Recipe

• ½ oz Rye Whiskey (USA)
• ½ oz Tequila Blanco (Mexico)
• 1 oz Suze (French Amaro)
• ½ oz Carpano Antica (Italian Sweet Vermouth)
• ½ oz Ruby Port (Portugal)
• ¼ oz Islay Scotch (Scotland – floated on top)
• Flamed Orange Peel Garnish

Stir all ingredients except the Scotch with ice and strain into a rocks glass over a large cube. Gently float the Islay Scotch over the top by pouring it over the back of a spoon. Flame an orange peel over the glass, express its oils, and drop it in.

* * * *

Happy Birthday, Church! It is now Pentecost, the day that God’s own Spirit filled God’s own people, crossing language, boundaries, cultures, and nationalities to create one new united family. In the tongues of fire and language, God reversed the story of the Tower of Babel.

That’s the heart of this Negroni, Family Reunion. It’s built from spirits scattered across the world: American rye, Mexican tequila, French Suze, Italian vermouth, Portuguese port, and a smoky Scotch from the far edge of Scotland. It’s a drink that doesn’t pretend the differences aren’t there but lets them all sit in the glass together. Each part keeps its accent, but together they have an incredibly unity.

The drink itself leans earthy and complex. The rye brings structure, the tequila adds depth, and the Suze’s golden gentian bitterness contributes an interesting mid-note to the flavors. The Carpano Antica and the Ruby Port round it out with deep, red sweetness, like the shared wine of communion: one cup, many vineyards. Lastly, the Islay Scotch float and the flamed orange peel garnish image the tongues of fire hovering over those first Christians.

This drink is Pentecost in miniature. But this is not a quick or delicate Negroni. It’s heavier, slower, more reflective. The kind of drink that doesn’t mind being passed around, that tastes different each time you come back to it. It’s the flavor of the Church at her best — many voices, one Spirit, the family gathered again around the same table drinking from the Common Cup of God’s grace.

Ingredient & Technique Notes

The great part about this drink is that it’s not brand specific. Use whatever you have on hand in each of these categories and it’ll probably work.

The closest you’ll get to brand-specific is Suze as the bitter component of this Negroni. But honestly, you could get away with using any of the more vegetal, darker amaros: Cynar, Cardamaro, maybe Montenegro. Just don’t use a bright red one like Campari or Aperol.

Bur for everything else in this drink, use what you’ve got. make sure the rye is assertive enough to stand up to all these flavors, and that the tequila is blanco and not aged. I used a deeper, richer sweet vermouth, but any red vermouths would work well. Use any Ruby Port you can get your hands on, you just probably shouldn’t use a Tawny here. (Or maybe use a Tawny Port and lighter, fruitier sweet vermouth?)

Lastly, the same goes for the Islay Scotch float–any will work great here. After stirring and pouring all the other ingredients, pour the scotch carefully over the back of a spoon so it stays on top. Then flame the orange peel over the drink. Hold it skin-side down over the glass, strike a lighter beneath it, and press to release the oils through the flame. That first sip should greet you with smoke before settling into sweetness.

Recipe Card