its trio of ingredients are layered within a glass, making it one of the easiest cocktails to master. And, thanks to its savory-meets-bitter-meets-gently-sweet flavors, it's also one of the most delicious.

NEGRONI HISTORY

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The Negroni is one of the rare pre-Prohibition era cocktails with an origin that can actually be traced accurately. An aristocrat and bon vivant from Florence, Count Camillo Negroni was fond of another Italian invention, the Americano—a drink that employs Campari, sweet vermouth, and club soda over ice with an orange twist.

It was the early part of the 20th century and Count Negroni often found himself enjoying an aperitif at Caffe Casoni; it was frequently made for him by bartender Fosco Scarselli. Perhaps under duress from his count duties, Negroni asked Scarselli to punch up his Americano just a tad, and Scarselli obliged by adding a glug of gin.

In France, the drink lost the bubbles, and the equal-parts gin-vermouth-Campari trio became the darling of Paris, according to The Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails. But it didn't make its way onto the global scene until post-World War II.

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MAKING A NEGRONI THE RIGHT WAY

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The drink's original blueprint was all equal parts, which makes it easy to remember. You can, however, up the gin component a bit. When the Negroni was invented, gin was sold at a higher proof, so even though the drink was made in equal parts, the gin stood forward. Modern gins are lower proof, typically.

• 1 1/2 ounces gin

• 1 ounce Campari

• 1 sweet vermouth

As for a Gin of choice? London Dry style, always: Tangueray is on our bar for this video

Another key to making a perfect Negroni is lots of ice. "Crowd the glass with it, whether it's a big cube or many cubes. Use as much ice as the glass will hold for this type of drink." Because the cocktail is built in the glass and not shaken, the bitter and syrupy components of the Campari and sweet vermouth need that cold complement and dilution. Most importantly, Don't Skip the Garnish! In a Negroni—and in many cocktails—the orange garnish isn't ornamental. The citrus is so much more than a pop of color or final flourish. It expresses oils that are very aromatic, and aroma dictates 90% of flavor. Oils and liquids also don't mix, so that orange oil expressed from the twist will stay on top of your drink the whole time.