bar Vetti Brightens a Dim Negroni Week 2020 with San Luis Del Rio Negroni
The San Luis Del Rio Negroni was part of bar Vetti’s 2020 Negroni Week Special Menu by Emily Albert.
Cocktail Recipe by bar Vetti Beverage Director Emily Albert
1 ounce Del Maguey VIDA Mezcal
.5 ounce Contratto Aperitif
.5 ounce Trincheri Dry Vermouth
1 ounce Martini & Rossi Bitter
1 dasher of Calabrian Chili & Lime Tincture
Method:
Combine all ingredients in shaker tin with ice.
Shake for chill and dilution.
Double strain to Rocks Glass over Quality Ice.
Garnish Dehydrated Lime Wheel and Torched Calabrian Chili.
It’s no secret that we have a special relationship with bar Vetti. Truthfully, Neon Bites probably wouldn’t exist without bar Vetti.
The beverage and food menus have always been layered with points of inspiration and tradition from all over the world. The staff, too, is layered with years of personal relationships and professional collaborations long before bar Vetti was even an idea. Their menu for Negroni Week 2020 is a perfect embodiment of that history with this ever-evolving restaurant full of some of the brightest minds in Louisville’s food and beverage world.
The full menu ran the gamut from the traditional gin Negroni all the way down to Oaxaca, Mexico with the addition of the San Luis Del Rio Negroni.
Our Creative Director, Tommy, once owned a bar with his life partner and bar Vetti’s beverage director, Emily Albert, called Louis’s the Ton. Their home is often filled with the aromas of various syrups simmering or garnishes dehydrating all for the sake of testing cocktail concepts in the fully functional backyard bar they built out in an old garage over the past year.
Loui's’s The Ton, formerly owned and operated by Neon Bites co-founder Tommy Johns and bar Vetti Beverage Director Emily Albert.
Del Maguey distillery bottling operation captured by Neon Bites in 2019.
The walls are lined with bottles ranging from the most familiar spirits to labels collected from various trips abroad. One such treasure that falls somewhere in the middle is Del Maguey’s VIDA Mezcal. A perfectly available and accessible Mezcal that doesn’t skimp on process or palate and adds a depth of smokiness to classic Negroni bitter flavor profiles.
It’s become a go-to for Tommy since he visited their distillery and agave fields for a job in 2018 because nothing will make you a brand advocate faster than seeing hard-worn hands harvesting massive plants in Central American sun all for the sake of preserving the tradition of the spirit that eventually created Tequila.
bar Vetti Negroni Week 2020 Menu
Emily, on the other hand, has become a dedicated student of Italian Aperitifs and Amari since taking on her role at bar Vetti. She possesses an almost encyclopedic knowledge of tasting notes for every carefully curated spirit and wine on her menu. It makes her immensely valuable for menus like this. Campari is amazing and makes an amazing Negroni, for example, but Emily knows that when you’re flipping the recipe from gin to mezcal, Contratto Aperitif is the better call.
While we may spend most of our time creating media these days, we’re endlessly thankful for partners like bar Vetti who allow us to flex the bartending skill set again every so often. If you missed the Negroni Week menu, rest assured that Emily will have a whole list of smart, dynamic cocktails waiting for you next time you visit.
