The Cocktail Lovers Magazine Issue 32 Summer 2019

ISSUE 32

SUMMER 2019

ISSN 2052 0603

The Italian Issue Celebrating the people, products and passion from the home of hospitality

WE DIDN’T INVENT TEQUILA Tequila has been around for centuries, but we took the time to get it right, crafting a small-batch spirit that’s worth sipping slowly. It requires Mexico’s finest 100% Weber Blue Agave, hand-selected and distilled in custom copper stills for a smooth finish every time. We didn’t invent tequila,

The perfect way to enjoy Patrón is responsibly. Handcrafted and imported exclusively from Mexico by The Patrón Spirits Company, Las Vegas, NV. 40% abv.

WE JUST PERFECTED IT.

IN-tro

WHY A WHOLE ISSUE

D E VOT E D TO

I TA LY ?

ARE YOU KIDDING?

When it comes to genuine hospitality, Italians win hands down.

That’s our opinion and we’re sticking with it, besides, who would argue that it isn’t true?

Also, it’s summer and just as we reach for lightweight clothes, so too it is with our drinks – who needs the faff or intensity of the heavy, labour-intensive, wintry cocktails? The relative ease and freshness of aperitivo-style libations matches the season perfectly. Jane Ryan shines a light on the art of the aperitivo and how it features in the daily life of Italians (p. 24) – perhaps only second to coffee, the most important drink of their day (p. 22).

Enough of the drinks for a moment, this issue also pays tribute to the people sharing the cocktail love – both in Italy and abroad. We start with the stalwarts, Peter Dorelli, Salvatore Calabrese and Giuseppe Morandin (p. 18 & 62), stop off with Giuseppe Gallo for his roundup of those who have left home to develop their careers elsewhere (p. 30) and continue with Stefano Nincevich’s pick of the names to know in Italy (p. 38).

We’ve got recipes (p. 49), groovy barware (p. 56) and the best bars (p. 66) – all with an Italian focus. And this being the centenary of the Negroni, we’re celebrating that too (p. 44).

Your summer of drinking like an Italian starts here…

Salut!

Please imbibe responsibly

Ms S & Mr G thecocktaillovers.com

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The Cocktail Lovers - 3

IN-gredients

7. IN-the know

24. IN-the spotlight The art of the Aperitivo

In Italy everything stops for Aperitivo. Jane Ryan takes time out to get down with the ritual

30. IN-spire Big time hospitality

When it comes to hospitality, Italians win hands down. Giuseppe Gallo explains why

25 reasons to be a cocktail lover this season

Getting an umami fix, hero-ing the sandwich and switching on to taps, just a few of the many things we're looking forward to this summer

13. IN-the know The glassware

Treasures from Murano

15. IN-the know The gadget

Italy's biggest squeeze

17. IN-the know The drink

Simple, complex and delicious – the Negroni is 100 years old

18. IN-the know The people

A salute to London's living bartending legends

34. IN-spire A taste of Italy

How five quintessentially Italian ingredients inspire cocktails around the world

38. IN-focus Local heroes

Bartenders, drinks producers, bar owners – Stefano Nincevich shines a light on the names to know everywhere from Milan to Rome

44. IN-focus Ode to the Negroni

gaz regan takes a trip down memory lane as he remembers his first Negroni

48. IN-style

22. IN-the spotlight

…and first there was the cafeteria In praise of coffee culture

La Dolce Vita

Five bottles everyone needs when the clock strikes Aperitivo o'clock!

4 - The Cocktail Lovers

IN-gredients

54. IN-focus

Editors: Sandrae Lawrence Gary Sharpen

Let's hear it for the girls

Meet the Italian women kicking some serious ass in the world of drinks

Sub-editor: Sally Briggs Creative Director: James Cheverton at Burnt Studio burntstudio.com

56. IN-dulge Bellisimo!

Beautiful barware crafted with care in Italy

58. IN-formed

Will prosecco keep bubbling

Steve Pryer on the facts and figures behind our growing thirst for prosecco

60. IN-formed Mains & Martinis

Three restaurants where the drinks are more than a match for the food

Photography Rob Lawson roblawson.com Lawrence Watson lawrencewatsonphotogaphy.com Illustrations Clotilde Lataille clotildelataille.com Contributors: Giampiero Francesca Giuseppe Gallo Tara Garnell Rebecca Milford Stefano Nincevich Steve Pryer gaz regan Jane Ryan On the cover:

62. IN-formed Word Up

News, views and reviews from the cocktail front

Toasting the people, places and products of Italy Photograph by Rob Lawson Glassware: The Conran Shop and Villeroy & Boch For all editorial and advertising enquiries, please contact:

66. IN-ternational Italy's best bars

Giampiero Francesca opens his address book and shares his favourite drinking spots in Florence, Milan and Rome

The Cocktail Lovers are proud winners of Best Cocktail & Spirits Publication, Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards 2016 and The London Evening Standard Progress 1000 – London’s Most Influential People 2015 and 2017

mail@thecocktaillovers.com T: 020 7242 2546 thecocktaillovers.com Printed by Stephens & George Distributed by Gold Key Media Reproduction in whole or part of any contents of The Cocktail Lovers Magazine without prior permission from the editors is strictly prohibited.

The Cocktail Lovers Issue No. 32 Summer 2019 The Cocktail Lovers magazine is published by The Cocktail Lovers Ltd. in London, UK PLEASE DRINK RESPONSIBLY

The Cocktail Lovers - 5

Contributors

Giampiero Francesca

Stefano Nincevich

Giampiero Francesca is the creator and owner of BlueBlazeR Italian cocktail bars guide and magazine (blueblazer.it). He’s based in Rome but travels Italy and the world to discover the best cocktail bars.

Stefano has been writing about the bar scene in Milan for the last 18 years. He is sought out for a number of projects including heading up special events at ‘Bargiornale’, the leading trade magazine for bar news in Italy and sitting on the jury of the finals of Mixologist, the first talent show dedicated to emerging bartenders. Last year he was chosen to be the Italian endorser of the Disaronno video-documentary, The Mixing Star and he can also be seen on the Bargiornale Cocktail News video series. Stefano’s book, ‘Cocktail Safari – an adventurous

In his free time he loves to discover the latest food trends while sipping a very cold Dry Martini.

Here he takes us on a tour of the best bars in Florence, Milan and Rome in his ultimate drinking guide. Don't head to Italy without it (p. 66).

journey through 70 drinks’ can be purchased via amazon. For this issue he shines a light on the people making waves in Italy’s bar scene (p. 38).

Steve Pryer

Clotilde Lataille

Steve Pryer is an independent writer and editor with more than 30 years experience in national newspapers and magazines, including covering food, wine and travel at the London Evening Standard. He is a long-standing member of the Circle of Wine Writers.

Clotilde started her career in drinks working as a waitress at Callooh Callay in London, before moving on to join the team at Hawksmoor Spitalfields. She’s now French Apertifs Ambassador at Pernod Ricard as well as working on her equally important love, art.

He sings the praises of prosecco, the bright, bubbly Italian sparkler in this issue and, good news for fellow fans, he says that the trend for it shows no signs of slowing down (p. 58).

For this issue, she combines both talents in a series of illustrations featuring quintessential Italian ingredients that have inspired some mighty fine drinks (p. 34).

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IN-the know

REASONS TO BE A COCKTAIL LOVER THIS SEASON Embracing our inner demon, bigging up apples and bagging our bottles – just a few of the many cocktail-tastic things we're looking forward to this summer

N1 o

Escaping the ordinary

Tim Walker: Wonderful Things is at the Victoria & Albert Museum from 21st September 2019 to 8th March 2020. vam.ac.uk

tim walker, 'duckie thot, aubrey's shadow', london, 2017 ©tim walker studio

Tim Walker’s fantastical images transcend fashion, taking the viewer on an unapologetic, elaborately staged journey full of wonderment and delight. How you’ll ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ at the selection of extraordinary pictures and photographic sets on display at ‘Tim Walker: Wonderful Things’ at the V&A. We suggest celebrating the exuberance of his work with an equally creative cocktail, like the ones on the menu at Oriole (oriolebar.com). Never knowingly understated.

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IN-the know

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THREE

Getting an umami fix

Next level taste bomb: Vegemite. On buttered toast.

In a bottle. Love it or loathe it, we bet you want to try it.

Order now at archierose.com.au

Bagging our bottles

Ooh, hello! Six mini Prosecco bottles in a stylish, clear tote.

You’d think it couldn’t get any better, right? But wait, said bag is waterproof so you can fill it with ice. Picnic time sorted! Available from reservebar.com

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No. four …more cool options for booze fans on the go – introducing the Aged & Ore Travel Decanter; featuring a 500ml, hand-blown glass bottle encased in two stainless steel double wall tumblers. Pre-order at agedandore.com

…and there’s the Jägermeister Cool Pack. Stackable, compact and portable, so Jäger fans can get an ice-cold shot whenever and wherever the mood takes them. jagermeister.com

Raising our glass game We love us some cool glassware and this Calici Milanesi trio is high on our wish list. Perfect for elegant soirees. agustonibottini.com

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eight

Hero-ing the sandwich

Stop everything! The search for the perfect bar snack is off. We’ve found it in the offthe-scale taste sensation that is the Iberian Pork Sando from TA TA Eatery at Tayer + Elementary. Not great if you’re veggie, vegan or off the carbs but brilliant news for everyone else. tayer-elementary.com

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SEVEN

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To pour in them?

One of the three nonalcoholic varietals from Æcorn Aperitifs. aecornaperitifs.com

…and there’s the NoLo collection from Libbey.

