In making this Negroni – a feature from our treasured NEGRONI CLUB – we followed our bliss, manifested some positive vibes, and found ourselves with our chakras firmly centered in Sedona, Arizona, the spiritual capital of all things New Age, where Suncliffe Spirits blessed us with their love and light – and more pertinently – some delicious and beautifully packaged Gin and Amaro.

Inspired by the aromatic quality of their Sedona hikes, founders Ryan, Tom, and Clare created Suncliffe Gin to celebrate the regions unique botanicals. The slightly spicy gin highlights local plant species, combining a trio of native Arizona juniperone-seed, shaggy and alligatorwith a blend of wild-foraged botanicals, including ponderosa pine bark, manzanita and western elderflower.
The gin is vapor-infused in custom copper stills and non chill filtered, resulting in a full bodied and uniquely Southwestern spirit.

Suncliffe recently branched out from Gin for the first time to create a likewisely locavoric take on Amaro with the fantastic Cultivaro. It lives firmly both in the world of bitter liqueurs and rich after dinner amari with its dark but punchy and earthy-bitter profile. That’s right down our alley, giving us all the deep flavors we crave but in a package that won’t oversweeten our beloved Negroni variations. Botanicals include dates, bitter orange peel, roasted pecans, ponderosa pine bark, and sun-kissed nopales. Utterly unique and totally mixable (though we can’t resist it on its own over ice too!).

Once we knew Suncliffe and Cultivaro were asking us for the Negroni treatment, it was time to find the perfect wine-based element to marry and harmonize with the flavors and not bury them, dilute them, or flatten them. Rich, red sweet vermouths that might shine in a normal Negroni proved to muddle the affair, as did Sherry – too much! Dry Vermouth and Quinquinas weren’t quite sweet enough to make it feel Negroni-esque, so we fell into the loving arms of one of the cocktailing world’s secret weapons when you need a soft, elegant, but confident boost – White Vermouth: not dry, not quite as caramel-y rich as Torino style sweet vermouth. Our goldilocks vermouth comes from one of the most storied houses of traditional vermouth – Carpano Bianco. A lovely supporting player for our Arizona stars.

Once stirred up, equal parts, with an orange twist, we knew we had found the enlightenment that so many seek in Sedona. Only we didn’t need any crystal treatments, sweat lodge ceremonies, trust-fund shamans, or chakra alignment to get there… we just needed a good f***ing Negroni.