Another perfect cocktails bar in Navigli! And yet I thought this Milanese neighborhood was only…read morefilled with bars with bad & cheap drinks, loud music and greasy aperitivo food (well, there are plenty of bars like that but thankfully not all of them).
Pinch is a new bar right in Ripa di Porta Ticinese, not in the pedestrian part of the Naviglio, which means they don't have outside seating - except for the tables at the windows. It has a retro vibe, as if you entered a 1920s bar, dim lights, soft 1920's music; elegant but not ostentatious atmosphere.
The cocktails list has about 15 signature cocktails, all with an explanation of the alcoholic level (medium or high), taste (fresh, spicy, bitter, etc.) and of course the ingredients, classic cocktails with a twist, made extremely well, with good ingredients. They also have a food menu but I didn't check it out since we were there for the aperitivo - which then turned into after-dinner drinks.
I had the "South of the Border" with tequila, chartreuse vert, lime juice, sugar syrup and fresh mint, it was fresh and delicious, then I had another one and another one... just to be sure they were made perfectly ;)
For the aperitivo, our cocktails were 8 euro each and the waiter (who looked like Robert Pattinson) brough a small tray with some snacks: rice and salad in small glasses, chips, mini-sandwiches and a couple of vol-au-vents - not enough to fill our stomachs completely but also not the average greasy aperitivo food.
Nice staff, a full bar with quality bottles and clean bathrooms complete the experience.
Too bad it's far from my house, but worth the subway trip back!