For those of you who are missing the buzzy crowds and clinking rocks glasses of London Cocktail Week, there’s good news. The House of Peroni is all set to lift spirits as autumn rolls in and our desires turn to hearth, home, and hops. Maddie Salters investigates.
For me, the name Peroni calls to mind the malty taste of a solid beer best served up in a sweating bottle on sunlit beach. So imagine my surprise when The House of Peroni invited me to test drive their “beer cocktails,” shaken and stirred fresh for October. I paid a visit to their pop-up booth during London Cocktail Week, where dapper mixologist Frederico Riezzo expertly assembled two such drinks: the Peroni Negroni and the Peroni Spritz. The brainchild of Simone Caporale, the blends were curated to transport the senses to a place and time in Italy.
Surprisingly, for far less than the cost of a plane ticket at £7, they did just that.
The Spritz, which blended Peroni’s Nastro Azzurro pale lager with Prosecco, orange, and grapefruit was light and fresh with a bitter afterbite. I could see the inspiration in the first sip: it carried a sense Roman indulgence, a mellow sort of drink that called to mind cafe culture and shared bites of tangy gelato. But what really blew me away was the Negroni. A blend of Nastro Azzurro, vermouth rosso, and Campari, it was the attention to detail in the garnish that really excited me. The drink was deep with a woody aftertaste, calling to mind the leathery aura of Florence’s bespoke shops, with a candied slice of orange dunked in to bring out the brightness of the beer. The final touch? An olive spritzed in tea tree oil and bamboo, which gave the brew a unique and enigmatic depth.
I paired up these sips with some of the menu items on offer for the week. The Negroni coupled nicely with the baby pepper filled with anchovies and capers (the pepper and orange both serving as sweet counterpoints to otherwise savory palettes). For the Spritz, I preferred the cold Roman style artichoke, which made for a refreshing couplet.
For anyone who missed London Cocktail Week, or for those like me who were left wanting more, Peroni is extending their London stay– and its beer-enlivened cocktail menu.
The House of Peroni, which does thematic residencies in the spring and fall, will be returning to London this October. Running from October 29th-Novermber 25th, its doors will open for the first time on Brick Lane, bringing Italian style and cultural cool to the heart of one of London’s hippest districts. This season’s motif? “Vita all’Interno”: A Life Lived Inside. The House of Peroni has transformed its space into an inviting townhouse home, complete with a kitchen piping with delicious scents, a dressing room with atelier style, a living room with a cozy hearth, and even your very own Italian grandmother. (Yes, really. Call her nonna.) Each room features its own bar, cocktail, and foodie options, so it’s worth it to wander the house. Visitors are given keys to unlock new rooms– and maybe even unearth a few hidden ones? It’s just like being in your own home: if your own home had a Michelin-starred chef serving five-course meals, and a tapster in the library.
While old favourites like the Spritz will be available, what I’m really looking forward to are this season’s innovations, which promise to rework some old classic cocktails into warm and cozy alternatives to the dropping temperatures outside.
The House of Peroni will be taking up residence at 152 Brick Lane, London, E1 6RU. Find out more at houseofperoni.com.
