One Negroni, One Shot, One Story

By Benjamin Amberg

Oregon, fall 2020. A fiery sunset in the distance caused by west coast wildfires. A global pandemic still running rampant. Lockdowns and a curfew in full effect. The sun making it’s last appearance of the night in the mirrored image of the cocktail.

Over the course of my career as a bartender I estimate that I’ve made somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 or 20… thousand Negronis. And I never tire of making them, truly. And over the course of my life as budding photographer I’ve photographed exactly… zero.

Including this one.

Because it’s not actually a Negroni.

And it’s not taken outside.

And it’s not actually a sunset.

And it’s not photoshopped together.

In fact, almost everything about this image is fake.

The glassware is real. As is the ferrotype tin plate underneath the cocktail itself.

And the world being on fire during a global pandemic, that part was real.

But it’s a glass full of water dyed with red food coloring.

And the garnish is a strip of handlebar wrap for a bicycle.

And it’s taken inside in my makeshift, home studio. On a black table with a black backdrop. A single, $2.99 clip-on light with a 40w grow bulb lighting from behind. Placed low enough to not be seen by the camera initially, but later visible in the cocktail’s reflection.

And the “sunset” is just the film leader, the strip of film partially exposed to light before being fully wound into the camera. Intentional. I shot, by accident, a b&w version of this a week prior and was so thrilled I wanted to shoot a color version to see if I could replicate the results. I haven’t tried it since.

Cinestill 800T is doing it’s glowy, halation thing here. And a Leica M6 with a Summicron 50mm f2 (ver. 3) doing the remainder of the heavy lifting.

I blackened the blacks and removed a few lint particles from the foreground in Lightroom, but this is basically straight out of the camera.

This is not a cocktail. It’s a photograph of a cocktail. But it’s not even a photograph of a cocktail, it’s a fake cocktail. Nor is the background real. An accident. But not even that. A curated accident. And it’s film. But being viewed digitally. A treacherous image as Magritte might say. But in the end, does it even matter? Because it looks goddamn delicious. And now I actually want a Negroni.

You can find more of my ramblings on Instagram or my website.

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About The Author

By Benjamin Amberg
Been taking pictures for a couple decades, figured maybe it was finally time to start sharing them...
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Comments

Jeffery Luhn on One Negroni, One Shot, One Story

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

Ben,
It's an elegant photo, regardless of the methods used. In my humble opinion: Everything is okay these days except altering news shots.
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Arthur Gottschalk replied:

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

You could easily quit your day job and become a successful product photographer! Love it.

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Benjamin Amberg replied:

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

Thank you...I go thru phases of thinking heavy alterations are ok and then also hating them...you make a good point about the news, cause in the end, all that matters is the truth...

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Benjamin Amberg replied:

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

Thank you, Arthur! I've actually been doing more of that kind of work recently...not sure if I'm ready to give up my nighttime job yet tho, still kinda love it...

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Gary Smith on One Negroni, One Shot, One Story

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

You sure fooled me! What do I know of Negroni? Despite consuming my fair share of libations over the last 55 years I can proudly say: I've never tasted one (probably never will).

I currently have a roll of Fuji in my M3 but the Summicron is taking a break in favor of a Voigtländer 35/1.4 Nokton. As far as sunsets go, I possibly over-dosed on them last week with the Nikon FE. I suspect some of those might show up here eventually.

Thanks for your colorful imposter.
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Benjamin Amberg replied:

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

I'm more impressed here by the admission of never having, or even wanting to try, a Negroni...what gives, if I may ask?

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Gary Smith replied:

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

Usually I drink ale or cider. I have Scotch, Irish and Bourbon in the cupboard along with some Cognac, Grand Marnier and Drambuie but in all of my encounters with alcohol, I have never ended up drinking with anyone who was having a Negroni.

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Benjamin Amberg replied:

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

Where do you live, might I ask...maybe I know a bar or two that makes a particularly good one...

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Gary Smith replied:

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

I don't remember the last time I was in an actual bar. These days I live in the metro-Portland, Oregon area on the Pacific Northwestern part of the USA.

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Benjamin Amberg replied:

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

Tigard? Beaverton? Gresham? Portland proper?

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Gary Smith replied:

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

Gresham for the last 20 years. Tualatin for a couple prior to that. Novi, MI for a bit. Stamford, CT. KC, MO, Huntsville, AL, born in the USA...

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Benjamin Amberg replied:

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

My bars are both located in Inner SE Portland...

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Gary Smith replied:

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

Does that mean that you live here?

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Benjamin Amberg replied:

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

North Tabor...

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Geoff Chaplin on One Negroni, One Shot, One Story

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

Brilliant! Analogue Photoshop, but you not the first. As old as photography itself. And, btw, I can give you my address so you can send me a real Negroni!
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Benjamin Amberg replied:

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

Hahaha...well, where do you live?

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Ed Currie on One Negroni, One Shot, One Story

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

Superb shot - in more than one way!
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Benjamin Amberg replied:

Comment posted: 13/03/2025

Thanks, Ed!

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Ron Duda on One Negroni, One Shot, One Story

Comment posted: 14/03/2025

A delightful image! Nice work and imagination.
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Benjamin Amberg replied:

Comment posted: 14/03/2025

Thanks, Ron, sometimes you just get into the zone, ya know?

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Terry Tsang on One Negroni, One Shot, One Story

Comment posted: 14/03/2025

Super impressive! Love the breakdown of how you made this image.
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Benjamin Amberg replied:

Comment posted: 14/03/2025

Thank you, Terry...piecing it all together as I go...

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Jukka Reimola on One Negroni, One Shot, One Story

Comment posted: 14/03/2025

I´m not much of cocktail guy, but now I long for a good shot of Scotch.
Extremely beautifully staged and shot, I must say!
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Benjamin Amberg replied:

Comment posted: 14/03/2025

Thanks, Jukka. What're your top three Scotches? I know a few Scotch cocktails that might change your mind ;)

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Jukka Reimola replied:

Comment posted: 14/03/2025

Well, I haven't tried them all yet (there's still time, though), but my favourites, at the moment, are Ardbeg, Balvenie and Teerenpeli. The last one not being a Scotch, mind you. It's a Finnish distillery, which makes great whiskies.

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Benjamin Amberg replied:

Comment posted: 14/03/2025

Whoa, I've never had a Finnish whisk(e)y before! We had a bottle of the Balvenie 25 at my bar for a while, a little too much barrel time for me personally, but it was a treat to have.

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Leon on One Negroni, One Shot, One Story

Comment posted: 14/03/2025

Brilliant!! :-)
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Benjamin Amberg replied:

Comment posted: 14/03/2025

Thank, Leon!

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David Hume on One Negroni, One Shot, One Story

Comment posted: 15/03/2025

Lovely shot made all the better by the delightfully written text. I do like a Negroni, but in the early days of "the troubles" my wife and switched to a drink made with Campari and gin over ice, which we dubbed the "Quarantini"
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Benjamin Amberg replied:

Comment posted: 15/03/2025

Thanks, David! Also, nothing wrong with that by any means...sometimes I just do straight gin on ice...

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Ibraar Hussain on One Negroni, One Shot, One Story

Comment posted: 17/03/2025

Beautiful shot
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