Poems and Power: Sept 8

How to make a Negroni

remove the most beautiful of the

stirring glasses from the bar cabinet

• let tap water rinse the dust from the lip
• wipe with a gentle yet firm grip until clear and dry
• fetch the bottles:
  • 1 part floral london dry
  • 1 part Italian bitter
  • 1 part thick, sweet vermouth

ice must gleam clear like glass,

smooth like a song. (this, is critical.)

• allow the slender spoon to nestle between your fingertips
• let the liquid flow over the ice until wintery
• allow the crystal glass to emerge from the icebox
• frosted, waiting
• strain through the antique sieve
• cradle it all on one ice rock
• compress the rind of the ripest orange

lips clutch the rim

like a lover