Stanley Tucci's at-home Negroni video goes viral

Stanley Tucci has arrived – at just the right moment – to relieve our COVID-19 anxiety with a Negroni masterclass.

We're cooped up at home, overwhelmed by grim headline after grim headline on Twitter and then, like a miracle, along comes a hero to shake us out of our misery for a moment. He's swapped his cape for a black polo shirt and his sword for a coupe glass and a bottle of Campari. That hero is the Oscar-nominated actor and cookbook author Stanley Tucci who, on Tuesday, got social media all fired up (in a good way) with an Instagram step-by-step guide to his take on the classic Negroni cocktail.

The actor was filmed by his wife Felicity Blunt (British literary agent and sister of actor Emily Blunt) preparing a Negroni for her in their kitchen. While music (jazz, of course) plays in the background, Tucci intros the video by extolling the merits of gin over vodka in the recipe (though he will accept vodka if that's all you have). Then he gets to work on the drink by adding ice and a double shot of gin to a cocktail shaker.

That's followed by a shot of sweet vermouth (he recommends splashing out on a quality brand) and a single shot of Campari. All ingredients are shaken (along with eyebrows, probably, at this unconventional step) and poured into a coupe glass, before Tucci garnishes it with a thin slice of orange and a drizzle of juice. Ed ecco: it's ready to be served.

It all sounds pretty simple and you may be wondering why such a video would inspire a passionate response from Twitter. All we can say is (1) have you met Twitter? (2) these are desperate times and we'll take what we can get. And if it's Stanley Tucci preparing a classic Italian cocktail in his kitchen, we'll take it and pretend it's for us. Drink up! Saluti!

If you'd like to explore cocktail recipes inspired by travels, check out Lonely Planet's Destination Drinks guide here.

Keep up to date with Lonely Planet's latest travel-related COVID-19 news here.