Certain beverages inspire such unwavering devotion that consumption becomes a facet of identity. Like coffee, scotch, and Diet Coke – you don’t so much “like” Negronis as you are “a Negroni person.”

It’s difficult to pinpoint the unique-yet-universal traits that signify allegiance to a drink of choice. You just kind of know it when you see it.

There is no single gender, race, ethnicity, income per annum, hair color, etc. for “scotch drinkers.” Scotch isn’t meant to simply be drunk, but simultaneously collected, shared, and studied.

Coffee isn’t simply a beverage, but also a hobby, a ritual, an entire event (“Let’s get coffee!!”) Diet Coke people are a breed of their own. Impossible to explain. If you get it, you get it. If you don’t, you never will.

I don’t have much in common with other Negroni people other than the fact that we fucking love Negronis. But that is more than enough. I am drawn to the Negroni for certain reasons. If you are also drawn to the Negroni, no matter how different we seem, we are cut from the same cloth. To steal from 10th grade Biology: same genotype, different phenotype.

Equal parts (recipe for one cocktail):

1oz gin

1oz sweet vermouth

1oz Campari

Combine in a mixing glass with ice. Stir vigorously until the outside of the mixing glass feels extremely cold and cocktail dilutes to your preference (minimum of 20 seconds.) Strain into rocks glass over ice (king cube preferable, but not mandatory.) Garnish with an orange peel: express over glass, run around rim, and add to drink vertically orange rind facing.

Reasons why I love a Negroni:

Color. I love when a cocktail has a distinct, signature color. It’s visually appealing, but also you can it’s the first sign as to the cocktail’s compositional integrity. That red gets me every time. In the right light, it looks like the glass is filled with fire.

Easy. Three ingredients that can be bought at a liquor store. You don’t even need to juice anything. You don’t need to make any syrups. I like the orange peel, but the drink won’t be ruined if you don’t have one at home. I’ve used grapefruit or lemon peel when that was all I had at the time.

Classic. The Negroni is equal parts gin, sweet vermouth, and Campari.

But the Negroni is also flexible. Bourbon instead of gin and make it a Boulevardier. Club soda instead of gin and make it an Americano. Club soda and white wine but keep the Campari and make it a Bicicletta. Rum Negroni! Mezcal Negroni! White Negroni! It’s all the same even when it’s different.

The common denominator is Campari. Campari is bitter and pungent alone, but its strength lies in its ability to compliment. In order to have a well-balanced cocktail, there must be a little of everything: bitter, sweet, sour, alcohol.

Maybe everyone is Negroni person. They just need to find out their Negroni. This year you might like an extra splash of vermouth because a little sweetness softens the life’s bitter edges. Next year calls for rum’s infectious buoyance. The year after that…

A creature of habit, but open to new experiences and ideas. Suitable for any and every occasion. Resourceful, creative, inventive. Unique, but relatable. Sophisticated, but unpretentious. Best experienced in person – before dinner, during dinner, after dinner.

The beginning is strong, bitter, slightly syrupy. You can’t chug it. So you have to slow down. Small sips. Then the drinks softens and just as you’re really enjoying it…you’ve reached the end.

At its core, the Negroni is a tease. One will never be enough. You’ll never have the perfect one. You find the perfect Negroni, but the second one just isn’t the same.

The best part of the Negroni is the anticipation. You examine the color. You feel the temperature of the glass. You smell the orange and sweet. You can make all the estimations that you want, but the only way to know is to try. Even then as the ice dilutes, every sip of the Negroni transforms. Just like in life and love and sex, you’ll never have Negronis all figured out.

Why would you want to? Why put an end to anticipation? Why stop the conversation right when it’s getting good?

The Negroni is the conduit. The Negronis person’s mission isn’t experiencing perfection, but rather intersecting with people whose lust for great conversation and authentic connection rivals their own.

And I’m always in the mood for good conversation.

Hi! I’m Anna Carter, a GFE escort in Manhattan, NYC. I’m originally from Atlanta, GA.