Clean, simple and stylish, each of the seven designs have been made with no and low alcohol drinks in mind. foodservice.libbey.eu

IN-the know

ELEVEN

10

Having a dose of animal magic

Channelling citrus

What happens when a bartender combines his love of animals with his passion for graphic design? Cocktail Critters, the delightful menagerie of cocktail-loving pins created by Mitchell Lum, that's what. Get yours from cocktailcritters.com

Hey guys, fancy wearing your garnish?

Try these swimming trunks from Franklin Eugene out for size. Go on, we dare you! franklineugene.com

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13 Checking us some Hennessy

Sipping Sicilian style Inspired by the orange groves of Sicily, J.J.Whitley Blood Orange Gin is dark and rich with Mediterranean marmalade orange notes.

No toast required. jj-whitley.com

Did you know that with 5,000-plus mentions Hennessy is the most referenced drinks brand in hip-hop and grime tracks? Find out more at Hennessy: For the culture, an entire installation dedicated to unearthing the link from drink to lyric. Until 15th September. somersethouse.org.uk

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14.

Bigging up the apples

SIXTEEN

…music-loving Bacardí go even further with Make It Hot, the brand new, dance hall stylee summer anthem released in collaboration with Major Lazer and Anitta. To drink? Bacardi Coconut rum of course!

It’s taken a long time but calvados is finally having its moment. The one to seek out? Avallen by Tim Etherington-Judge and Stephanie Jordan, embracing environmental issues and great taste in one bottle. avallenspirits.com

Switching on to taps What’s not to like about the new crop of tapped cocktails? They’re delicious, consistent and fast. One of our current faves? Ice cold Grey Goose Espresso Martinis. Coming to a bar near you soon.

17. Laying it on thick We’re talking about the delectable Strawberry, Tangerine and Mint Jam laced with Pimm’s – with that tasty combo, why on earth would you want to hold back? shop.anyoneforpimms.com

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IN-the know

EIGHTEEN

19

Embracing our inner demon

Given the choice between a tea with or without cocktails, which would you go for?

Exactly! In truth, the scones, sarnies and cakes in the Saint & Sinners afternoon tea at L’Oscar work perfectly on their own but the three cocktails that accompany them are

For a major city London is pretty short on late night bars.

Which is why Double Standard at the newly-opened The Standard Hotel in King’s Cross is going for a 24-hour license.

So when you want to keep the party going, we’ll know where to find you. standardhotels.com

bloomin’ amazing (p. 60). loscar.com

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TWENTY ONE

20

Making London late again

Dramming it up An entire hotel dedicated to whisky? Yes please! Upon

completion in September, Black

Upgrading our snacks The meaty, premium products from Made For Drink deliver on every front. madefordrink.com

Rock Mark II will feature a blending room, bar and three

Going grey

guest suites. Get your bookings in now! blackrock.bar

Any nail polish called Cocktail Bling gets the thumbs up by us. essie.co.uk

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BEING LABEL LOVIES

Bog standard wine labels are so last season darlings, all the cool kids are getting down to sensorial labels that allow you to interact through touch, sound and smell. Find out more at averydennison.com

TWENTY FIVE

23 10 - The Cocktail Lovers

Scotch eggs are great but these handmade chocolate truffles live up to the name by featuring real Scotch whisky encased in a ginger crunch shell. Yum! firebox.com

Sharing the cocktail love The best new drink? The Sunflower Martini. Where to try it? Erik Lorincz’s new bar, Kwant. You’re welcome. momo.london

WHITLEY NEILL

T H E U K ’ S N O .1 P R E M I U M G I N

Presents

BLOOD ORANGE SPRITZ

2 5 M L WH I T L E Y NE I LL B LO O D O R A N G E GI N

Add gin and prosecco to a glass

5 50 0 M L P RO S E C C O

f i l l e d w i t h i c e . To p w i t h s o d a wa t e r

TOP U P WI TH P R E M I U M S O DA WATER

and garnish with an orange wheel.

‘THE UK’S NO.1 PREMIUM GIN’ SOURCE: NIELSEN GB OFF-TRADE DATA, VALUE SALES, MAT TO 23.03.19

THE GLASS WARE

rosanna murano glass collection, campbell-rey.com

IN-the know

One word: Murano. Made by hand on Murano island in Venice, the bold, bright and absolutely beautiful glassware is made using specific techniques which have been passed down for centuries. Check out the glassware used in our shoot on page 48.

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Interviews News Features Fashion Food Travel Recipes & a whole lot more The Cocktail Lovers magazine, ingredients for more than just great drinks

Packed full of cocktail-loving goodness, The Cocktail Lovers magazine is published four times a year in glorious print. What’s more, it’s free so when you subscribe you just pay for postage and handling. Subscribe today and get every issue delivered to your door!

For more details and to start your subscription, visit TCLsubs.com

IN-the know

THE DRINK Created in Florence, drunk all around the world the Negroni is possibly Italy’s finest export on the cocktail front. Find out why it’s having its moment on page 44.

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IN-the know

18 - The Cocktail Lovers

IN-the know

THE PEOPLE Between them Peter Dorelli, Salvatore Calabrese and Giuliano Morandin have been sharing the Italian love in London for over 140 years. We asked the five-star godfathers of the drinks industry what makes Italians so synonymous with perfect hospitality. Read their answers on p. 62.

Photography: Lawrence Watson With thanks to the team at Bar Italia, the historic social hub for Italians in Soho, London, opened in 1949. baritalia.co.uk

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IN-the spotlight

In the early days coffee was mostly consumed in cafeterias. These were elegant, often extremely grand affairs, set in the biggest squares in the city; the type of establishments where people went out to be seen.

Not everyone, of course, mainly the middle classes and aristocracy. Artists, philosophers and playwrights congregated in them too but they were mainly confined to the back rooms where they would meet to document, observe and debate – think of them as cultural and intellectual hubs. Many a movement such as Marinetti’s futurists and the Risorgimento started life over coffee in a cafeteria.

than likely there will be another caffè (always a single shot) after lunch to aid digestion and ward off postmeal sluggishness, followed by a cup or two later in the afternoon during coffee break (pause caffè). Dinner is rounded up with the last cup of the day.

At their peak, there were hundreds of these grand institutions of hospitality in Italy. Some are still around, the oldest being Caffè Florian in Venice which opened in 1720 but every major city has at least one historic caffè where you can enjoy a coffee, delicious confections and soak up the splendour of these elegant buildings.

In Turin there’s Caffe Al Bicerin opened in 1763, in Florence there’s Caffè Gilli (1733) and Caffè Paszkowski (1846), while Rome has Antico Caffè Greco (1760), but there are countless others.

…drink like an Italian: order and pay with the cashier, collect your receipt and hand to your barista

Back then cafeterias were about leisure, much like everywhere else in Europe. So too was the slow, infusion method in which coffee was made. Italian coffee culture and what we know now as ‘espresso’ (with steam used to force hot water through a block of coffee at extreme pressure) came into its own in 1901 after Luigi Bezzerra patented a design for the world’s first single-serving espresso machine capable of making a cup that usually took around five minutes in around 30 seconds. With the ability to produce the much coveted drink at a faster pace came a different way of drinking.

…order cappuccino after lunch. You’ll get one but Italians wouldn't dream of doing it themselves

While the old-school cafeterias were about taking coffee, or to give it it’s proper name in Italian, ‘caffe’ at leisure, the way it began to be consumed followed a more urgent pace. For starters, aside from the coffee made at home in the stove-top moka pot, most people get their caffeine fix in a bar. Not a cocktail bar per se but something we might liken to a café, where the espresso machine is king and a few bottles of vermouths, amaro and grappa sit in wait for when an aperitivo or a caffè corretto calls.

At one time you’d be served by a ‘barman’ but from 1938 the more Italian sounding barista became the popular term.

Doppio: ‘Double’, or two shots of espresso

Rather than sit at a table, locals order, pay and drink their coffee – in that order – standing at the counter (al banco). And it’s drunk fervently at regular intervals throughout the day – accompanied by a small glass of water. The first one is essential, usually accompanied by a small croissant-like pastry (cornetto) and may well be a cappuccino – Italians famously never order this milky drink after 11am as they find it too filling. More

Is Italian coffee the best in the world? Probably not. But you can’t beat them for passion and style.

The do’s and don’ts of coffee culture in Italy Do:

…Fancy sitting instead? No problem. But prepare to pay up to four times the price of drinking al banco Don’t: …linger over your coffee if taken at the counter, coffee is a quick in-and-out affair

…order an espresso – ask for un caffè instead …even think about a takeaway. When you can have a caffè in a couple of minutes, there’s no need Learn the coffee lingo: Caffè: A 3 oz shot of espresso served in a demitasse porcelain cup Americano or Lungo: A ‘long’ espresso with twice as much water Ristretto: A ‘reduced’ espresso that uses half the amount of water Macchiato: Espresso that’s ‘marked’ with a splash of milk or milk foam Cappuccino: Espresso with equal parts steamed milk and topped with foamed milk. Usually ordered at breakfast Caffè latte: A large cup of latte, or milk, marked with a shot of espresso Caffè Corretto: Espresso that is ‘corrected’ with a liquor such as grappa or cognac Caffè Shakerato: Espresso shaken with ice cubes and simple syrup, often served in a cocktail glass

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IN-the spotlight

THE ART OF THE

APERITIVO ++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++ +++++++++

FOR SOME, THERE'S HAPPY HOUR; FOR ITALIANS IT'S ALL ABOUT APERITIVO Jane Ryan takes her seat It’s sunset and the working day is done. Where do you go?

What do you get up to in that period between day and night?

