We’re pretty much going to drink anything that dares us with “unusual.”

It would be easy to get distracted by the Mandarin Bar’s posh decor and, frankly, ridiculous, movie set-like view of the city that anything that gets put in front of you is going to be a sophisticated, carefully approached slice of mouth-nirvana.

But you could pick up the Unusual Negroni on a dirty median on Trop and Dean Martin and still feel like history’s undocumented Vanderbilt cousin.

The drink, one of 14 signature cocktails on the 23rd-floor bar, takes the traditional elements of the Negroni and tweaks the recipe just enough to stand out. The problem with the classic Negroni is that, as fantastic as they are, to newcomer Campari drinkers, there’s a little period of adjustment. This period is also known as the “What the hell are you drinking and why would you try to make me choke that down too, you jerk” time gap. At least, that’s the pat response we’ve gotten from most of our friends. They’re wrong, of course, and they have to learn. Usually by you forcing more Negronis down their throat.

The Unusual Negroni uses Hendrick’s gin in equal measure with Aperol and Lillet Blanc, stirred and served up with an orange twist (not flamed) for a cocktail that looks and smells like a traditional Negroni, but will absolutely appeal to Campari newbies.

“I think it’s an excellent cocktail because the Negorni itself is a very popular cocktail yet sometimes the Campari can be a little overwhelming. The Aperol is very nice twist on the Negroni because it’s a relaxed version of Campari,” bartender Christopher Speirer said. “It’s made with very similar herbs to Campari, but a little bit more relaxed. The Lillet Blanc actually gives counterbalance as well. With a regular Negroni you have the sweet vermouth. The Lillet Blanc is a little bit more relaxed. It brings out the flavor of the gin. The orange essence of the peel helps add that little bit extra.”

It’s smooth and bright without being overly acidic, and the orange notes come right to the front. It’s a little sweeter than the classic Negroni but it still finishes with that nice three-liquor burn. It exits stongly on the gin, but non-gin drinkers shouldn’t be afraid of something like this. It’s absolutely not the same experience as an eight-to-one Martini — especially with Hendrick’s, which itself isn’t overpowering on the juniper.

The Mandarin Bar offers up a selection of Little Spoons — which are exactly what they sound like. We tried our Unusual Negroni with the couscous, marinated tomato and goat cheese spoon and found that the two Mediterranean offerings played nice together, with the earthy spoon drawing out savory, herbal tones from the cocktail that you might otherwise lose in a nose full of orange peel.

By Jason Scavone

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