Stories
Giuseppe Ragusa
My Story
Alla tua!
- Nationality: Italian
- Occupation: Bar Supervisor
- Workplace: Margot Restaurant
- Favorite Cocktail: Martinez
- Favorite Spirit: Scotch Whisky
What inspired you to become a bartender:
I think that being a bartender is way more than what people think it is nowadays. It’s a lifestyle, it’s studying and it’s detail-catching everything everyday. The knowledge and the absolute elegance of this job has got me involved since I was more or less 16 years old. The power and the skills of creating something mouth-watering for my guest was, back then, a unique feeling which was indescribable for me. Pleasing different palates and accommodating guests has always been a sort of great sensation for me and that’s maybe what inspired me to be a bartender for the rest of my life. The feeling of giving a special experience just with a sip.
Tell me about your bartending journey and how you got to where you are now:
Everything started when I was 16, in a hot typical summer in my little city in the south of Italy. I was working as a lifeguard during the day and helping my boss as a bar back at night. It came spontaneously, night after night I was amazed by the vibes of that environment, so I decided to take it very seriously. I graduated in Tourism and Economy school but during those years I kept improving myself in the bar world and as a bartender figure. While falling in love with this world, I decided it was time to get myself the proper knowledge about it. I attended various courses in a bartending school. At 18 years old I was proudly creating and mixing drinks in the main bar of my hometown, the same bar that I call “home” because that is where everything started and where I met two of my mentors in the bar industry! At the age of 19 I moved to London, starting as a bartender in this beautiful restaurant in the heart of Covent Garden, called Margot which I would define as my “London family” thanks to the great people who are behind that place. Nowadays I still work at Margot as Bar Supervisor with a great team with me.
What stamp would you like to leave on the industry:
Leaving a stamp on this industry is for sure not an easy thing to do, but personally I would like to be able to show what being a bartender means, how important and difficult our job is. Let’s be clear, bartenders are not those who splash any sort of booze inside a glass to get you drunk. There is so much more of a life behind that. Every bartender is like a chef somehow, creating, tasting, correcting and presenting an experience for your palate and for your senses.
Can you explain your personal process for creating a cocktail:
To create a cocktail I personally first study which kind of feelings I want to transmit through that drink. Then after searching the best products and ingredients for it, I simply try a few different styles to find out which one would evaluate that drink at its best.
What is the most important part of what you do and what does it mean to you:
For me the most important part is that we should be loyal in our work and be down to earth and if we follow these two things, we will never let ourselves down. I want to share my five rules which have helped make me perfect my work.
1. Grooming, 2. Communication, 3. Punctuality, 4. Knowledge, 5. Responsibility
For me these are the five pillars of my success and if I work on all these things the way I have, I will be perfect. I also want to see other bartenders do this because, for me, it’s simply the key to my success. The most important part of what I do are my guests, the experiences that I am able to gift them after just sipping a drink, the smiles on their faces when they get what I wanted to represent with that cocktail. It really means everything to me, because that has always been my goal!”
What do you think will be the future of the F&B industry:
I am afraid to say that pre-batching is really taking over nowadays! I am not a huge fan of it, I wish we could go back to when preparing a drink took almost 8-10 minutes. People say regarding pre-batching, “work smarter, not harder” but I say “classic is history”.
Anything that would you like to add?
How young you are doesn’t mean anything, success is not a dream you have to work out for!
Most bizarre client request:
“Oh my God I love tequila, can I get a perfect Manhattan no vermouth?” I mean, are you serious?