In Old Blighty it’s the pub. Inside in the winter, catching up over porters and stouts, and loitering on the streets in summer, with plastic pints of IPA or jugs of Pimms. Sunshine optional. BYO coat.

In America there’s happy hour; a race to down as many cocktails and bottles of beer within 60 minutes as is humanly possible.

Pick-up lines are flung across the room almost as quickly as the empty glasses are refilled, and despite there being no need for a sixth cocktail, you’ll get one – because there’s only five minutes left till normal prices resume.

IN-the spotlight

++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++ In Italy, they must be scratching their heads and laughing at us all. For there, they have the aperitivo hour. The drinks are light and gently bitter to stimulate your palate, accompanied by simple, salty snacks – made to make you reach for another sip. Town squares burst into life as the sun sets, bright red Spritzes are made and enormous green olives are bitten into. The country prepares itself with style for an evening of food, company and wine.

This pairing of snacks and light cocktails, coupled together in a daily ritual that transcends any one drink, is a clearly designated parcel of time – after work and before dinner – rarely getting in the way of either. Unlike in London, where an after-work pub session can tumble into a late-night kebab for dinner, the aperitivo purely warms you up for the main course.

It helps you shed the shackles of the working day and gets you ready for the night. Even the word, deriving from the Latin verb aperire, means to open: open your palate, open the possibilities of the night.

“A meeting of golden-hour light, bitter, low-alcohol drinks, bruschette piled high, a picturesque square and, importantly, the end of the work day, is truly far more than the sum of its parts. It is a state of mind,” says Spritz author Tahlia Baiocchi.

The aperitivo isn’t really an Italian drink though. Or rather it’s more local than that. Just like America has its bible belt, the Italians have their Spritz belt, one that stretches across northern Italy – Turin, Milan, Brescia, Trento, Padua, Venice and Trieste – and it’s here that aperitivo manifests in regionally specific styles.

In fact, Spritz drinks aren’t quite as old as the concept of aperitivo – which dates to at least the 5th century and was focused purely on the bitter liqueurs and wines. They were born in the late 1800s when Venice was part of the Austrian empire. Here German soldiers watered down local wines with soda water and called it a Spritzer.

Today in the same area a Spritz Al Bitter is made with the traditional wines of the Veneto region – prosecco, pinot grigio and soave – and a bitter liqueur with soda water. In true Italian tradition, the quantities that local bartenders use tend to be a splash of this, a glug of that and a dash of this. But that just adds to the aperitivo’s charm. This isn’t baking, it’s socialising and leisure.

So which drink belongs to which area? Campari is from Milan so many of the classic aperitivo drinks derive from that city. Padua is the home of Aperol and its various cafés not only distinguish themselves in terms of the quality and cost of the eponymous Spritz, but also their crostini and other cicchetti. Giostra d’Alcol comes from Turin and uses Campari, Barbera d’Asti wine and Cedrata.

When it comes to the classic aperitivo drinks, you can’t get away from the Aperol Spritz. Having jumped out of the Spritz belt, it’s practically ubiquitous across the rest of Europe, the US and Australia. But it’s also the most famous aperitivo drink for good reason – the bitterness of Aperol is far gentler than most of Italy’s sharp amaros and as such it has found a firm footing elsewhere.

Beside the Aperol Spritz a few other cocktails have become almost as well loved beyond Italy’s borders; the Negroni Sbagliato, the Americano, the Garibaldi and the Bicicletta.

Modern interpretations of the latter two are the main reason they’ve landed back on cocktail menus, from the Bicicletta at Cub in London which pepped up the classic of Campari and white wine with blood oranges, to the Garibaldi at Dante in New York which kept true to the original ingredients but balanced the orange and Campari to a modern palate.

But what of the drinks we forgot? The Milano-Torino, the Campari Shakerato, the Sgroppino and the Giostra d’Alcol?

Of these less popular classics the Milano-Torino and the Sgroppino are probably most familiar to our ears. The first was born in Milan’s Caffè Camparino in the 1860s and takes

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IN-the spotlight

++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++ +++++++++ its name from the origin of its two ingredients – Campari from Milan and sweet vermouth, traditionally from Turin.

Add soda water and you have an Americano, add gin and you have a Negroni. It essentially represents the bittersweet blueprint for many aperitivo classics, “This is where all of these drinks started,” says Naren Young, owner of Dante in New York. “That’s one I wouldn’t even attempt to try and elevate… It’s an important drink, historically, but I don’t ever see a time where this drink would be a mainstream drink to order.”

The Sgroppino will ring a bell for anyone who’s drunk at 69 Colebrooke Row, or, more recently, Satan’s Whiskers who had their own version last summer. This drink pours prosecco around lemon sorbet with some vodka and limoncello to tie it together. The name of the drink comes from sgropin, the word for ‘untie’ in Italian, and in Venetian dialect roughly translates to ‘little un-knotter’ – as in to unknot your stomach.

The art of the aperitivo is not exclusive to Italy, or even the Spritz belt. We almost get it here in the UK and in as far flung places as Singapore, LA and Melbourne. We all feel that need to unwind after work, to grab a glass of wine and

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switch off – we just overdo it. We don’t add in the delicate art of snacking lightly or drinking in moderation. Free snacks in the UK would mean carnage for starters, but importantly it’s because many of us fail to understand the true art of the aperitivo, beyond the fantastic array of simple cocktails and salty snacks. We forget the most important ingredient, which is leisure. Aperitivo is a state of mind, it’s switching off from work and diving back into your own life. No one goes back to the office after aperitivo hour but in New York you can bet they do after happy hour. Now what’s happy about that?

A meeting of golden-hour light, bitter, low-alcohol drinks, bruschette piled high, a picturesque square and, importantly, the end of the work day, is truly far more than the sum of its parts. It is a state of mind

TCL Partner

EVERYTHING’S COMING UP ROSOLIO

with Italicus Rosolio Di Bergamotto, the aperitivo for modern palates Looks can be deceiving. Not so for Italicus. From the outset – whether winking at you from the back bar or capturing your attention from a store shelf – the stunning bottle, with its scalloped silhouette and distinct, Italicus aquamarine coloured glass, promises great things. Pull the handmade, tiled marble cap, release the cork, pour the liquid over ice, and presto! Your hunch is confirmed.

This is one helluva special drink.

and lavender. St. Germain elderflower liqueur was everywhere. Then there are the perfumes of the last 10 years. Tom Ford Neroli Portofino, Acqua di Gio Homme

by Giorgio Armani, Acqua di Parma Bergamotto di Calabria and Dolce & Gabbana Velvet Bergamot – they’re all full of bergamot. At the same time I started seeing bergamot appearing in food. I wanted to be the first one to put my mark on bergamot in the cocktail world.”

Italicus Rosolio Di Bergamotto is a modern take on the oldest Italian aperitivo – the rosolio. Reimagined for today’s palates by one of the most respected figures in the drinks industry, Giuseppe Gallo, every sip puts Italy firmly in focus.

It makes sense. Bergamot is an ingredient close to Giuseppe’s heart. “I’m from the Amalfi Coast and when I was a child during bergamot season, my mother used to cook an amazing sea bass carpaccio, marinated in bergamot, which was finished with a bergamot zest on top.

It’s still one of my favourite dishes and I’ve always wanted to make a rosolio with that same bergamot flavour.”

Select Italian botanicals including Roman chamomile, melissa balm, lavender, gentian and yellow roses, are blended with bergamot grown in Calabria and cedro from Sicily, resulting in an award-winning liqueur with all the complexity and balance of the most intoxicating scent.

That’s no accident. “I’ve always been interested in the synergy between perfume and spirits,” explains Giuseppe.

“If you look at how trends have been going for the last 15 or so years, fragrance has given us clues where food and drink are headed. For instance, in early 2000 there were lots of Oriental perfumes like Issey Miyake, all full of coriander, ginger and juniper notes. The gastronomy world followed that way too, with restaurants like Sushi Samba and Hakkasan popping up around the globe, right after ginger liqueurs start to emerge in our industry. In mid-2000, we saw plenty of fragrances with elderflower

It took eight years to turn notes on paper to liquid in bottle. And it’s been well worth the wait. The citrussy, floral spiced, agreeably honeyed notes mix perfectly with gin, vodka, mezcal, Champagne and prosecco, or for those who want to keep things low, tonic water; Italicus comes in at a friendly 20% ABV. As for that bottle: “My brief to our design agency Stranger and Stranger was very straight forward,” says Giuseppe. “I simply told them I want this packaging to make every Italian who lives in Italy to be proud of and the Italians outside of Italy to be even more proud of it.”

Job done. Just like the liquid inside.

For more information and stockists, see rosolioitalicus.com

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RUM GOINGS ON AT THE CLUMSIES TIKI POP UP BAR There ain’t no party like a Clumsies party. Whether it’s bringing together the world’s best hotel bars in a century old manor house or hosting the top bars in Latin America on a rooftop overlooking the Acropolis, the team from Athens really know how to show people a good time.

“We come up with different concepts every year – that’s the point, to make something unique each time,” says Vasilis Kyritsis, one fifth of the core Clumsies family.

“Of course, there’s a part of what we do that’s for the industry, but most importantly these events are for our guests – the people who come to the bar every day, it’s our way of thanking them.”

The now legendary pop-ups always start with a theme. Nothing mediocre mind. Each year Lelos Georgopoulos, Thanos Tsounakas, Giorgos Kaissaris, Nikos Bakoulis and Vasilis put their heads together and

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devise a concept that other people could only dream of pulling off. Like their latest vision to host the mother of all Tiki parties – involving a carefully curated list of bars, choice location and an evening filled with worldclass drinks.

