Down the Hatch: Valkyrie

Valkyrie offers an array of Negroni variations

June 1 is Valkyrie’s fourth birthday (congrats, V). June 5 is their Yacht Rock-themed birthday party (I’m imagining “Weekend at Bernie’s”-style antics). And June 6 kicks off Negroni Week, a worldwide celebration of my very favorite cocktail, of which Valkyrie serves several variations. 

So, here we are.

I sat down in front of bartender Tyler Schilling and asked for a variation on the classic Negroni, which is equal parts gin, Campari—a bright red, bitter herbaceous liqueur—and sweet vermouth. 

“Do you want something more boozy, the same, or less boozy?” he asked.

I opted for less and soon Schilling set down a beautiful red, already sweating drink in a crystal clear glass with several perfect ice cubes. 

“This is an Americano,” he said. As the Negroni’s precursor, it’s made with soda water instead of gin, and an orange slice instead of an orange peel. Refreshing, crisp, and light, it was a good drink to start the evening.

Next to me, a Valkyrie regular was having a Boulevardier, another Negroni variation that substitutes rye for gin, making the drink a bit heavier and even more full-flavored. He told me he goes through a bottle of Campari a month, he loves the stuff so much, and Negronis and Boulevardiers are his go-to drinks. I asked what he liked about them.

“They’re bright, bitter, and boozy.”

True enough, simple enough. 

“When I first came to Valkyrie, I hated Campari,” said Schilling. “But it was a stepping stone in my drinking journey. Once you accept it’s bitter and in your face, you can start to enjoy it.”

We’ve all been in a similar situation before. Who among us really liked that first sip of beer? You faked it ‘til you made it into the club. Campari invites you into another one.

Valkyrie offers a few other variations. One, an original called the Bahnahnana, is made with banana rye, Campari, sweet vermouth, cinnamon, and bitters. Then there’s the Chin Chin, A Negroni with Cynar (an artichoke liqueur) instead of Campari, and the Negroni Sbagliato (an Italian word that means “bungled”), which is an Americano made with sparkling wine instead of gin.

Valkyrie posts a “haiku of the week” in the upper right corner of their chalkboard. So, on the occasion of their birthday (and because I love haikus as much as Negronis):

Bright, bitter, boozy—
Another yeargroni gone.
Valkyrie turns four!

In “Down the Hatch,” assistant editor Liz Blood offers a look inside Tulsa’s many bars, pubs, saloons and gin joints. Send suggestions for future columns to liz@langdonpublishing.com or @lizblood on Twitter. For another sip, have a six pack of near-beer at Cain's Ballroom.