Coffee and Negroni bitterness make a logical pairing, and the Phony Espresso Negroni plays them off each other rather than blending them into a muddled compromise. The espresso is brewed in-house at St. Agrestis's Brooklyn distillery, then combined with the 30-botanical base they use across the Phony range. The aroma is coffee-forward: dark roast, bitter orange, herbal botanical notes sitting underneath. On the palate, espresso comes first - roasted and acidic - before the herbal Negroni bitterness pushes through mid-palate. Silky carbonation keeps the texture from feeling heavy. The finish is long, dry, and bitter, with espresso grounds and citrus peel both lingering. At 100mg caffeine per 200ml bottle, it reads more as a post-dinner drink than an aperitif. Worth keeping in mind if you're sensitive to caffeine.