Headlining the highly anticipated event earlier this year? Only the very best rum-stars from around the globe. Ask any lover of Tiki and exotic drinks and they’ll tell you, they don’t come much better than Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco, Lost Lake in Chicago, Dirty Dick in Paris, Esotico Miami, Trailer Happiness in London and Baba Au Rum in Athens. The setting to showcase their combined talents? The beach of course!

Where better to capture those tiki-tastic vibes?

Akanthus beach in Glyfada has everything you want from a coastal hot spot: golden sand, crystal clear turquoise sea, palm trees – all this plus easy access from

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Mario Farulla Born and raised in Rome, Mario left home at an early age to travel across Europe and the Middle East where he gained invaluable experience working in five-star hotels and bars such as Four Seasons Hotel Dubai, Marriot group and Galvin Brothers. Back in Rome, Mario now works in Baccano restaurant in Trevi district, one of the best bars in Italy, where he mixes his philosophy with a classic Italian touch. His new cocktails are based on the events that marked the last century and continue to define the present, such as the magic of cinema, the great scientific advances of penicillin and anesthesia and the concept of speed, defined by the automobile and the aeroplane.

Bruno Vanzan Bruno was the first, and is the most, popular bartender on Italian TV. In 2012 he became Benedetta Parodi’s faithful partner on the cooking show I Menù di Benedetta. In 2014, with the judges of talent show Top DJ, he became the protagonist of the bar break moment of the show. After this he starred in Cocktail House collaborating with top chef Alessandro Borghese in the first five episodes dedicated to non-alcoholic drinks. In 2016 he added the best cocktail award at the IBA world championship in Japan to his collection of 112 awards.

He’s also a trainer at Planetone, the most important bartending school in Italy.

Flavio Angiolillo Born in Rome, Flavio started out in the restaurant business, collaborating with prestigious chefs like Alain Ducasse and Gordon Ramsay, and travelling from Monte Carlo to London and the Caribbean. In Milan he discovered mixology, starting in the bar business with iconic speakeasies Mag and 1930, and then opening Backdoor 43, the smallest speakeasy in the world. He’s a business partner in Old Sailor Coffee – a coffee, anise and orange liqueur, and Ginepraio (the first Tuscan gin). His latest invention, Farmily, is the first botanical spirit to be made in Italy. In 2017 he created two new bar concepts: Barba and Iter, as well as also launching three new products: Caroube Botanical Spirit, Maple Spirit and L’Amaro di Farmily.

Salvatore Scamardella Salvatore takes a gastronomic approach to his cocktails – balancing sweet, salt, sour and bitter profiles as well as making sure his drinks are well-presented and great fun. He’s the bar manager of the recently opened cocktail bar Piazza Vanvitelli Experimental Bar in Naples. The concept? It’s half lab, half bar and experimentation is part of the game. There’s a restaurant area, an experimental kitchen and a gourmet restaurant. In fact, it’s a real collaboration between kitchen and bar. Like the cocktails, the cuisine is a mix of innovation and tradition, where even something simple turns into a thing of complexity and art.

The Cocktail Lovers - 39

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Filippo Sisti Filippo began his apprenticeship as a mixologist aged 15, working behind the stick at prestigious hotels. Lessons learned, he worked in international bars, like the Plaza in New York and the Royal Automobile Club in London, before returning to Italy and landing at Rita & Cocktails in Milan. Here he was noticed by Michelinstarred chef Carlo Cracco, who made him head mixologist at Carlo e Camilla in Segheria. This is where Filippo started considering cocktails as all-round gastronomic experiences which lead to the development of his new project – Talea, where all the cocktail recipes are based on the idea of liquid cuisine. By using tools, equipment and techniques borrowed from the world of haute cuisine, they acquire a new variety of flavour, density and scent.

Erica Rossi Erica joined the hospitality and cocktail world almost by chance, with a series of experiences in top American bars, restaurants and five-star hotels. She then achieved success in various competitions, becoming national champion for Dons of Tequila 2015, Turin Vermouth 2015, Challenge On Ice 2017, Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix 2018 and Art of Italicus 2018. In 2019 she won first prize for the alcohol-free category at the Memento Drinking Out from the Box competition. Passion, dedication, research about natural and spontaneous elements and focusing on the use of alternative techniques, such as conscious foraging and controlled fermentation, are at the heart of her work.

Dario Comini Dario followed his father and grandfather into the bartending business. An award-winning mixologist and consultant to leading liquor companies, his cocktails are prepared in the world's best bars, from China to America. He owns the Nottingham Gazebo in Parma and Nottingham Forest in Milan, which has been included among the World’s 50 Best Bars since 2007 and was named among the world’s five best ‘molecular bars’ by the Financial Times. Dario runs Bartender.it with Ago Perrone, Dom Costa and Luca Pirola – a company that has given life to famous international events such as The Gin Day. He’s published four books, including I Cocktail del Nottingham Forest.

Tiziana Borreani and Paolo Baccino Tiziana and Paolo both work at The Balance – a seafront cocktail bar located in Savona, in the heart of the Vecchia Darsena. The Balance was awarded best bar team 2018 at the famous Italian Bar awards. “Our back bar at The Balance,” they say, “features an exceptional selection of spirits, thanks to our unwavering curiosity

Diego Melorio and Andrea Carlucci Quanto Basta means ‘just enough’, it’s also the name of a little cocktail bar (only 37 square metres) in the heart of the Baroque city of Lecce in Puglia. Diego and Andrea opened their bijoux venue in 2013 as the first and only place in Lecce with a wide variety of cocktails and twists on classics. They tried (and are still trying) to do something new in town. Their style, as a street bar, is very simple: no specialist ingredients, just a few house-made drinks using minimal garnishes.

which drives us to study, seek out and purchase the most interesting, and in some cases, rarest products out there... We apply our strong knowledge of the origins of mixology and classic cocktails to develop great tasting drinks with high-quality ingredients prepared with modern methods.”

Yuri Gelmini Yuri has been head bartender at Surfer's Den in Milan for 10 years where his passion for the plant world has inspired the menus and cocktails he creates. Plants, herbs and flowers are his essential work companions, “I observe their behaviour, their requests and their availability. These are aspects that I scrupulously take into account for a successful collaboration – collaboration that does not follow the rule of the plant equals ingredient, but extends to the plant as an idea or inspiration”.

The Cocktail Lovers - 41

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Mattia Pastori

An award-winning bartender (Italian finalist Diageo World Class 2013 and 2016) and consultant, Mattia is a leading figure in the world of mixology. After experiences in the luxury hotel industry including Park Hyatt, Armani Hotel and Mandarin Oriental in Milan, Mattia started Nonsolococktails. com – a consultancy company looking after successful start-ups such as the Bulk Mixology Bar inside the Viu hotel, the takeover of Camparino in Galleria, and collaborating with spirits and high fashion brands. Mattia loves the history of Italian aperitivo and uses a lot of traditional Italian ingredients in his cocktails. Two of his most famous are the Negroni del Professore and the Martini di Milano – designed for Expo 2015 in honour of the host city of Milano.

Marco Ranocchia In 1991, Marco founded Planet One, the first Italian school specialising in American bartending, with Cristina Poi. He deals with bar management training for all the Italian locations of the Bartending Athenaeum and has managed and coordinated various trade fair events in the sector. His latest project is Borgo Antichi Orti Assisi. This new space – containing an inn with 12 rooms, bar and restaurant – is the result of the laborious recovery of an ancient Benedictine convent just outside the walls of Assisi in Umbria.

Here bartenders (and chefs) can do research in the ancient monastic gardens containing thousands of species and varieties of plants.

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Oscar Quagliarini Garagiste, createur de parfum, vermouth, bitter et savoir is Oscar’s 50-square-metre lab in Senigallia, Ancona, where he produces perfumes, vermouth, bitters, gin and tailor-made liqueurs. Oscar works with flowers, spices and perfumes, handcrafting the essences he uses for his recipes. Born in Rome, he has been working as a bartender since 1997, at venues including Il Dopo in Italy, Juleps New York, Pravda in Toronto and Lacerba in Milan. In Paris he collaborated on the openings of Gocce and Grazie. He has given seminars in Russia, Singapore, Belgium, Holland, Berlin and Paris, and collaborated as a bartender for brands such as Ardbeg, Beluga Vodka, Choya, Fever-Tree, La Maison du Whisky, Lillet, Rhum Rhum, Sagatiba, Suntory whisky, and The Bitter Truth. In 2015 he published L’universo di Oscar in partnership with Sergio Gerasi.

Luca Pirola

Luca is the owner of the Cinc, a beautiful cocktail bar in the heart of the historic Brera area of Milan. His career took off as an entrepreneur with the super trio of Bartender.it (see Dario Comini, p. 41). Pirola is the organiser of the best Italian events in the world of liqueurs and spirits including The Gin Day, The Rum Day, Spirits Experience, Grappa Experience and the new Coffee Mixology.

Paola Mencarelli and Lorenzo Nigro Paola and Lorenzo are the two organisers of Florence Cocktail Week, an event that has grown exponentially in only four years and become a reference point not only for Tuscan bartenders, but for the entire Italian bartending community. Paola, food lover and food writer, is a tireless globetrotter in constant search of new trends while Lorenzo started his career as a bartender and bar manager. He now owns Rivalta Café, Copacabana and Dolcevita in the Florence area. He has also decided to follow in the footsteps of the family business by taking his famous Lampredotto around Italy.

IN-focus

When I was asked to write about this momentous event, my mind took me back to the first Negroni I ever tasted.

