Your current place of work

Donovan Bar at the Brown's hotel

Tell us about yourself 

I am a 25 years old bartender who has lived in London for 6 years. I have been involved in Hospitality in different capacities, since the age of 14. I have started my journey at the Hospitality College I used to go to back home in Italy. There I learned the basics of service and I have grown interested in the bar. After coming to London, I collected numerous experiences around Mayfair and in the meantime graduated from the University of West London in Hospitality management.

Why did you want to become a Bartender?

My very first Bar Manager back home in Italy taught me that Bartenders used to be greatly respected in society, during the Dolce Vita, and even after, they were seen as true gentlemen and masters of Hospitality. 

I was captivated by this so I wanted to be perceived with such respect too. 

What are some of the most important skills for a Bartender?

I believe that a bartender needs to have great prioritization skills. There is nothing more important than understanding what is important at any given minute. Which drink do I make first, and which one goes on the pass first? Which guest do I attend to first? The list goes on and on. Being able to understand priorities allows you to maximize your productivity during service by optimizing time, and while this may be a very intense and demanding frequency to keep your brain at, it is balanced out by the fact that service will feel a lot smoother when everything happens timely. 

What do you look for when you plan to buy new products for your business? 

I look for something that could cater to a need that I haven't been able to cater to until now. Regardless if it is something new on the market or something that existed already, the key is that it needs to bring value to what I do.

If you had to pick one spirit brand that you love, which one would that be?

Whisky has been the most consistent spirit category in terms of preference. Since I was old enough to drink.  

What's the best part of your job?

The best part of my job is being able to come across people from everywhere in the world and build actual relationships with them. Furthermore, bartending allows you to travel the world too, so you can explore different places every time. Other great aspects of my job are linked to gaining interpersonal skills and understanding how to make people feel great.

Please share some tips to increase beverage sales in a Bar.

The Key to a successful bar is not ordering but reordering.

Build an environment where people feel like they don't want to leave, and focus on the cocktail quality so that guests want to explore more and try new flavors. Work on the steps of service so carefully that the service itself will grant the appropriate speed for guests to enjoy their time without the frustration related to waiting too long. Invest in training for your staff so that they can give back to the business by providing excellent service by using their advanced knowledge. Lastly, make sure you invest in your people to promote retention because nobody will do a job better than someone who knows the ins and outs of your bar. 

What do you love hearing as a bartender?

My favorite thing to hear is someone saying their name to introduce themselves whilst sitting across my bar. That is the moment when the relationship is being built. Now every trait of the experience will become more personal

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How can a customer get your attention in a crowded bar?

It should always be us noticing them by keeping our heads held high. On the other hand during a busy service, it is not always realistic to be looking at the guest the entire time, simply because you are looking elsewhere. Eye contact is always the best way. A good bartender will always glance at the crowd as often as he can, so be ready to exchange the look to make him understand you are waiting to be attended to. This is also true for Floor Staff 

Mayfair's hotel bars are the stuff of legend and The Donovan Bar is up there with the best. It stands to reason then that the man behind the menu is none other than Salvatore Calabrese – AKA The Maestro, inventor of the Breakfast Martini and holder of the Guinness World Record for creating the world's most expensive cocktail. Named after legendary Swinging Sixties photographer Terence Donovan, his fascinating works adorn the bar and the theme continues through the cocktail list. Drinks are refined and elegant, with choices including Salvatore's Martini: frozen Belvedere vodka or frozen Tanqueray No. 10 and Martini Extra Dry served with a twist or olive.

What is your go-to "surprise me" order?

I do not think I could narrow it down to one order because guests will have different preferences. Something that will blow you away might be not good enough for the next guest. Instead, I tend to have one to three options available for each of the main styles of drink: Robust, mellow, Sour, Light, and Refreshing 

Please name 3 bars that you admire and why?

It is very difficult to pick only three, as this industry is so diverse and full of inspiration. 

In my experience, however, I have come across a few bars that simply stood out from the crowd, and I love when they can unapologetically be themselves. If I were to name what comes to mind right on the spot I would say Side Hustle and Amaro Bar, where the people are so technically gifted and so great at setting the Vibes high and being Hospitable. 

Last but certainly not least, Drink Kong in Rome. They had the bravery to do something completely different from the masses in a country where the cocktail culture has never been the greatest.

Any good customer story that you recall that comes to mind

I think the somewhat funny story I always think about in terms of requests, is that time I was based at the Lanesborough and I found myself carving a fish on the bar top. A resident who had been coming to the bar for three days in a row had expressed his desire to have a whole fish, I think it was a sea bass, and because we had built a nice relationship and quite some banter, he challenged me to carve it for him. Luckily it was daytime so I was not exactly swamped with tickets, so I was able to take on the challenge, which I completed successfully. I think more than anything I think of this moment to remind myself of what lengths I would go to make someone's experience.

Header Image: Simone Ciambrone; Source: Facebook