Archivio Isarco, the bartender’s first menu as lead mixologist, builds every drink on a spirit, liqueur or vermouth distilled and bottled in-house
Before it became an arts institution, the complex at Largo Isarco in Milan was a distillery. The Società Italiana Spiriti (SIS) produced spirits and liqueurs there for decades. Fondazione Prada kept the industrial buildings when it moved in, and Torre, the tower added in 2018, now returns to their original use.
Remy Savage has joined Torre’s restaurant as lead mixologist. His first menu, Archivio Isarco, named after the address, lists twelve cocktails. Each is built on a spirit, liqueur or vermouth that Savage developed for it and that Torre produces and bottles itself. Every drink costs €18.
Savage starts from ingredients and works towards the recipe. The menu presents the project as a continuation of what SIS might have become, leaving aside any reconstruction of what the distillery once made. It is divided into three chapters: distillates, liqueurs and aperitifs.
Negroni and Sazerac at Torre Milan: four house spirits made by vacuum distillation
The first chapter uses vacuum distillation, which isolates single aromatic compounds so they can be recombined. Four spirits come out of the process. Hound Viola, flavoured with juniper, yuzu and African purple basil, takes the place of gin in the Negroni, alongside sweet vermouths and Campari. Elefantino Rosa, built on Tuscan anisette, raspberry and geranium, anchors a Sazerac with Chartreuse Jaune VEP and coconut water. Cocodrillo Azzurro goes into a Grasshopper clarified with milk: mint and cacao meet yogurt, vanilla and a Japanese seasoning, and the drink pours clear. Cervo Bianco, distilled from grape, vine leaf and pear, is the base of a sour with lemon, sugar and egg white.
Espresso Martini and Sgroppino: the house liqueurs of Torre’s cocktail bar
The second chapter blends single-ingredient distillates, then develops them with fresh produce, infusions and extractions. Quintuplo, a blend of European citrus liqueurs, is carbonated with gyokuro tea and served as a long drink. Drupa, a stone-fruit liqueur, turns the Pendennis into a savoury sour with cognac, orgeat, lemon and olive brine. Mimo’s Espresso Martini uses Caffè Giallo, made from medium-roast and cold-brew coffee, with vodka, green Ethiopian coffee and Cocchi Americano. The Olive Oil Sgroppino mixes Limoncino, sorbet, extra virgin olive oil and Franciacorta.
Aperitivo at Fondazione Prada: a vermouth aged in Saffiano leather and Amaro della Fondazione
The third chapter is about blending. Wines, vermouths and amari are assembled and aged, and the boundaries between categories stay loose by design. The Saffiano uses a vermouth aged in leather, topped with soda and tonic; the name refers to Prada’s cross-hatched leather, and a triangle of raspberry leather sits on the glass. The Tequila Jungle Bird swaps rum for tequila and Amaro della Fondazione, made with alpine roots, shiso and chilli, alongside caramelised pineapple and lime. The Sonic Adonis blends Óxido, a mix of oxidative and fortified wines, with Normandy pommeau and banana, and is served without a garnish. The Spicy Chrysanthemum pairs Floreale, a jasmine and chamomile base, with Grand Marnier, sambuca and Anaheim pepper.
Who is Remy Savage: from Little Red Door to Bar Nouveau
Savage has spent fifteen years behind bars in Paris, London and elsewhere. He co-ran Little Red Door in Paris. His own venues build their drinks around art movements: Bar Nouveau in Paris draws on Art Nouveau, A Bar with Shapes for a Name in London on the Bauhaus. He has consulted for brands, including on the drinks at Prada’s Mi Shang Prada Rong Zhai in Shanghai. At Torre the bottles on the back bar are made on the site of a former distillery.
Torre, Via Lorenzini 14, Milan. Open Wednesday to Friday 6pm–midnight, Saturday and Sunday noon–midnight.
