The Enonzi is kind of an oddball of a cocktail. It’s technically a riff on the Negroni, but if you’ve ever had a Negroni, you should immediately spot some hints that the Enzoni is going to be a totally different experience. For one thing, it involves lemon juice, making it more of a Gin Sour/Negroni hybrid. And it also contains grapes.
You really don’t see grapes in cocktails very often, which is a bit strange when I think about it. Pretty much every other fruit finds its way into drinks one way or another, and many of the spirits and modifiers we use are made from grapes. I wondered if it might be a situation akin to orange juice, which seems like it would be a home run in cocktails but is actually tricky to use well. (I will allow the Mimosa as an obvious exception, but I can’t say anything very positive about other “classic” orange juice cocktails.) But I figured I’d be in good hands with the Enzoni.
To be honest, I was surprised just how much I liked this drink! I was worried that it was trying to be too many things, and would fail at all of them. But instead it exceeded all my expectations. It’s bright and juicy, with a wonderful balance between bitter, sour, and sweet. It’s far too light and refreshing to merit a close comparison to the Negroni. But if you enjoy a good Negroni, I think you’ll certainly find the Enzoni to your taste.
And the grapes? I clearly need to use them in cocktails more often! If you’re wondering about swapping in red grapes, I think they would work fine. I find them a bit more tart and tannic in general, so expect the drink to skew in that direction, and adjust with additional syrup if needed.
History: The Enzoni was created by Vincenzo Errico in 2003, when he was at Milk & Honey in New York City.
Enzoni
1 oz. gin
1 oz. Campari
2/3 oz. lemon juice
1/2 oz. rich simple syrup (2:1 sugar to water)
5 seedless green grapes
Muddle grapes in the bottom of a shaker. Add remaining ingredients and shake with ice until chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over one large ice cube. Garnish with grapes.
Recipe from Difford’s Guide via Matthias Soberon.