At Etta, six o’clock is when the evening begins to set sail: the bar is live, the room falls into position, and Franco Tucci Ponti orchestrates the movements with the ease of someone who knows every step. Between one shake and the next, he sets the night’s course while the Naviglio rushes a few meters away, held outside the perimeter of this space. When the door on Via Vigevano opens to the first guests, the entrance becomes a departure gate for a journey of well-executed drinks and fragrant toast — widely considered by regulars the best in the neighborhood.
The Journey of Franco Tucci Ponti
Born in Milan in 1975, Tucci grew up on Sundays at Bar Basso, mesmerized by the colored reflections of the Sbagliato. “At fourteen I washed glasses to pay for my holidays, at eighteen I slipped behind the counter and discovered a clear direction: being at the bar to make the person on the other side feel good,” says the mixologist, now co-owner of Etta with four partners, including entrepreneur Federico Ricatto. From that moment on, his path moved differently from most of his generation. New York to learn the fast-paced rhythm of American bars, Los Angeles to read the international scene, Europe to test new techniques. His years at Atomic Bar became a kind of legend filled with notable guests, mistakes turned into skill, and a personality that still shapes his approach today. “I’m instinctive, direct, attached to decisive choices. I’ve taken many rejections and delivered many. They’re healthy.”
The Philosophy Behind Etta ed Enzo
Etta arrived at a very specific time, after high-profile consulting and collaborations with brands and chefs. He liked the idea immediately: a neighborhood bar with a simple tone, full hospitality and a productdriven compass. “I work alongside the team behind the counter, train the staff, build recipes, test ingredients, and set the direction of our new distilling project, called Enzo, taking shape not far from here. Two places driven by the same intention: offering a space that respects guests’ time and keeps the quality of what’s served consistently high.”
Franco Tucci Ponti’s Signature Drink List
Etta’s drink list is built on deliberate choices. Among the signatures are “Etta’s Margarita”, made with tequila blanco, lime, white chocolate and jalapeño; the “Sloe Gin Fizz” with gin, lemon, pollen and soda; and the “Negroni Riff” with gin, bitter, red vermouth, grapefruit and rose. All the classics remain available, from sours to the great aperitivi, executed to match the celebrated toast prepared with bread from a well-known local bakery, cheeses and anchovies from Cetara. Then come the pastrami, the constantly refined giardiniera, the hummus, the roasted vegetables, all homemade. “For me, quality is a fixed perimeter: Italian products, selected suppliers, and daily attention to what arrives in the bar,” Tucci continues.
A Coherent Vision of the Work
But the heart of the story is still his way of approaching the work. He often speaks about the refusals that shaped his path: “Refusing compromise, refusing the rush that wipes out attention to detail, refusing the easy route when it gets in the way of growth. Anyone working with me has to rely on direct experience, on books, on palate, on practice. The bar becomes a school only when every attempt reveals a reason, a mistake, an improvement.” His venue thrives today on that energy.
The Enzo Distillery
The same applies to the distillery, a few steps from Etta. The project led by Tucci and his partners is called Enzo, the natural counterpart of the bar: a workshop-style space with street-facing windows on Via Corsico, long like a studio, with a bar counter at the back and a section dedicated to production. Here they create gin, bitters, vermouth, liqueurs and amari built from Italian ingredients, using a cellar already active with four barrels and a continuous line of experiments. Enzo has a distinct purpose for the community: it’s a testing room for bartenders to develop recipes and compare notes.
Two places that build a particular way of being together, one that belongs to the grown-up Milan of the Navigli, the one that chooses a relaxed atmosphere and a glass that tells a simple story. The story of someone who decided it was worth staying loyal to his own way of doing things. With Tucci at the helm.
Tratto dal magazine cartaceo di Coqtail – for fine drinkers. Ordinalo qui
Photo by Julie Couder x Coqtail, all rights reserved
