Gaz Regan wrote a whole book about Negronis, which Cornichon wrote about last May, yet none of his many, many variations included lesser-known Italian aperitivi like: Zucca (with a base of rhubarb) and Cynar (artichoke-based), and herbal amari like Braulio, Meretti and Cappelletti, along with the better-known labels like Aperol, Fernet Branca and Averna.
My own quest stems from an increasing disappointment in that old standby, Campari. What used to be an exotic, aromatic bitter has turned into a syrup with a cloying sweetness that hides its essential, bitter character. Besides, the dumbed-down version sold in the US isn't as strong as what you can buy in Europe or at the Duty Free stores.
So last week, at Habitant, the newish cocktail bar inside the Bellevue Square Nordstrom's, they made a decent alternative using Aperol, Cocchi Americano (a solid vermouth that's not overly sweet) and Tanqueray's sweetish Malacca gin. Not quite as sweet as a traditional Negroni, not bad at all. And not so alcoholic that you can't go on shopping afterwards.
At E. Smith, a new, 14-seat bar at the back of a clothing boutique in Pioneer Square, the owners (Kate Poole and her two daughters) are purists who object to Campari's "chemical" smell, so they substituted Cappelletti (aromas of cherries), and used a light vermouth, Dolin. I found that the Cappelletti lacked punch, so for the second one we pulled out all the stops: Cynar as the base, and Cappelletti as the sweetener. With a decent local gin, it came out just fine.
Campari Group has slowly taken over a big chunk of the international beverage business. It now owns Cynar, Aperol and Cinzano, Skyy and XO vodkas, Wild Turkey, Appleton rum, Frangelico liqueur, among many other brands, and ranks as the sixth largest drinks company in the world. In the first half of 2013, it took in nearly 700 million euros. Now if only someone would give them a kick in the pants and restore the unique character of their flagship drink!
E. Smith Mercantile, 208 1st Avenue S., Seattle, 206-641-7250 
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