Giuseppe Santamaria

Type

Bartenders

WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

I'm from a very small seaside village in the South of Italy, in the Region of Puglia (Bari).

WHERE DO YOU/HAVE YOU WORKED?

I was the Bar Manager at Ohla Boutique Bar - Ohla Hotel, Barcelona and am now Brand Ambassador for Campari.

FAVORITE BARS?

The Connaught Bar and The Artesian Bar in London; Capri Lounge in Cologne and Death & Company in NY.

FAVOURITE DRINK?

Negroni

Bad ass barman/rock n roll moment?

When I managed to surprise World Class judges, the Maestros who have seen it all, Peter Dorelli, Steve Olson, and Dale Degroff with my "Gentleman's Secret" cocktail, at World Class in Rio 2012, and listening to them say that my cocktail was the best they had tasted, so far!

Ever done it on a bar?

I beg your pardon?

What's next for you?

I suppose like most bartenders, to have my own place.

Best/worst chat up lines you've heard at a bar?

I'm sorry, but a bartender is like a priest - we cannot reveal what we have heard. Amen!

Tell us a secret or something we don't know?

My very first job when I first arrived to England was as a housekeeper. I was a pioneer, the first male Housekeeper EVER at the Westcliff Hotel in Bournemouth (UK), in 1997! Good memories!

If you were to make a barchick cocktail, what would you put in it?

"Chick Fizz" 45 ml. Tanqueray Ten 20 ml. Rubi Port Wine 10 ml. Fresh squeezed lemon juice 10 ml. Fresh squeezed lime juice 20 ml. Sugar syrup 8 Fresh basil leaves Egg White A dash of soda Smash the basil with the sugar in a Mixing Glass. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the soda and the Port. Shake vigorously and straight up in a chilled Old Fashioned Champagne glass. Layer up with the Soda foam and the Port. Garnish with fresh basil.

How do you like your Martini?

Boutique style: Spray a little vermouth over the glass and serve straight up Tanqueray Ten, at minus 20 degrees. Served with olives and a lemon twist

What did you want to be as a kid?

Starsky! (Of "Starsky and Hutch").