Drink of the Week: A Negroni (and some Lasagna)

Holiday traditions are a funny thing. Usually we grow up with them, never thinking to question their origins. (Doesn’t everyone take an elaborate Christmas family photo involving costumes and sometimes a suspension harness?) But we can also choose to create our own traditions, all the more memorable for having been present at their point of origin.

About five years ago, living a few states away from most of my immediate family, I decided to spend the holidays traveling with a new friend (now my best friend), the very talented photographer Caitlin Cooper. We decided to meet in London for Christmas, and then hop over to Paris for New Year’s Eve. Owing to our different travel schedules, Caitlin arrived before me, and spent the day wandering around the Soho neighborhood looking for a single restaurant that was open for dinner on Christmas day. She found an unassuming Italian spot, and treated herself to a plate of lasagna and a Negroni. Insisting it to be the ideal holiday combo, Caitlin instituted our new tradition of Negronis and lasagna for Christmas dinner. Though delightful all year round, something about the Negroni seems to hold particular appeal during the holidays, with the perfect balance of bitter and sweet and that festive red color.

The idea to travel together at Christmas became its own tradition, and subsequent years found us tracking down Italian restaurants wherever we happen to be, from Ireland to the Yucatán, to make sure we could celebrate properly. And even though our travel plans had to be nixed this year, you can bet we’ll both still be preparing a lasagna at home, mixing up a Negroni, and sharing a virtual toast.