On 21 July, Edinburgh distillery Electric Spirit Co will launch Kegroni: a large format, kegged negroni based on its Achroous gin, a few weeks before opening a pop-up cocktail bar for the Fringe.
An on-trade product, Kegroni is designed for restaurants, pubs and other venues who want to serve quality cocktails, but lack the space, time or capacity to offer a full cocktail service.
It mixes three premium spirits sourced from Scotland and Italy - Achroous gin, Bitter Fusetti and Valentian Vermouth - for an exceptional yet easy-to-serve cocktail.
Created with negronis in mind, Achroous’ flavour profile complements the bittersweet flavours of the Italian aperitivo, combining seven botanicals including Sichuan peppercorns and fennel seeds.
Bitter Fusetti draws on the experience of Milanese cocktail bartenders and local distillers to create an aromatic aperitif, while Valentian Vermouth unites the best of Italy and Scotland by combining crisp white wine and a distinctive new-make malt spirit for a complex, herbaceous finish.
Kegroni comes in 20L kegs with a Sankey coupler, allowing it to be hooked up to and poured from a standard beer line. Each keg gives 200 pre-chilled, ready-to-drink negronis, each with a pour time of around five seconds and requiring no stirring or clean-up.
Sustainability is at the core of Kegroni, which uses returnable stainless steel kegs provided by Kegstar to remove 24 glass bottles, closures and other secondary packaging from the supply chain.
The airtight steel kegs are purged with CO2, eliminating oxygen that would degrade the liquid inside to ensure consistency between drinks and longevity of the product, thereby reducing waste.
Of the launch, founder James Porteous said: “Our gin, Achroous, was made with a great negroni in mind, so we figured it was time to make that negroni ourselves, and to do it in an accessible, sustainable way.
"Now any venue with a spare beer line can serve a delicious negroni, made with exceptional ingredients, in less time than it takes to pour a half pint of lager - and with a better margin.”
Kegroni will be available to purchase directly from Electric Spirit Co, as well as wholesalers including New Wave and Dunns in Scotland, and via Sellar.io nationwide, from 21 July.
The launch of Kegroni comes ahead of Electric Spirit Co and B Corp speciality coffee roasters Origin Coffee joining forces to launch the Electric x Origin Negroni Bar, located at Origin’s coffee shop on South College Street in Edinburgh.
The Electric x Origin Negroni Bar will be open late from 6pm until 11pm exclusively throughout August, transforming Origin Coffee Edinburgh into a new bar to the city just a few minutes’ walk from the heart of the Fringe.
The bar will offer Electric Spirit Co’s new Kegroni, bringing quality negronis-on-tap to Origin for one month only.
Also on offer will be beers from local breweries, as well as Origin’s world-class coffee programme and espresso soft-serve ice cream made in partnership with Oatly available throughout the month of festivities.
