He is relaxed. He chats with his wife, who is filming. His biceps bulge out of his black polo shirt as he shakes his cocktail shaker.
Stanley Tucci is making Negroni on how he defeated the internet in the 2020 Pandemic Spring.
“I hadn't really had a Negronis by that moment,” Tucci's wife, Felicity Blunt, said in a phone interview. But she added, “They tasted great.”
However, recently she prefers a martini (with a twist) as her go-to Abelichif.
“I think we overdose of negronis during the lockdown,” Blunt said. She now associates taste with the pandemic. But she said, “I am sure I will eventually return to my lockdown liquor of choice.”
In the video, Tucci explains how to “on” the negroni (“you can do it on the rocks, but it's really great to have it”): put plenty of ice in the shaker, followed by a double shot and shot of “good sweet vermouth” and Campari. Shake vigorously, strain into the coupe, garnish with orange slices, and squeeze some of the juice into the glass.
Originally, Blunt sent videos to her colleagues at the publishing house where she worked as a literary agent, looking at it as a distraction from the challenges, fears and sadness that come with the early months of the pandemic.
It was her idea to post on April 20, 2020 on Tucci's Instagram account (which, according to Brandt, was “a bit of a shaming” at the time).
Actor Chris Evans shared the video and after others picked it up, it took its own life. The internet quickly jumped into the bandwagon due to the lack of work gossip and other regular distractions in the dark early days of the pandemic. The Guardian published an article asking, “Why is Stanley Tucci making Negroni so hot?”
“It was lovely and interesting,” Blunt said. “It felt very unrealistic.”
There was little to do at the time – do everyone need to remind them? – And many people found escape by jumping head-on to abandoned hobbies like used organizations. (Who is still leaning towards a sourdough starter?)
For Blunt and Tucci, part of their pandemic escape came in the form of Negronis. They marked the end of their workday at a time when personal life, work, weekday and holidays all blended together.
Looking back at the weeks, months and years of the pandemic, Brandt said there are parts of her treasure. In addition to those negronis, there was something very magical about spending a lot of time in front of your family every day.
But then she was also surrounded by fear and worry that her children would not grow up to lead normal lives. “It was bitter and sweet at the same time,” she said.
It's like a negroni.