I was introduced to this Italian marvel by a guy who didn’t have a clue what he was drinking. Not quite true – he knew he was drinking a mixture of gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, he just didn’t know its name. He called it a Gin & It & It. The year was approximately 1969, and I was working for my parents in their pub, The Bay Horse, in Thornton, Lancashire. It was the pub of my Dad’s dreams, and a swell, genuine, olde-worlde pub it was, too. They didn’t actually own the building, but they were tenants there, and the business was theirs – provided they pay their rent and stick to some rules and regulations laid down by the brewery – Tetley’s – that owned the joint.

These were the days when breweries owned the majority of pubs in the UK, and the rules set down involved selling only Tetley’s beer, and buying the rest of the inventory from wine and spirits companies that were allied to that brewery. They also had to listen to Major Mostyn, the regional supervisor, a man who’d show up at the pub every three months or so, just to check that everything was going well.

Major Mostyn was quite a character. Quite a toff he was.

Brylcreemed hair – a hangover from his Royal Air Force days – and a pencil-line moustache; he always sported a three-piece suit, an immaculate white shirt and if he wasn’t wearing a tie, there was a brilliant yellow cravat around his neck. He topped off this look with a cane that he used to take the pressure off his gout.

It was the Major’s job to inspect the pub and the beer cellars to make sure that everything was clean and shipshape, and working in accordance with Tetley’s rules and regulations. Supervisors also kept their eye on what bottles were behind the bar in case the landlord had bought some rival’s vodka, for instance, to make some extra cash.

The Major in question though, didn’t perform any of these chores whatsoever. Instead, claiming his gout was playing up, he’d take a seat in a quiet corner of the pub with my Dad, and they’d have themselves a good old chinwag. And a lot of strong drinks, too. He was a favourite of my Dad’s. He was the excuse Dad needed for a good afternoon of drinking. After all, he was entertaining his supervisor, right?

Major Mostyn was a big fan of a drink known as a Gin & It. No ice. This was Lancashire in the sixties, after all. And the “It” was sweet – or Italian – vermouth.

Although his drink could’ve been popular in swank

hotels in London, absolutely nobody in our neck of the woods had ever heard of a Gin & It, but the good Major swore by them, and he drank these things at a pace that would impress anyone. My Dad, being a Royal Air Force guy himself, kept up with the Major by drinking rum – a double, of course – and Coke. Just a splash of Coke.

Around this time, after dropping out of high school, followed by taking a course in hotel management, which I also dropped out of, my folks gave me a job as a general dogs-body in the pub. I would help out behind the bar, clean the cellars, re-stock the shelves, and I also started my own kitchen in the pub, serving lunches and snacks at night, with toasted sandwiches and ‘Southern Fried’ chicken drumsticks, so I’d quite often get a chance to sit with Dad and the Major, and listen to their stories. Very few of them were strictly true, of course, but they’d been telling their war stories for years, and every one of them was well played out. What I’d give now to spend just one more hour, listening to Dad telling how it was in the air during WWII, something I knew was a lie. He was in the air force, for sure, but he never flew anywhere – he was a gun instructor.

And then the Major took a vacation in Italy, and the next time he visited us at The Bay Horse, he ordered a new drink. A Gin & It, and It. Gin, Italian vermouth, and [Italian] Campari. Equal measure of each. He actually asked for ice. Not just one cube, either, the Major insisted on three cubes of ice. A very big deal in the Lancashire of the late 1960s.

The Major offered me a taste of his Gin & It & It. I sipped a little, and I was in heaven within seconds. This combination was close to being perfection in a glass.

Over two decades passed before I tasted a Negroni again. I’d moved to New York in 1973, and learned about cocktails for the very first time. My next Negroni was served to me by Dale DeGroff, who at that time, in the late 1990s, was head bartender at New York’s Rainbow Room.

“Here you go, Gaz,” Dale said one night as he handed me a deep crimson drink on the rocks, finished with Dale’s signature flamed orange twist.

“What’s this?” I asked him.

“Just taste it and see what you think,” said Dale.

It took just one sip of this incredible drink to whisk me right back to The Bay Horse, Major Mostyn and his signature Gin & It & It. The Negroni is just one of those drinks that makes memories come to life. Happy Birthday, Negroni!

The Cocktail Lovers - 45

01

CAMPARI (25% abv) RRP ÂŁ17 lavitacampari.com Created in Novara, North West Italy in 1860, Campari, in all its brilliant red glory, adds complexity, intrigue and an agreeably lingering bite to all manner of classic and contemporary cocktails.

Enjoy it in a: Negroni

Method:

25ml Campari

Pour all ingredients directly into a rocks glass filled with ice. Stir gently to combine.

Garnish with a fresh slice or twist of orange.

25ml gin 25ml Cinzano Rosso 1 fresh orange slice

Boston cocktail tumbler, ÂŁ14.90, villeroy-boch.co.uk

Photography: Rob Lawson Styling: Tara Garnell Props: Sandrae Lawrence

IN-style

02

CINZANO 1757 ROSSO (15% abv) RRP ÂŁ12 cinzano.com Handcrafted in small batches and proudly presented in numbered bottles, this velvety rich, premium vermouth is a tribute to the creators of the original Cinzano, founded in Piedmont in 1757.

Enjoy it in an: Americano

Method:

25ml Campari

Pour the Cinzano 1757 Rosso and Campari directly in a glass filled with ice. Add a splash of soda. Stir gently to combine ingredients and garnish with a slice of fresh lemon.

25ml Cinzano 1757 Rosso Soda Water Fresh lemon peel

Berlingot Amethyst Striped Wine Glass, ÂŁ85, conranshop.co.uk

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03

APEROL (11% abv) RRP £16

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aperol.com

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Aperol is as popular now as it was when it was created 100 years ago by the Barbieri brothers in Padova, Italy. The brightly-coloured, bitter-sweet aperitivo comes in atXXXXXXXX a low 11% abv but packs a powerful punch, bursting with zesty orange and herbaceous goodness.

Enjoy it in an: Aperol Spritz

Method:

Equal Parts Aperol

Fill a wine glass with ice.

Combine Prosecco followed

by Aperol in equal parts and a dash of soda water.

Garnish with an orange slice.

Equal Parts Prosecco Dash of soda Slice of orange

Opéra Water Goblet (part of 4-piece set), £39.90, villeroy-boch.com; Idra Murano Glass Tumbler, £52, conranshop.co.uk

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04

O’NDINA (45% abv) RRP £34 campariuk.com The Italian Riviera captured in super-premium gin form, O’ndina gets its refreshing, herbaceous character from the 19 hand-selected Italian botanicals, including fresh basil, marjoram, fennel, sage and citrus.

Enjoy it in an: O’ndina Gin & Tonic

Method:

50ml O’ndina Gin

Pour ingredients over ice in a tumbler, copa or highball glass. Garnish with a single fresh basil leaf.

Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic Fresh basil leaf

Boston White Wine Glass, £9.90, and Cocktail Tumbler, £14.90, both villeroy-boch.com

IN-style

05

MARTINI RISERVA SPECIALE BITTER (28.5% abv) RRP ÂŁ20 martini.com Inspired by the original recipe created in 1872 in Torino, the addition of saffron, angostura and calumba are the three rare botanicals that give Martini Riserva Speciale Bitter its unique complexity and distinct edge.

Enjoy it in a: Martini Riserva Speciale Bitter and orange 50ml Martini Riserva Speciale Bitter 150ml freshly-squeezed orange juice

Method: Pour ingredients into an ice filled tumbler/highball glass. Garnish with an orange wedge.

Pineapple Amber Double Old Fashioned Tumblers, (set of 2), ÂŁ78, gurasu.co.uk

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let's hear it for the girls THE ITALIAN WOMEN MAKING WAVES IN DRINKS Think of your typical Italian bartender and be honest, a man will more than likely come to mind. Someone suave, full of character and ready with the charm. Women? Not so much.

“Things have got better now, but when I started out seven years ago, it was very unusual to see a woman behind the bar in Italy,” says Roberta Mariani. “The profession was very male dominated.” You could say the same for the drinks industry in general, but in Italy the concept of females behind the bar is taking a lot longer to catch on. With customers as well as women themselves.

Roberta is global ambassador at Martini, which means she travels the world, inspiring and educating bartenders – male and female – on the finer details of the aperitivo category.

Hers is a prestigious position which owes much to her Italian roots, not to mention a well-rounded bartending career.

But she admits that she’s come a long way from serving coffees and working behind bars in her home town, south of Rome. “It was difficult as a woman, there wasn’t really any opportunity for growth. If you wanted to make bartending a serious career like I did you had to move out of Italy.”

She chose London, “I had some goals – as a visioned person you’re dreaming about these cocktail bars you hear about in magazines.” On her shortlist, the Artesian: “I’d visited London before making the move permanently and fell in love with the bar shelves as well as Alex Kratena and Simone Caporale’s hospitality”; anywhere where Marian Beke was working: “He was one of the first people to come to Italy and do seminars”; and working with Tony Conigliaro: “For his scientific approach”. After a spell at The Sanderson, she achieved her dream and worked with Tony at the Zetter Townhouse, Drink Factory and Bar Termini before landing her current role.

Maura Milia is another Italian who upped sticks and left home to pursue a career in London. Now assistant manager at the highly-awarded Connaught Bar, you’ll find her mixing a mean Martini from the trolley (her forte) as well as keeping things running smoothly on the floor and behind-the-scenes.

“I came to London to pursue a career in hospitality and I started at The Connaught pretty much straight away,” she says proudly. “Being here has taught me so much, given me so much independence and confidence – I don’t think I would have progressed to this level if I’d stayed at home.”

