Skip to main content

Valentine's Day Recipe: Negroni

Support Provided By
Negroni
Photo: Maria Zizka

Negroni

If you are hoping for a romantic evening on February 14th, may I suggest you skip the fancy restaurant reservation and start planning a dinner at home? Your valentine will thank you. Cooking a meal for someone is surely an act of love, a marvelous way to show your affection.

You can customize the dinner to suit the desires of your particular valentine. Have you fallen for a vegetarian? Prepare him a fritto misto feast, and he'll swoon with joy. Crushing on a carnivore? Steak with red wine sauce is the answer (and the way to her heart). Or perhaps you are celebrating the love you have for your entire family -- all of you under one roof. In that case, whip up an extra large batch of chocolate-dipped strawberries.

No matter whom you celebrate with on Valentine's Day, make it a night in. If it'll just be you alone, cook your favorite, most indulgent meal, and start things off right with this cocktail.

Serves 1

1 ounce gin
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet red vermouth
Orange, for garnish

Fill a short glass with ice cubes. Pour in the gin, Campari, and vermouth, and stir well. Using a small knife, cut a long, narrow strip of the orange peel, pressing the knife lightly so as to avoid the bitter white pith. Twist the peel into a curlicue over the glass, then drop it into the drink.

Note: I love Terroir Gin (distilled by St. George Spirits) for its evocative aromatics: coastal sage, California bay laurel, and Douglas fir. For excellent sweet red vermouth, try Carpano Antica Formula, a robust, dark, and not overly sweet option.

Related recipes:
3 Valentine's Day Cocktails
Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
Spaghetti and Meatballs
The Embrace Cocktail

Support Provided By
Read More
A black and white photo of an adult dressed as the easter bunny with a giant costumed head, holding a little girl on their left who gives it a kiss on the cheek and, with his right arm, holding a little boy who brings his hands to his eyes as though wiping away tears.

Behold the Bunnies and Bonnets of L.A.'s Past Easter Celebrations

The onset of the spring season heralds the arrival of fragrant flowers in bloom — and all the critters that enjoy them, including the Easter bunny and families who anticipate his arrival with egg hunts, parades and questionable fashion choices.
A black and white image of an elephant holding a broom with its trunk. A man is seen near the elephant, walking towards the animal.

Lions and Tigers and Cameras! How the Movies Gave Los Angeles a Zoo

The early days of the movies in Los Angeles inadvertently allowed visitors to experience the largest collection of animals in the western United States. When animals weren't appearing in a movie, they were rented out to other film companies, performed for studio visitors, or in the case of filmmaker William Selig's collection — an opportunity to create one of Los Angeles' first zoos.
A vertical, black and white portrait of a blonde woman wearing a sparkly four-leaf clover costume as she holds her arms out and extends a leg as though in a curtsy.

Irish for a Day: L.A.'s History of 'Going Green' on St. Patrick's Day

Whether it was a parade, dance, tea party, home celebration or just enjoying a good ol' wee dram of whisky, here's a photo essay of how Los Angeles donned its green apparel to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and embrace the luck o' the Irish over the years.