Al Solito Posto to launch Negroni Week with outdoor party

Are you a little bitter?  More importantly, do you enjoy a cocktail that’s a little bitter?  If so, prepare to celebrate -- because Negroni Week is nearly upon us, and the team at Al Solito Posto is opening up its patio for a kickoff party.

For the uninitiated, the Negroni is a classic cocktail made with Campari, gin and vermouth. It’s generally considered an aperitif, making it perfect for trendy aperitivo hour menus. But the folks at Imbibe magazine (along with the Campari team) are looking to expand its influence, by dedicating an entire week to rediscovering its bitter appeal. And dozens of local watering holes are joining them in that effort, raising a little money for charity in the process.

“(Negroni Week) was launched in 2013,” explains Campari rep Anthony DeMaria.

“It started off of a Negroni social up in Portland Oregon, and then it got picked up by Imbibe magazine.”

This year’s event is a national campaign, with bars throughout the country creating special Negroni menus for the week of September 13th through 19th and donating a portion of their proceeds to a charity of their choice. More than 30 Las Vegas venues are participating, making donations to a collection of good causes that includes CORE (Children of Restaurant Employees), No Kid Hungry, The Helen David Relief Fund, Slow Food International, The Surfrider Foundation and Keep Memory Alive.

Things will get underway on Monday with an outdoor bash at Al Solito Posto. From 4 to 8 p.m., Chef James Trees’ Tivoli Village Italian spot will open up its patio (for the first time) for an outdoor party that will include live music, a satellite bar, a selfie station, and a raffle of gift cards, Campari swag, and a Campari-branded beach cruiser bike. And of course, barman David Bonatesta will use the occasion to debut his limited-time Negroni Week menu.

“They’re very simple -- nothing too crazy,” Bonatesta says of the drinks on that menu. “There’s an apricot Negroni, a more savory olive Negroni, a Campari spritz and a classic Negroni.”

For each of those drinks Al Solito Posto sells over the course of the week, they’ll donate two dollars to Keep Memory Alive (the non-profit arm of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health at Cleveland Clinic Nevada). On top of that, the restaurant is matching the $200 in gift cards it’s handing out at Monday’s party with an additional $200 to the cause.

For a full listing of participating Negroni Week bars and restaurants, in Las Vegas and across the country, go to negroniweek.com.

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