The Savile Row Martini.
Updated 27/10/16 with Test Drive
Like the sound of strong cocktails and brilliant Italian bites to accompany them? Who wouldn't? Italian mixologist Simone Caporale (who used to work at Artesian - once the World's Best Bar) is popping up at Sartoria once a week this Autumn for a series of cocktail evenings.
Carporale is teaming up with the restaurant's Chef Patron, Francesco Mazzei, to serve his special cocktail collection in the restaurant's Libare Bar alongside a selection of cicchetti. Try a Savile Row Martini with botanicals notes of vetiver, orris root, musk and cedar wood or the White Spritz, combining prosecco with flavours of blood orange.
Alongside those cocktails are Mazzei's gorgeous sounding bites including Courgette Croquettes; Tagliolini Gratin with Chanterelles and Truffle; Calamari with Courgette and Chilli Jam; and Aubergine Croquettes.
Pouring the Bergamot Italicus
We popped along to try Carporale's pop-up the other night and it's a LOT of fun.
The Libare Bar at Sartoria, even on a Wednesday night, was humming. We thought it was only right to try all three cocktails as well as working our way through the full list of Francesco's frankly marvellous cicchetti. For two of you to have all three drinks and split all the food between you, it would be £95.
Mind you, we are pretty piggy and there would be more than enough food on the table to split between three easily.
The dish to have - Francesco Mazzei's tagliolini gratin
If you're after information on which of the cocktails or cicchetti are must-haves, let us enlighten you.
While Sartoria's fried zucchini are legendary, we found a new dish that's worth crossing town for. Actually it's worth crossing the country for. Make sure you order the tagliolini gratin with chanterelles and truffle. For £11.50 you get a decent-sized dish of baked, freshly-made tagliolini with shaved truffles over the top - think of it as Mazzei's vastly superior take on mac 'n' cheese.It's a thing of beauty.
A taste of sunshine - the White Spritz
As for the cocktails (all £11), we enjoyed the Savile Row Martini (made with Bergamot Italicus and Palomino), but our hearts were firmly stolen by Carporale's White Spritz - a concoction of Prosecco, aperitivo bianco with a huge lump of blood sugar ice slowly dissolving. If there ever were a drink to make you forget you were in cold, blustery London, this would be it.
You'll find Caporale in residence every Wednesday until 14 December 2016 at Sartoria, 20 Savile Row, London W1S 3PR. Keep up with their news on Twitter @sartoriarest
