Since opening in 2020, NOTO (5105 Westwood, St. Peters) has gained a reputation for its incredible Neapolitan pizza, attentive service, and expressive cocktails. General manager London Rodgers recently shared more about the process, inspiration, and challenges of running the popular restaurant’s highly focused bar program.
How do you ensure the beverage program feels like a natural extension of the kitchen’s Italian flavors? I like to believe the culture at Noto is the leading factor in curating a cocktail menu that’s cohesive and complementary to our seasonal dinner menus. Bartender Dylan Seehusen and I work closely with our back-of-house team to see what seasonal produce we’ll be getting. For instance, on our winter/spring menu, we feature a citrus salad with roasted beets, quark cheese, sumac, and crispy brown rice. We took that plate and created a cocktail that can playfully pair with it. The Verdura is a smoky mezcal-based cocktail with a perfectly earthy, just-acidic-enough beet shrub, tied together by Cynar, a popular amari from Veneto that’s known for its bittersweet artichoke flavor. We keep the same school of thought that you see in wine pairing—“if it grows together, it goes together”—while still offering a unique experience, whether it’s in a glass or on a plate. We always value the significance of the culture while having our own creative, fun take on the flavors.
Many Italian programs lean heavily on spritzes, though you’ve pushed into more complex territory. What’s the riskiest cocktail that ended up being a guest favorite? Much like everyone else, we understand and appreciate the simplistic splendor that a crisp spritz can bring to the table. It has its rightful spot in every Italian restaurant. At Noto, we are constantly challenging ourselves to bring thoughtful, adventurous, well-executed cocktails to our guests, and challenging our clientele to try something outside the bounds of the familiarity comfort zone. A successful example of this was our Saint Valentine, which was initially designed to be a special for the week of Valentine’s Day. It was such a smashing success, it earned its place as one of our seasonal cocktails for spring/summer. Coined the Fragola, it’s a cheeky take on a whiskey sour with bourbon, Dolin Chamberyzette Strawberry, balsamic vinegar shrub, lemon, and plum bitters. A sour is approachable, strawberry is a signature summertime flavor, and adding that balsamic shrub dials the cocktail up another notch. It has complexity, richness, and this lovely, lingering savory tang that beckons you back for another sip…