Soon enough, his talents got noticed, drawing attention of visiting managers from The Ritz Hotel who invited him to interview and recruited him as a main bartender. Longo’s creativity with spirits grew as he kept the cocktails coming. Not like in Rome, where it’s one and that’s it.” “People drink all sorts of cocktails in London, and they drink more than one. “London was where I really began to realize the importance of being a bartender,” he recalls. So he took a job as a bar back at Hotel de Russie, and quickly found a mentor in the manager of the hotel’s landmark Stravinskij Bar, who educated him “slowly and seasonally.” While his talents behind the bar progressed, Longo knew he needed to advance his English, so headed to London and landed behind the bar of a five-star hotel. “My dream from childhood was to open a coffee shop, but I didn’t like getting up early. Born and raised in Rome, he grew up longing to follow his grandmother and sister, both chefs, into the restaurant business. Four Seasons wanted to do something different here, and management has been very open-minded. “The Surf Club was the place that hosted Hemingway and Sinatra back in the day. The perfume concept is particularly well suited to the legendary address – and Longo counts himself fortunate to be where he is. “The first thing I would noticed whenever I walked into a place was the aroma: candles in a spa, seafood in a fish market.” Result? A “different style of cocktails people don’t expect.” “I went from north to south getting inspired,” he remembers. Rather, he was inspired by scents that he noticed during a two-month backpacking trip in Japan. Longo didn’t glean his cocktail concept from a competing bar or beverage industry report. The Winter Harvest combines Diplomatico Reserva Exclusiva Rum, Galliano Ristretto Coffee Liqueur, and Amaro Lucana with a Valrhona chocolate stick and a spray chocolate essence. Spring in the Field tops vodka, Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur, clarified cucumber and tomato water, and lime with an edible flower and a spray of basil olive oil. Hint of Woods, for instance, finishes Gra’it Grappa, Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur, lime juice, rosemary syrup and Top Ginger Beer with a honey-and-rosemary essence. The bar concept Longo has created is built around “perfumes” – a.k.a., “edible aromas” – that, thanks to a recommendation from a team member, he sources from a Chicago-based “cocktail apothecary.” Like a stylish couple headed out for an evening, every one of the bar’s signature cocktails gets a spritz of aroma en route to the guest. “When people go to a restaurant they expect something different from the chef, not from the bartender. “We are creating things that take people to different places,” explains Valentino Longo, who as Head Bartender oversees every detail behind the elegant four-cornered bar, including and especially the menu. One sip of something from the cocktail menu, however, and guests may find themselves transported somewhere else. With its intricately arched ceiling, towering chandeliers, verdant potted palm trees, and long history as a celebrity haunt, Le Sirenuse Champagne Bar at Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club is nothing if not a destination to experience the New Golden Age of Cocktails. Languages - Italian, English, some Spanish Employment History - La Moderna, Miami and Rome Bam Bou Speakeasy and Restaurant, London The Ritz Hotel, London Northall Bar, Corinthia Hotel, London Stravinskij Bar, Hotel de Russie, Rome
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