni bianco, and The Henry with a boulevardier), but Little Cleo's is the star of the show with a Negroni that trades in vermouth for Chareau (an aloe vera and cucumber liqueur), dashes peach bitters, and garnishes with thinly-sliced cucumber. 


CITIZEN PUBLIC HOUSE AND THE GLADLY
Charity: The Arizona Humane Society
From the guys at Citizen expect barrel-aged negronis and, over at The Gladly, negronis on draft. 

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