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IN-focus

Clockwise from left: maura milia in a photo shoot for the cocktail lovers; solomiya grytsyshyn; virginie douchet; virgina ducceschi

roberta mariani

All well and good for Roberta and Maura but what about the growing number of talented, no less ambitious females who choose to stay and work in Italy? “There are some good ladies coming up. But the problem in Italy is people assume that you’re there because you’re pretty, so you need to work really hard to get some visibility, or to get people to take you seriously,” Roberta says. Virginie Doucet, a French bartender currently working at Firenze OOO – Out of Ordinary agrees. “The place of the woman behind a counter in Italy isn’t easy. In the two years that I’ve been here, I’ve noticed that it’s hard to be taken seriously for our work. Our voice is less listened to than guys. You have to be really tough and confident in yourself to create your place in a bar.”

You can use that to your advantage though. Virginia Ducceschi from Rex Cafè in Florence certainly does. In the 10 years that she’s been working in the industry, she’s found that being a woman has its strengths. “I’ve used my femininity as a weapon to keep obnoxious people away and bring good hearted people close!” she says. “Being a woman behind the bar in Italy is actually quite amazing.

There aren’t so many girls in this environment and I’m happy to say I’m really well known – all of my friends are male bartenders.” Solomiya Grytsyshyn, who works at Chorus Cafe in Rome, has been bartending for seven years and also views being in a minority as a positive, “A woman in the drinks industry/behind the bar in Italy is very coveted. There are still relatively few of us, and it is still quite unusual and a pleasant surprise to find a competent woman behind the bar.”

The fact that it’s such a novelty might account for, but by no means excuse, some of the negative experiences that a few of the women have encountered at work. “I find one of the hardest things is dealing with the disrespect from guys, thinking that you’re not a bartender but there just to serve them,” says

Virginie. “I’ve been injured by a few customers after saying ‘no’ to a proposal, I’ve also had some problems with bosses in the past – asking indecent questions about my personal life or using really aggressive behaviour just to try to impress me. Fortunately, I’ve had support from male colleagues who understand that the position of women in this work is really hard and they give me a lot of help and respect.”

But as Roberta says, times are changing and thankfully, there’s less machismo and more appreciation for women in Italy making their way in drinks. And equally important, there are more females who see it as a viable career. Still, there’s room for many more. “We have hospitality in our blood,” says Maura. “If you think of a mother or grandmother cooking and hosting a table of 20 people for lunch on Sunday – it’s in our culture, bartending is an extension of that, we just need to find an innovative way of doing it.” For her, that comes from women actively putting themselves forward and taking risks. “For sure we need more women in the industry, particularly in Italy, but we as women need to do more to make that happen,” she continues. “For instance, we have a lot of Italian bartenders coming to The Connaught for internships. We’ve never had a girl. This could be the tool for a woman to make her mark.

If you’re working in a bar in Italy and you want to progress in your career, maybe think about travelling to London, Paris, Athens or Berlin for one of the bar shows; listen to seminars by other females like Mia Johansson, Roberta Mariani or myself. When women share their experience with other women, that has the power to motivate them to embrace the challenge. Obviously, we’re a minority, but that’s good, being a minority means we’re like a flower, blooming. And we bloom more than men – women have different sensibilities and can generally read situations more easily and sensitively. Women should take this on board and say, yes, I can do this. And often, we can do it better.”

The Cocktail Lovers - 55

IN-dulge

FOR INDIVIDUALISTS Hand-blown Venetian liqueur glasses, £POA. massimolunardon.it FOR UPPING YOUR SERVE Metal Ortensia Floral Tray by Fornetti, £600, amara.com

FOR DESIGN BUFFS Matt lacquered wood and tempered glass Tonelli Kart Drinks Trolley, £2,480, gomodern.co.uk

FOR GRAND OPENINGS Chrome-plated ‘Lino’ bottle opener by Alessio Romano for Casa Bugatti, £25, amara.com

FOR ELEVATING THE HIGHBALL FOR SITTING PRETTY Pansè chairs with beech legs, £POA, vgnewtrend.it

Regalia Purple High Ball glass hand painted in 14-karat gold, £52, vietri.com

The Cocktail Lovers - 57

WILL PROSECCO KEEP BUBBLING?

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IN-formed

Yes, says Steve Pryer Cash-cow, enemy of Champagne fanatics, fake-flavourer of everything from candles and lip-balm to sausages and popcorn – prosecco is all of these… and a lot more.

Despite some recent reports of a slow-down in sales, the UK remains one of the biggest buyers of this Italian sparkler, purchasing more than one-third of all prosecco produced (with sales doubling every year between 2011 and 2017).

Other big or expanding markets include Scandinavia, the US, parts of South America and the Far East, notably Japan.

Brexit, if and when it happens, may hike prices, but sales probably won’t tumble as Italian winemakers fear. Yes, cost is pivotal but don’t forget – the prosecco boom began at a time of credit-crunch austerity and cut-throat pricing by supermarket buyers. Everyone wanted a bargain and prosecco is an obvious choice if you seek consistent, delicious fizz at affordable prices. Perhaps, post Brexit, Britons will be prepared to pay a little more for what they love.

Having been a stalwart lover of decent Champagne for many decades, I’m now also an ardent lover of good prosecco – a genuine convert. There’s no confusion in this; one is not a cheaper version of the other. They’re entirely different products and should be drunk and enjoyed exactly as that.

The prosecco area in north east Italy has a huge number of wineries and many are justifiably renowned for exceptional quality. There are stringent regulations in prosecco production; the Glera grape (once known as prosecco and most probably a historical import from next-door Slovenia) is the ‘backbone’ and must make up a minimum of 85% of the wine; it’s a prolific, large, loosely-packed, often bright-yellow grape. Other varieties can be used up to a maximum of 15%; these include local varieties such as Verdiso, Bianchetta Trevigiana, Perera and Glera Lungi, and international varieties such as Pinot and Chardonnay.

There are three types of prosecco: still (tranquillo), semisparkling (frizzante and rifermentato in bottiglia) and sparkling (spumante). Still wine only accounts for 0.05% of total production. All the rest fizzes in one way or another.

Hot tip:

Modern proseccos have an incredible evenness of colour, straight and fresh taste and bright, bubbly and balanced mouthfeel, together with an amazing array of aromas and flavours – the almost ubiquitous apple, pear and citrus notes (and occasional classic sweet-shop flavours of bubblegum, pear drop and banana cream) can often be paired with surprising and elegant floral notes, hints of acacia, wisteria and tropical fruit.

Look out for the special brown neck label when buying DOCG prosecco and a similar blue neck label for the DOC. These guarantee authenticity – don’t get conned by fake prosecco it can be (and often is) dreadful.

A great start to any celebration is a classy Bellini – a simple combination of peach puree and prosecco. What could be easier or more delicious?

The style of prosecco is determined by the levels of residual sugar in each wine. Brut is the driest with 0-12 grams of sugar per litre. It represents 25% of sales and seems to be expanding the fastest.

Extra Dry, confusingly, has 12-17 grams of sugar per litre. This is the most famous style of prosecco and accounts for 63% of sales.

Dry has 17-32 grams of sugar per litre and accounts for 10% of sales.

Demi-Sec is the sweetest with 32-50 grams of sugar per litre, accounting for just 2% of sales. For my palate, there is a great market for this as a pudding-matcher.

Prosecco is designed to be consumed within 18 months of purchase.

Don’t hide them away in some cobwebby recess and forget them.

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IN-formed

Senios

Dante

Kalamiotou 15, Athens, 10560, Greece. facebook.com/ pg/seniosathens (££)

79-81 Macdougal Street, New York City 10012, USA. dante-nyc.com (££)

The vibe: Senios takes inspiration from the traditional Greek cafe of a bygone age and gives it a re-freshingly modern makeover courtesy of the team behind The Clumsies. It’s a large, light and airy all-day establishment that’s both smart and relaxed.

The vibe: Dante has been a New York icon for over 100 years. Its current incarnation celebrates its heritage and retains a strong Italian influence, combined with a wholly contemporary feel. Drop in any time of day with the family or bring your significant other for a relaxed date.

The food: The emphasis is on fresh ingredients and traditionally inspired dishes that encourage sharing and are perfect for accompanying the excellent cocktails.

The Sarikopita rolled pie, volaki cheese from Tinos, feta PDO and black cumin is melt-in-the-mouth delicious and the doughnuts with warm cream and baclava nuts are a temptation to which you must succumb.

The food: Simple Italian food done extremely well is one of our favourite things. At Dante everything is super fresh and lovingly prepared. Our favourites were the Pappardelle all’ragu, braised wild boar, pork and reggiano, and the pan roasted halibut, borlotti bean mantecato and bread salsa. The breakfast and brunch selections are equally delicious.

The drinks: Given The Clumsies connection the cocktails are naturally outstanding. The emphasis is on Greek spirits and local ingredients, giving classic cocktails wholly original and delicious twists. The Senios Martini (Grey Goose vodka, Otto’s Athens vermouth and Myrto flavor) is exceptionally smooth thanks to the olive oil, while the Old Fashioned (Metaxa 12 Stars Greek Spirit, Halvas, Roots Rakomelo, Oak, Smoke and Carob) has a delightful nutty flavour. Try the traditional Greek coffee too. The ritual preparation (using heated sand) is an experience in itself and, if you like your coffee on the strong side, you’ll love this.

