Stanley Tucci Explains How To Make The Perfect Negroni. Or Does He?

Stanley Tucci is in the news this month and it has nothing to do with his acting. On April 20th, the Academy Award-nominated celebrity posted a negroni-making video to his Instagram and it has already racked up nearly 800,000 views. In the three minute clip (linked below) he makes his wife the classic Italian cocktail while explaining its very simple preparation. For those that don’t know, the 100-year-old barroom staple is traditionally composed of equal parts gin, Campari and vermouth. Endearingly popular, it even has its own week in June, which raises money for charities worldwide.

But not everyone was impressed by Tucci’s mixological prowess (or lack thereof). On social media, actual bartenders were quick to take him to task over his many missteps. The most obvious error was his decision to shake—rather than stir—the drink. Here’s some insight from an expert.

“As professionals, we know the basic rules of when to shake and when to stir a cocktail,” says San Francisco-based barman, Josh Gelfand. “If it’s all spirits—martinis, manhattans, and of course, negronis—they should be stirred. Stirring provides the proper chill, controlled dilution—not over-diluting—and most importantly it gives the elegant texture a spiritous cocktail needs, without aeration, foam, and ice chips. Citrus and cream cocktails need to be shaken to get the ingredients better integrated, more dilution, and a frothy refreshing texture.”

Gelfand qualifies the basic guideline by throwing all pretense out the window. “The rule is and always will be: drink it the way you like it,” he adds. “There is literally nothing in the world more subjective than taste, and if you want your manhattan frothy as fuck with a layer of ice chips you can skate on, you do you! In fact, some of my favorite old school steakhouses—like Turf Club in San Diego or The House of Prime Rib here in San Francisco—still shake the crap out of their manhattans and martinis and they’re thoroughly enjoyable because the location demands that throwback.”

Then there was Tucci’s preference of using twice as much gin compared to the other components. And perhaps most controversial of all: he suggested that vodka could be used in place of the juniper-based spirit.

Gelfand’s response: “My negroni is always equal parts. But, again, it should always be whatever the drinker prefers. When I do variations of the negroni with different base spirits or alternatives to the vermouth and Campari, I tweak the ratios to taste. And sometimes I do like it with more heft, going 1.5 gin .75 each of the vermouth and Campari tastes great. But I would stress that at this point it’s no longer a negroni. It’s a variation. A negroni is 1:1:1. This is why I believe that what he made is not necessarily a negroni, but is now the Tuccgroni, or NegTucci, or MarTucci, …Or something.”

To be clear, most of the complaints regarding Tucci’s tutorial involved light-hearted ribbing. There were some unfortunate exceptions. “I love Stanley Tucci. I loved his video. Yes, so much in there was “wrong,” but so what?” Gelfand asks. “I was way more bothered by the visceral reaction of some angry ‘mixologists’ than I was by his ‘errors’.” If anyone is actually losing sleep over such trivial matters, they should consider themselves quite blessed, indeed.

But would Tucci ultimately make it as a bartender if the Instagram clip served as actual interview? “Honestly, if I saw his charm and hospitality, that means way more than his methods and skills, because those are teachable,” Gelfand points out. “Hospitality and warmth and charm are way more important in this world than easily teachable skills.”

Which is ultimately why so many people are responding to Tucci’s post. It was wrapped in warmth and affability. And most drinkers don’t want to sip on things that are overly precious. As any bartender will tell you: make a good drink and make it with a smile and your guests will come back to you—or, in this case, keep clicking on your videos.

Watch the full clip here:

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A post shared by Stanley Tucci (@stanleytucci) on Apr 20, 2020 at 11:04am PDT