At Romeo’s, the East Village’s newest retro-style neon cocktail den, owner and beverage director Evan Hawkins plays on the romantic theme with its cocktail offerings. Inspired by the 1990s and characters from well-known romance films, the establishment pays homage to the iconic era with pink neon lights, mirrors throughout, and romance movies projected on the walls nightly.
One of Hawkins’ favorite cocktails, especially for Valentine’s Day, is the Chocolate Negroni, made with gin, Campari, sweet vermouth, and Tempus Fugit Creme de Cacao, garnished with a Terry’s Chocolate Orange Wedge.
“Attaboy has long been one of my favorite bars in New York City. They serve a Right Hand and a Left Hand, which is a rum chocolate negroni and a whiskey chocolate negroni. The right hand (rum) is my personal favorite. They use just chocolate bitters to impart the chocolate flavor, but I wanted to do a traditional one and find a better way to capture that chocolate flavor, and thus, the chocolate negroni was born. We use a tiny bit of Tempus Fugit Crème de Cacao plus chocolate bitters. The Terry’s Dark Chocolate orange just happened to be my perfect garnish,” said Hawkins.
Romeo’s Chocolate Negroni
● 1 oz Gin
● 1 oz Campari
● .75 oz Sweet Vermouth
● .25 oz Tempus Fugit Creme de Cacao
Glassware: Rocks
Ice: Big Rock
Garnish: Terry’s Chocolate Orange Wedge