The drinks: The drinks menu is superb; extensive and creative, it’s a cocktail lover’s dream. Classic cocktails with an Italian twist, a whole section of Negroni variations, plenty of super tasty Spritzes, eight offerings for The Martini Hour, plus coffee cocktails, dessert cocktails and one of the best non-alcoholic selections we’ve experienced. You have to try the super tasty Garibaldi (Campari and fluffy orange juice), the Red Sky Negroni (Plymouth Gin, Martini Bitter, Regal Rogue, Lapsang and Islay ‘mist’) is exquisite and the Upside Down Dirty Gibson (Dolin Blanc, Cinzano 157 Extra Dry, Tanqueray and pickled onion brine) makes your taste buds feel born again.

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IN-formed

WORD UP...

NEWS, VIEWS, REVIEWS AND HOW-TO’S

ONE FOR THE DRINKS CABINET

L-R: Peter Dorelli, Savatore Calabrese, Guiliano Morandin. Photograph: Lawrence Watson

THE THREE WISE MEN OF HOSPITALITY Peter Dorelli, Salvatore Calabrese and Giuliano Morandin on what hospitality means to them

The Circle Whisky Last year Rosey Mitchell from Three Sheets in London won the first Compass Box The Circle global cocktail competition. Her prize? The chance to create her very own limited-edition Compass Box whisky. She wanted an easy-drinking whisky, something very approachable to be shared with friends – “something with brightness that you can drink in the day.” And by golly she’s done it. The Circle is light and fruity with a rounded creaminess and a wee hint of smoke coming through at the end. Enjoy it in a summery Highball. We bet it will be your new favourite tipple.

6,151 bottles are available worldwide (make that 6,150 – we’re working our way through one now).

Available from masterofmalt.com

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“In Italy the family connection is very important, we have strong bonds and it’s important for us to help each other. One of the things I’ve learnt is that it's not just about the drink. In fact, sometimes it can be a less than perfect drink but served with perfect hospitality – it makes the experience better. When guests come back again and again it’s for the people. They want to see the smile. Everything for Italians has to come from the soul. We have an attitude which says ‘let me make your day’.”

Salvatore Calabrese (The Donovan Bar, Brown’s Hotel); London based since 1980 “Italians are generally extroverts. We’re very comfortable with people and find it very easy to integrate. The saying ‘when in Rome do as the Romans do’ is true. We’re also very easy-going people with no hang-ups. We love people, we love feedback, we love to entertain and we love to please. So, of course, we love it when people enjoy our company and when they enjoy what we do.”

Peter Dorelli (International ambassador United Kingdom Bartenders Guild); London based since 1959 “I think that it’s in the Italian DNA that we like people. It gives us a great deal of satisfaction to make people happy and to see them smile. Whatever someone asks of us is never a problem. If you’re doing something that you don’t enjoy you should change your profession. But if you’re enjoying what you’re doing then you want to share that enjoyment with other people. That’s the bottom line.”

Giuliano Morandin (Bar manager, The Dorchester). London based since 1974

IN-formed

AND SOMETHING FOR THE FRIDGE

The

Cocktail

Girl

In pursuit of London’s coolest bars.

Bar Termini Tempo per un aperitivo! We all have a little craving for la bella vita every now and then. For this Cocktail Girl it occurs pretty frequently… rewatching Roman Holiday; passing a gelato store; catching a Dolmio advert on the telly – quite frankly, the chance to channel my inner Sophia Loren is as welcome as parmesan on pappardelle.

And naturally, the perfect way to ease into the Italian way of life is through an aperitivo – most notably, at Negroni specialists Bar Termini.

This little fella may be inspired by Italy’s most famous dessert, but don’t for a minute think that it’s sweet or innocent. Tiramisu Imperial Stout

by Hawkshead Brewery, takes in eight varieties of malt, dark, rich coffee beans and comes in at a punchy 10% abv. Not for the fainthearted. hawksheadbrewey.co.uk

One of the overriding things I love about this bar is the simplicity. Simplicity of space, serve and menu. The globe-trotters out there will be aware that Termini is the main railway station in Rome. This snug lounge in Soho channels the cafe vibes you’d expect to find in such a location – leather booths, metal luggage racks and a high marble bar for perching fare una chiacchierata.

Served in Nic & Nora glasses, the Negronis are short, punchy and without garnish (who needs to embellish perfection?). You’ll notice each of the four variations are poured from beautifully-designed pre-batched bottles, created

by Tony Conigliaro in his Drink Factory. There’s Classico (a Negroni in its purest form), Superiore, with the warming hints of pink peppercorns on the finish, Rosato (a sweeter, more delicate and floral take on a Negroni thanks to rose petals) and finally the Robusto, aged for longer and with more of a ‘pow’.

Essentially, enough Negroni action to keep you busy as aperitivo hour stretches into a leisurely evening.

Of course, other cocktails are available (my favourite being the Terrior, with its essence of wet stone), but really, it’s Negronis or niente when I pop in for a sip.

It wouldn’t be a true Italian joint if there wasn’t coffee on offer, and Bar Termini also excels in this field. Whether stopping by for a caffè latte and a cornetti at 10am, a charcuterie board with a glass of Chianti for lunch, or cracking on with the cocktails until 1am on a Saturday, you’ll have a hard time convincing this Cocktail Girl that Termini is anything short of splendido.

Notable nibbles So, you’re doing like the Italians and winding down with an aperitivo. What are you having to keep your drink company? You can go fussy or keep it simple. We like these, Basil and Extra Virgin Olive Oil Crackers from The Fine Cheese Company. Add a wodge of Parmesan and you’re done. harveynichols.com

7 Old Compton Street, London W1D 5JE. bar-termini-soho.com

TOP 10 SPOTS TO GET AN ACE Aperitivo OUTSIDE OF ITALY in no particular order (apart from numbers one and two…)

1. Dante, New York dante-nyc.com 2. Odori Vermuteria Di Atene, Athens 3. Amor y Amargo, New York amoryamargony.com 4. Coppa, Boston coppaboston.com 5. A Mano, San Francisco amanosf.com

7. 8 1/2 Otto E Mezzo, Hong Kong ottoemezzobombana.com 8. This Must Be The Place, Sydney tmbtp.com.au 9. Mele e Pere, London meleepere.co.uk 10. Elephante, Los Angeles elephantela.com

6. Heads + Tails, London, headsandtails.bar

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IN-formed

Five minutes with…

Ivano Tonutti, master of botanicals at Martini On the importance of bitterness…

Italians have always had an appreciation for bitter flavours.

Take coffee for instance. We like it with no milk, no sugar to fully appreciate the flavour. We love the bitter aftertaste, it’s the same with the amaro we choose to finish the meal.

Why has the world started to follow our lead, particularly with the growing trend for Negronis? My interpretation is that in the 1980s and 1990s people hated bitterness. Then the Gin and Tonic came along and I personally think that tonic water has played a big part in the bitter experience. So too has the general consumption of coffee – people are no longer drinking so many americanos. Then there’s the fact that people now know that too much sugar is bad so they’re getting used to a reduction in sugar rather than an increase of bitterness – palates are changing.

Of course, for Italians, this isn’t new. For us coffee culture is exactly the same as the amaro, we use it to finish a meal, we love the aftertaste. I don’t brush my teeth afterwards as it will cancel the taste, I love the bitterness.

COOL NEW MENUS Science, art, theatre, history, chemistry, not to mention plenty of wizardry in the flavour department – never underestimate just how much time, passion and skill goes into creating a new cocktail menu. The following get a shout-out Baba Au Rum, Athens – To celebrate its 10th year, the team have created a new 40-page menu, made up of avant garde cocktails and post-exotic rum cocktails with treats like the Bahama Mama.

Blue Bar at The Berkeley, London – Created to take the faff out of ordering cocktails, the new Meta Menu is designed as a flavour and mood map which guides guests to their perfect drink.

Paradiso, Barcelona – More than a little bit of magic is at play in the new Illusionist menu. Expect glasses sawn in half, colour changing cocktails served in a chameleon and an ‘ice cream’cocktail served in a cone.

The Savoy, London – The Savoy Songbook is every bit as classy as you would expect from the oldest surviving cocktail bar in London. Each of the 20 cocktails has been inspired by the iconic songs played by Jon Nickoll, resident pianist and there’s even a live album to go with them.

Drink Blue Bar at The Berkeley

DID YOU KNOW? In its time Italy has had six capital cities?

BUY THE BOOK Okay, we could do without the long title but there’s so much to love about Jack Adair Bevan’s A Spirited Guide to Vermouth: An aromatic journey with botanical notes, classic cocktails & elegant recipes. There’s wonderful detail on the various categories, together with a raft of food and drinks recipes. Like this one: Negroni Bara Brith 300g mixed dried fruit 225ml hot oolong tea 10ml Campari 25ml London Dry gin 100ml inexpensive sweet vermouth 100g dark brown muscovado sugar 250g self-raising flour 1 tsp mixed spice 1 egg, beaten butter for greasing Method: Put the dried fruit in a bowl and pour over the liquid ingredients. Mix in the sugar and stir well to dissolve. Leave to soak for at least six hours or overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 180ºC (160ºC fan/350ºF/Gas mark 4) and grease a 900g loaf tin with butter.

Sift the flour and mixed spice into the soaked fruit and stir in the beaten egg. Mix thoroughly and pour the mixture into the greased tin. Bake for around 55 minutes, until the cake has risen and is cooked through (when a knife comes out clean when inserted in the mixture). Leave to cool on a wire rack.

