Cheers to the Negroni!

From 4-10 June, QT Queenstown will be raising a glass in celebration of Negroni Week and counting down to The Negroni Showdown. You’re invited to sip your way through the classic and variations with a QT twist – and to top it off, it’s drinks for a cause.

For those not in the know, listen up …

Negroni Week launched in 2013 as a celebration of one of the world’s great cocktails with an effort to raise money for charities around the world. From 2013 to 2017, Negroni Week grew from about 100 participating venues to over 7,700 venues around the globe, and to date, they have collectively raised nearly $1.5 million for charitable causes. And heck yeah, we want to be part of doing some good.

The man leading the charge is Josh Smith-Thirkell, Food & Beverage Director of QT Queenstown.  He’s the passionate one, I’ll let him speak for himself on his drink of choice and the week dedicated to it.

“We’re stoked to be a part of Negroni Week again this year. It’s a great way to show appreciation for the Negroni, a cocktail that has stood the test of time, and our cause. The Negroni is a QT favourite and an acquired taste, so we’re hoping to entice the unfamiliar with the signature and modern mixes.”

So, what are you waiting for? You’re invited to take a seat in our highly curated surroundings designed by good friend and QT collaborator, Interior Designer Nic Graham. Soak up the vibrant atmosphere and incomparable views whilst sipping on a selection of spirited twists on the classic.  

During Negroni Week, Reds Bar is serving Classic Negronis at $12 a pop and for those that are after a spirited twist on the classic, a more adventurous Negroni Menu is available – and those drinks will only cost you $15. Reds Bar will be donating $2 from every Negroni to the Starlight Foundation, a charity that our parent company, Event Entertainment & Hospitality, is extremely passionate about. Drinking for charity … brilliant!

Here’s a taste of what you can expect to enjoy.

NEGRONI MENU

CLASSIC NEGRONI

Black Robin Gin, Cinzanno Rosso, Campari.

REDS BARREL AGED NEGRONI

Black Robin Gin, Cinzano Rosso, Campari

GOLDEN AGE

Martin Millars, Suze, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao, Lavender Sprig

PAULIE PANTS DOWN

Ardbeg Ten, Whyte & Mackay, Campari, Cinzano Rosso, Coffee & Pimento Bitters

BOULEVARDIER

Russell’s Reserve Bourbon, Cinzano Rosso, Campari

A DAME TO KILL FOR

Hennessy VSOP, Campari, Cinzano Rosso, Grapefruit, Fee Brothers Orange Bitters, Whites

This menu extends to guest rooms, as QT Queenstown’s Remarkable King room guests will be welcomed with Reds’ Barrel Aged Negroni on arrival.

A whole week of Negronis may be a bit mad for some, and for those, we invite them to Reds Bar, for the ultimate culmination – The Negroni Showdown.

Traditionally, this drink has been made with three parts and garnished with an orange peel. But traditions evolve! The Negroni Showdown calls on the replete of Queenstown’s fine bartenders to finish the week strong, and show off their creative concoctions and, in turn, Queenstown’s boundary-pushing mixology scene.

Just another week at QT, delivering high energy bars filled with the finest mixologists and most modern twists! 

Negroni Week
Monday 4th June – Sunday 10th June

The Negroni Showdown
From 7pm, Sunday 10th June
Level 6, Reds Bar, QT Queenstown

words by chris lee