A Sichuan Spin on the Classic Negroni

In the late summer nights that are steamy in the center of Chengdu, a sprawling city with 15 million inhabitants in western China, The lush gardens of Temple House are a welcome respite from the heat. Temple House provides a quiet refuge from the crowds scouting the aisles of nearby Gucci and Hermes megastores in Taikoo Li next door. The Temple House was named Travel + Leisure‘s World’s Most Beautiful City Hotel in Asia 2017. The Temple House is built on Bitieshi, a restored Qing dynasty-era courtyard located just one stone’s distance from Daci monastery, which was founded on the site over 1,600 years ago.

Inspiring by centuries of heritage and history and set amongst the beautiful hotel grounds with terraces, Jing Bar is the most popular bar that is the best for drinks in town, crowded with people who want to be seen out of the traditional leather banquette area and on to the terrace each evening, with every drinker diligently going through the bar’s impressive selection of artisanal cocktails and a 170-strong wine selection.

For most foreign travelers visiting China, Chengdu is the initial stop on a visit to Sichuan. Sichuan province. Chengdu, named in 2010 as the world’s second UNESCO City of Gastronomy, is the place to find numerous dining options based on the region’s long-standing cuisine traditions and fascination with the Sichuan peppercorn. This aromatic, sweet, fragrant, and distinctively intoxicating spice is widely used across this region… and even in beverages.

In Jing Bar, Sichuan Negroni is among the most sought-after cocktails for tourists and locals alike. Sichuan Negroni is a local variant of the Italian classic.

“I started my career at an Italian restaurant, and the first time I tasted a negroni, I found it wonderful,” says Jing Bar’s mixologist Frank He. “Sichuan cuisine is known for its mala flavors. When we learn about wine pairings, you learn about the flavors in a dish and you find a wine that pairs well with that flavor. With the Sichuan negroni — and all the negronis on our cocktail list — the bitterness naturally pairs well with Sichuan mala.”

Here’s how you can recreate Jing Bar’s Sichuan-inspired Negroni in your home.

Ingredients

• 1 1 ounce G’Vine Floraison Gin made with Sichuan Osmanthus fragrant, and that is steeped for at least 48 hours
• 1/2 ounce Mancino Bianco Ambrato vermouth
• 1/2 ounce Mancino Rosso Amaranto vermouth
• 1 1 1-ounce Campari infusion with Sichuan peppercorns and brewed for 12 hours.