Negroni Week Kick-Off Party at Mesa

Another fun (last minute) Unilocal event that I had the honor of attending! (I thought I wrote a detailed review for this event, but alas it was not saved or posted).
Let’s just start off with I do not know anything about Gin & had to look up what Negroni was before coming. This is why I brought my boyfriend as a +1 — bartender that appreciate all types of cocktails!
Check in was quick and the ladies at the front were fantastic. Gold coin and ticket in hand, I was ready to sample some drinks! I have been to Mesa before and love the ambiance and décor, was really excited to be able to get seats in the booth! Usually I’m just hanging out at the bar.
My favorite drink of the night was The Little Sparrow’s — Sandy Peaches with the candied peach chip, mmm. I could have drank this all night. but knew I shouldn’t because there were so many more options to indulge on! I love the fact that a few bartenders that were in attendance are ones from Long Beach — which makes me feel like I should head down there for some bar hopping (like the Stache or the Skyroom!) All the bartenders were great and had amazing personalities!
Let’s move on to the food — the Bacon Wrapped Hot Dog & bowl of Chili — I’m in love. Condiments on the side with sour cream, cheese, and jalapenos. Drooling now just thinking about it. Perfect pair to the negroni tasting. Thank you Ryan C., Inspire Art Minds, and Mesa for a great Unilocal event. Can’t wait for more!

This was a super last minute event but I’m glad I got to experience it at Mesa! I wasn’t even aware of what Negroni was but I was sure in for a surprise. My +1 and I arrived a little early and there was a line waiting outside of Mesa. We got our ID’s checked and the two ladies at the front, checked us in, secured our wristbands, handed us 1 ticket each for a hotdog and explained to us what the golden coin was for. Basically, you go around the bar and try all of the bartenders special drinks and vote for whichever is your favorite.
I won’t lie, it was a tad bit awkward at first because we weren’t sure if we were supposed to sit down first or just go and grab drinks… we grabbed our first drink, took a sip and boy, was it STRONG! I am not a huge fan of sipping on alcohol, so this event was very different for me but it was enjoyable at the same time trying all the different drinks. My girlfriend and I spent most of the time giggling and laughing about how incredibly strong each drink was. It was definitely an experience!
As for the food, it took awhile to come out, but lets all be honest… that’s pretty much what everyone was waiting for… We’re Unilocalers! When the first tray of hot dogs came out, people swarmed around it so quick that they ran out within a blink of an eye. But no worries because another tray came out as well as some condiments for your chili. They had bacon wrapped hot dogs, bowls of chili, and as for the condiments: sour cream, jalepenos and shredded cheese. As simple as it sounded, the food was good and left me content.
What I really like about these Unilocal perks/​events is that I always get to try something new. Thanks again, Unilocal for yet another great event and I look forward to the next one!

Wow, it’s been YEARS since attending my last Unilocal Elite event/​perk in Orange County! So glad I got to partake in last minute libations to kick off Negroni Week at Mesa! Truth be told, I didn’t even know what the term «negroni» meant prior to this event, but now I know all about it and then some! (FYI, negroni is a cocktail made of one part gin, one part vermouth rosso, and one part Campari, garnished with orange peel; it is considered an apéritif, or liquid appetizer).
My favorite negroni cocktail of the night (and there were many!) was the Little Sparrow. I’m not much of a cocktail or liquor gal, so most of the cocktails tasted far too strong for my preferences. I liked that Little Sparrow’s take on the classic negroni tasted more fun (read: not too strong). It came in a loosely packed ball of shaved ice, a splash of negroni, and a dried/​candied orange slice to open the taste of the cocktail. Even my cousin who is not much of an alcohol drinker enjoyed a few glasses of Little Sparrow’s negroni!
Now, let’s be honest, Unilocalers love their food, probably more than they love their alcohol. The bacon wrapped street dogs and (surprise!) chili bowl was the semi– main attraction of the night for my cousin and myself. We both consumed — okay, I consumed 2 hot dogs and 3 bowls of hearty chili. I loved the open condiment bar that allowed me to help myself to generous helpings of sour cream, jalapeños, and cheese. Not #summerbod friendly but perfection!
Thanks for the Unilocal perk! Thanks also to Mesa, all the restaurants/​bars that took part in this awesome event, and of course Inspire Art Minds for such an inspiring cause!

Excellent team working the event.
They were very welcoming from the minute they saw me and my +1 coming to the door. Got our ID’s checked and were promptly let in. At the front, two ladies checked us in, secured our wristbands, handed us hotdog tickets, and explained the golden coin and the power it possessed. The person with the most coins in their jar wins a trip!
I loved the venue! For some reason, it reminded me of Craft in Century City. Anyway, I thought it was going to be hot inside because of the body heat and alcohol but NOPE! they have an open ceiling! So pretty! I love how most of the seats were booths and that the bar area was in the middle. More space, more service.
The one that stuck out to me the most was the Silky Negrose from Broadway by Michael Rooney. Like. c’mon SPARKLING ROSE andddddd he was nice and funny! My runner up though was Negrosi’s Loss from 302 Main by Jason Schiffer. If you couldn’t tell, I like sweet drinks. I mix it up here and there but here, I liked the sweeter drinks.
The BACON wrapped hotdogs and bowls of chili were delicious. We went for the drinks but the food definitely was a plus, especially with those jalapenos! Compliments to the chef (s)!
I think I’ll be back to just hang out here when I’m in the area.

