Sotto Bar partners with Rich Woods for new menu

The Modern Italian Classics menu at Sotto Bar offers innovative twists on beloved cocktails like the Martini, Spritz and Negroni.

Subterranean speakeasy bar Sotto, which sits beneath Italian restaurant Bocconcino Soho, has announced a new Italian-inspired cocktail menu made in collaboration with award-winning mixologist Rich Woods, otherwise known as ‘The Cocktail Guy’. The menu, dubbed Modern Italian Classics, is available now.

“I’m delighted to introduce this collaborative menu at Sotto Bar — a fantastic late-night drinking den in the heart of our bustling city,” Woods said.

“The menu has been inspired by all that Italy has bestowed upon us – from iconic cocktails such as the Negroni and Bellini – to the picturesque vistas of the Mediterranean with its beauty, contours and its warmth – all represented in a glass.”

Some of the reimagined classics include the Med Martini, which mixes lemon gin, Lillet Blanc, bergamot and Amalfi lemon, served with a Mediterranean Sea spray foam.

The Blood Orange & Tarragon Spritz combines citrusy sweet blood orange juice and liqueur with tarragon, grapefruit bitters and Prosecco.

The refreshing Sgroppino meanwhile features lemon verbena liqueur, lemon sorbet, mint and Prosecco.

Elsewhere on the menu, Woods offers his take on the popular Espresso Martini in the form of the Tiramisu Martini, made with vodka, dark chocolate and vanilla, poured through a tiramisu frappe. Italian food is evoked once more with the Biscotti Sour, which combines almond and biscotti spirits, whole milk, and clarified lemon.

The Blackcurrant Negroni brings together gin, Campari, blended sweet vermouth, British eucalyptus and black currant.

Sotto is open Friday and Saturday evenings from 7pm to 2am.

We recently examined the popularity of the Spritz globally as drinkers take up a greater interest in all things Italy. Inventive riffs, like the one featured above, help to give the drink format sustained relevancy throughout the year.