A Spirited Guide to Vermouth: An aromatic journey with botanical notes, classic cocktails & elegant recipes by Jack Adair Bevan is published

by Headline. Available at amazon.com The Cocktail Lovers - 65

IN-ternational

ITALY'S BEST BARS* *As chosen by Giampiero Francesca

IN-ternational

The Italian mixology world could be compared, in some terms, to football; we have some of the better players, but England has the best league. Probably for this reason, every cocktail lover knows at least a couple of famous Italian bartenders, but almost nobody knows the real Italian cocktail bars. The revolution of the Italian bar scene started ten years ago with the Jerry Thomas Project – the most famous Italian bar. The knowledge of Roberto Artusio, Leonardo Leuci, Antonio Parlapiano and Alessandro Procoli helped to develop the Italian bar industry, lighting the way for new projects “advent e dietro il banco”.

For this reason you won’t find the Jerry Thomas Speakeasy listed here. To focus on different and unknown cocktail bars I’ve also excluded 1930 in Milan, well known for its position in the World 50 Best Bars.

FLORENCE

MILAN

Locale Firenze, Via delle Seggiole, 12/red, Florence. localefirenze.it

Il Foyer, Four Seasons, Via Gesù, 6, Milan. fourseasons.com

One of the most impressive Italian cocktail bars, Locale Firenze provides tangible evidence of Florence’s glorious past. Almost all the main floor was built in the 5th century and the basement, the ancient servants’ kitchen, dates back to the 3rd century. Matteo Di Ienno, head bartender, and his team take inspiration from Florence’s past, its art and architecture, to create a modern cocktail menu. With an innovative twist on a classic list, based on specific research and new techniques like fermentation and re-distillation, it’s truly different from the other bars in Florence.

A 15th-century convent turned sophisticated garden retreat, Four Seasons Hotel Milano is a treasure in the centre of Milan’s fashion district.

Lead by Luca Angeli, the hotel bar has two different lives; in winter time live piano music plays, the fireplace crackles and the cocktails are served with style in the foyer bar. On summer days the inner courtyard, once a garden where the convent’s residents grew herbs and greens, is a natural sanctuary from city life. The menu is that of a modern hotel bar with a short signature cocktail list of famous twists on classics.

Rasputin, Piazza Santo Spirito, Florence. facebook.com/rasputinfirenze

Backdoor 43, Ripa di Porta Ticinese, 43, Milan. backdoor43.dinesuperb.com Opened in the trendy district of Navigli by Flavio Angiolillo, owner of other famous bars like 1930 and MAG, this little place is a real treasure.

“Only four people for a maximum of two hours” is the main rule of this incredible bar. Once you’ve entered everything will be at your service.

A magnificent collection of whisky and a tiny cocktail list, created with premium ingredients, awaits. But if you want to try this exclusive place you’ll need to book it far in advance.

The first and only speakeasy in Florence. After the success of Jerry Thomas, many Italian bars tried to create their own hidden bar, often without success.

This isn’t the case of Rasputin – a quiet and elegant cocktail bar hidden in the popular zone of San Frediano. In a 19th-century atmosphere, with suffused light and old-style decor, Daniele Cancellara and his team offer a little selection of twists on classics made with excellent spirits and liquor. If you can find it, you have to try it.

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Backdoor 43

Surfer’s Den, Piazza Caduti del Lavoro, 5, Milan. surfersden.it An authentic surfer’s den in the winter and a beautiful luxuriant garden in the summer; this is the Surfer’s Den. Opened by Yuri Gelmini as a surfer’s club on the edge of the city centre, this place has become one of the most renowned Italian cocktail bars. Thanks to his gardening knowledge, every year the head bartender creates a cocktail list using and inspired by different plants and flowers. Drinking these cocktails in a sumptuous garden in the middle of Milan is one the most incredible experiences.

Ceresio 7, Via Ceresio, 7, Milan. ceresio7.com Thanks to the architecture firm Storage and the design studio Dimore Studio, Ceresio 7 transports you back to the 1940s. However, this retro look quickly gives way to a more contemporary feel: craft cocktails, delectable and aesthetically pleasing dishes, attentive yet non-invasive service and a minimalist mise-en-table. The lounge area, in perfect New York style, extends to both sides of the building, with inside and outdoor spaces and two terraces with swimming pools. Besides the great classics, which never fail to impress, bar manager Guglielmo Miriello takes a contemporary approach to the art of drinking and bartending.

Octavius, Piazza Gae Aulenti, 4, Milan. replaythestage.com Halfway between a film set and a luxurious yacht and based in the new area of Porta Nuova, this bar provides one of the best examples of Italian hospitality and style.

The briar-root counter, the soft lighting and the exclusive bottles combined with Francesco Cione’s approach creates an authentic and refined atmosphere. The cocktail list has a selection of more or less known twists on classics.

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Four seasons florence

Lacerba, Via Orti, 4, Milan. lacerba.it Inspired by futurism, Lacerba is one of Milan’s most long lived cocktail bars. Indifferent to the passing of time and trends, it preserves its identity as a popular and funny high volume bar. Often crowded, Lacerba takes its name, and subtitle “qui si beve” (here you drink), from the artistic and social movement that originated in Italy in the early 20th century. Agostino Galli and his team use an incredible number of spirits and liquors to create cocktails from Tiki to pre-prohibitionist.

ROME Baccano, Via delle Muratte, 23, Rome. baccanoroma.it In the centre of Rome, a stone's throw from the Trevi fountain, Baccano is probably the most European-style Italian cocktail bar. Known previously for its bistro and oyster bar, Baccano became esteemed in the mixology market with the arrival of Mario Farulla as bar manager.

The early 20th century atmosphere and its proximity to many monuments make it an essential destination for those who want to see Rome. The new cocktail list, inspired by technological discoveries of the last century, is one of the most experimental in Italy Hotel Locarno; Via della Penna, 22, Rome. hotellocarno.com Opened in 1925, the five-star Hotel Locarno is near the Piazza del Popolo in the historic centre of Rome. An authentic guardian of a bygone era, it’s a gem of class and charm. The hotel has an unbreakable bond with the world of art and culture; over the years it has provided shelter to artists, film-makers, writers, musicians and travellers. Led

by Nicolas Pinna since 2012, the cocktail bar is authentic 1920s, offering genuine Italian hospitality and a large selection of twists on classics through to Tiki drinks.

Lacerba

CHHC 1887, Via di Monte Testaccio, 30, Rome. checchino-dal-1887.com CHHC 1887 is a kind of hidden bar, opened on the first floor of Checchino, a famous and traditional al “osteria”,

by Simone Mina – sixth generation of a well-known Italian restaurant family. Checchino, founded 150 years ago for the workers of Rome’s butchery, is where some of the most important traditional Roman dishes were created. Taking this inspiration and using his knowledge of spirits and liquor, Simone takes a unique approach to matching food and cocktail culture at CHHC 1887, such as the Bloody Mary with “coda alla vaccinara” sauce.

Club Derriere, Vicolo delle Coppelle, Rome. facebook.com/clubderriere In the heart of historic Rome, close to the main centre of Italian political life, Club Derriere is a haven for anyone looking for privacy and confidentially. With a smart, elegant atmosphere, this hidden bar, situated behind a restaurant, is the perfect balance of style, hospitality and quality. Gianpaolo di Pierro, bar manager and owner of Readrink – a publishing house focused on cocktail culture, mixes a speakeasy approach with traditional Italian hosting. The new menu, inspired by Christopher Vogler’s “Hero’s Journey”, starts with a one ingredient drink, progressing to more complex cocktails.

Bootleg, Viale Gottardo, 23/25, Rome. facebook.com/bootlegrm Located away from the city centre, Bootleg is a typical, local bar, and probably the most unknown and undervalued Roman cocktail bar. Despite its name, it hasn't any connection to the prohibition period. Opened

by Davide Cimaglia, this small and cosy space is the fastest-growing bar in the city. The drinks list is a little selection of twists on classics, created to “rispondere alle esigenze” of all kinds of people. Open until 4am, it’s the perfect last tappa of a Roman bar tour.

Makai, Via dei Magazzini Generali, 4a/b/c, Rome. makaitikibar.it

makai

Tiki cocktail bars are rare in Italy. But there are some interesting exceptions, like Nu Lounge in Bologna, opened by Daniele Dalla Pola, and Makai, the only Tiki bar in Rome. Opened three years ago in the popular zone of Ostiense near famous clubs and pubs, this place is a truly Tiki bar hiding in the basement of an Hawaiian restaurant: eccentric, rich, colourful and kitsch. You’ll find the Polynesian soul mixed with the typical American pop touch: sharing cocktails, weird mugs, cinnamon and fire. The short, often-changing menu is rum-based with classics and twists on Tiki mixology La Punta Expendio de Agave, Via Santa Cecilia, 8, Rome. lapuntaexpendiodeagave.com The joint venture of two of the most important Italian bartenders, Roberto Artusio from Jerry Thomas and Cristian Bugiada from Freni e Frizioni, La Punta is a real tribute to Mexican culture. The two founders’ knowledge of Mexico and its traditions is clear in the authentic mood, the restaurant recipes and the magnificent use of tequila and mezcal. The Maria Sabina, the hidden cocktail bar inspired by a famous “curandera”, is an authentic small corner of Mexico in the centre of Rome.

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IN-sight

Last word “Straight up with style and don't forget the smile”. That's the mantra of Agostino Perrone, Director of Mixology at the award-winning Connaught Bar in London. It's also something his guests can expect from him and his team. “It's a joy to welcome guests in our home here at The Connaught,” he continues. “As I always say to the team, you come to my house, I offer you a chair to sit, then a drink and some food. It's the same here – that hospitality is in our blood.” Given that hospitality is such a big thing is it a coincidence that 19 out of the 21-strong Connaught Bar team are Italian? If it is, he's not saying: “We simply hire the best people for the job.” the-connaught.co.uk