Negroni Week Spotlight: Trevor Easter

When the “International Man of Mixtery” (and West Coat brand ambassador for Plymouth and Beefeater gins), aka Trevor Easter, first got wind of Negroni Week, he started a chain reaction of enthusiasm that would grow to include some of the country’s best bartenders, encouraging them to join the efforts and offering assistance in any way he could (he even stepped behind the bar at Eveleigh in Los Angeles to mix up Negronis this past Monday and will stir things up for charity at the Negroni Social in Portland on June 3). Here, Easter gives us a quick peek into his personal Negroni style.

My first Negroni was ... shaken, because I didn't know any better.

In a word, the Negroni is ... supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. [Editor’s Note: Trevor gave us this response before he’d seen Jonny Raglin’s uncannily similar reply from the day before—you know what they say about great minds … and great cocktails!]

I take my Negroni ... Alcatraz-style, (in a Sean Connery voice) on the rock.

I most love the Negroni because ... it's a perfect example of how less is more. 

My favorite Negroni variation is ... the Salted Negroni—basically a standard Negroni with a pinch of salt and a quarter less Campari.

Salted Negroni

1 oz. gin (Easter uses Beefeater 24)

1 oz. sweet vermouth

3/4 oz. Campari

Pinch of salt

Tools: mixing glass, barspoon, strainer

Glass: rocks

Garnish: grapefruit twist

Combine all ingredients and stir with ice. Strain over a large ice cube and garnish.