How it tastes
Classic Negroni bitterness up front, then the kaffir lime leaf hits in the nose as you bring the glass closer. The dark chocolate doesn't sweeten the drink. It softens the bitter edge and adds a low cocoa register that pulls everything together. The drink opens up as the ice melts. We've found the most interesting sip is the third or fourth, when dilution has done its work.
Why we built it
The Negroni is one of those drinks that resists reinvention. Anything you add tends to muddy the original equation. The brief here was to find aromatics that play with the existing bitter-sweet base, not against it. Kaffir lime leaf turned out to be a near-perfect match for Campari, somehow making the bitter feel brighter without changing the body. Dark chocolate was the part that took longer. We tried cocoa powder, chocolate bitters, and a chocolate infusion. Shavings on top, fresh, won.
Where to drink it
On the menu at Dissolved Solids, 43-1 Jalan SS20/11, Damansara Kim, Petaling Jaya. Open Tuesday to Sunday. To skip the wait, reserve a table and tell us if you'd like one made before you sit down.
If you want a different Negroni style for a quieter night, our drink builder can route you toward a jungle-bird style instead. And if you'd like to read about Campari and bitter cocktails in our journal, that's in here too.