Drink in focus: Fig leaf negroni at Bar Leone
With earthy fig leaf notes and a crisp, bitter kick, Bar Leone’s fig leaf negroni is pure aperitivo bliss
Simplicity and vibes are the focus here, and there’s no better representation of this than the fig leaf negroni, the variation that’s currently on Bar Leone’s menu. There’s no secret sauce behind the recipe: fig leaves from Lantau Island are gently infused into the vermouth sous-vide before being combined in equal parts with gin and Campari. “It’s vegetal, earthy and has a slightly tropical undertone,” says Antinori.
But the fig leaf negroni is not Bar Leone’s first nor last variation. The yuzu negroni was once served as a riff on the white negroni, substituting sweet vermouth for dry, and Campari for Suze. (For those looking for a similar yuzu-tinted drink, there’s currently a yuzu americano on the menu.) Antinori says one of his personal favourites was the coffee negroni on the bar’s opening menu two years ago. It used single-origin Colombian coffee-infused vermouth, Amaro Montenegro and tequila as a base.