Thank you Ryan for inviting us Elites to a perk event, granted it was last minute, I’ll never turn down craft cocktails.
I’m more of New York Sour man myself, but all of these craft cocktails are worthy of our palates. Manhattan, Old Fashion, Whiskey Sour, Pendergast and so many more. I may not be in the industry, but I have a lot of industry friends and make my own bourbon so I can spot a good drink.
Genever/​Jenever (however you want to call it) baby, the herbal spirit precursor to what we know as gin. Try and London Dry Gin & Tonic and then try a Genever Bols & Tonic. Now do the same with the Negroni recipe and the differences are immediately noticeable.
Mesa was open just for this event and had 7 craft cocktail bartenders from all over with their signature idea of a negroni. It’s a beautiful bar whose retractable roof imo is always a selling point here. Some had champage, others Mexican mole chocolate bitters, flavored foam, premixed, etc. My favorite was the 320 main version for the simple fact that it was scalable, wasn’t dependent on ice and it’s melting and had a balance between the ingredients that kept each part subtle. I placed my coin in the 1^st hour after i finished all 7, after round 2 i still felt 320 was the best and confirmed this with other Genever connoisseurs agreeing.
Some bites were available about an hour in which really helped all the lightweights not used to drinking and tastings like this. I was pretty worried with all the people I see at YEE’s not drinking and seeing them drink above their metabolism at this event. The chili was good, simple, basic. The hot dogs were good, but far from gourmet, the bacon didn’t overpower, but condiments were lacking. We were well aware these were bites and not meals, so I was prepared to eat nearby (Umami was our decision)
Knowing there was a true YEE across town and seeing some of us that didn’t make that one here was pleasant. The bartenders were great, despite some big rushes. I’m glad so many conversations were about the drinks versus just a social hour for everyone. Shout out to the YEE’s I met and current one’s I got to catch up with.
It’s hard to turn down and I really wanted to go cash and get a beer or non negroni, despite how good they were I could have stayed their all night, but alas, no cash bar to be had. Knowing my friends were throwing events in SD and LA, I’m glad I was able to partake in this since it was nearby to my work.
To the creepy guy, who might have had too much to drink, that no one knew and was hitting on everyone. Not cool bro. I’ve got my eye out for you next time.

I was happy to see that the Negroni Week Kick-​off Party at Mesa benefited Inspire Art Minds, a local F&B charity. Thanks to Unilocal OC for the tickets to this event! The event included seven different negroni tastings from local bars or restaurants. I really loved the Little Sparrow, Broadway, and 320 Main negronis. We also sampled the libations from Sky Room, Mesa, Social, and Stache. It was hard to choose! I finally settled on the Sandy Peaches negroni from Little Sparrow and I believe they won by a huge margin. We were warned in advance that there would be food samples only so I was prepared to eat elsewhere. There were dirty dogs and chili available for consumption. They even brought out some grilled cheese for my vegetarian friends. The event was great and I hope they raised a bit of money for IAM.

Super fun last minute event! I was lucky enough to get 2 tickets from Unilocal OC and was able to attend this event with a couple of friends and a great time was had. I’m not a super big drinker and don’t know much about mixology but I had a great time tasting all the Negronis, my favorite being the one made by 320 Main. It was really cool to be able to taste all the different interpretations of Negronis as well as the hot dogs and chili which surprisingly went well with the drinks.
Fun event to attend on a random Monday night.

Thanks Ryan C and Unilocal for this last minute elite perk! i have to admit that i really wasnt familiar with a negroni… but after this kick-​off party, now i feel like i am a negroni connoisseur haha. this party was held at Mesa who had shut down their restaurant for the night so it was nice to have the retractable roof open on a nice spring night. plus it was nice to donate to a good cause for the arts. then we had the luxury of sampling different negroni creations from 7 local restaurants/​bars and then we voted for our favorite to crown a winner. i enjoyed some more than others and ultimately gave my vote to Little Sparrow’s rose based negroni. so glad that they provided some hearty food at this party to soak up all the negroni tastings haha. the chilli and hot dogs were really good and they brought out more than enough food for us to all have seconds. all in all, great way to start a Monday night haha

What an event!!!
My BF is really into drink mixology so I was so glad to have him tag along! He sipped on all of the drinks and had a final deliberation… The sparrow was the best! And the mason jar at this point does reflect that!
My gold coin went to the bittersweet symphony (: I loved the layers!
I loved that my laid out toppings for the chili and bacon-​wrapped anything is always awesome! Yay street dogs.
So glad that I was able to get into this event… And at such a short notice (; thank you Unilocal!It’s always a pleasure

Fun and amazing last minute event, so glad I checked Unilocal events today! Who can say no to some uniquely crafted mixed drinks, especially now that I’ve gotten to like Gin a lot more in the last few months! Talk about perfect timing?!
Drinks were overall very interesting, with each having its own style and flavor. The bartenders were all very nice and a few really knew how to explain/​introduce their creation. Shoutout to Little Sparrow and Skyroom, definitely my top two of the night!
Thank you Mesa for this fun event that was filled with buzzzz ;)

Check in was a breeze. Woot!
Voting coin in hand to chooose favorite beverage.
Hot dog ticket.
CHECK! Now onto the libations. woot!
Seven total:
Drink one … little sparrow’s Sandy’s peaches. With peach chips.
Drink two. Socials tried and true
Drink three… stache bars Amsterdam shag
Drink four bittersweet symphony
Erm five, six, and seven, see pictures. It’s a little difficult to Swype. :)
Oh my. So many drinks. So not enough time. (Just kidding we have three hours)
Mesa is a gorgeous bar.
Check out the fireplace and restroom, betcha in for a good surprise. I wouldn’t mind coming out to camp in mesa.
Thank you Unilocal for this opportunity to hang out with all the talented bartenders!