Stories

Manuel Ippolito

21 August 2019

My Story

The Host

Nationality: Italian
Occupation: Head Bartender
Workplace: Rockwell, London UK
Favorite Cocktail: Gin Martini, Dry, Twist
Favorite Spirit: Scotch Rum

What inspired you to become a bartender:

When I was 20, a friend of mine pushed me to do “American Bartender Course” with him in my hometown of Pescara. I had never been interested in bartending, but after my first day in this Bartending School I found my passion for the bar, spirits and hospitality.

Tell me about your bartending journey and how you got to where you are now:

I started my journey at a small cocktail bar in the middle of Pescara, making cocktails in plastic cups. I still remember my first day, I was so stressed because I wanted to leave a very good impression since it was my first shift. Finally it all went smooth. During this period I had the idea to work outside of my country and grow more within hospitality. I got in touch with a friend of mine that was working in London and I took the opportunity straight away. Now it’s three years that I’ve been working in London.

What stamp would you like to leave on the industry:

During my work period in Italy, I was so focused on the cocktails that I thought it was the best part of this job. Although when I started to work in the U.K I realized that the most important thing is how you treat your customers and how you make them feel, so they can come back to you. They will always remember how you treated them. What I’m saying is that hospitality is all about your customer service and that is what I’m trying to teach my colleagues, good customer service.

Can you explain your personal process for creating a cocktail:

I’m always going for what is seasonal. Most of the time I speak with my guests to try to find out what they are looking for.

What is the most important part of what you do and what does it mean to you:

The first sip. The first sip is the most important moment of our job. From the face to the reaction, we can understand if we did a good job or not. Smiles. Every smiling guest is a satisfied guest. Having a nice cocktail is like when you go to the theatre – if the movie is nice, it doesn’t disappoint you and you come back at home remembering your day, even the smallest detail. A good cocktail, should be an experience.

What do you think will be the future of the F&B industry:

My role is to make sure that my team is working well with each other. This is very important for me because it’s called responsibility. Without that there is no good customer service.

Anything that would you like to add?

I would like to say thank you to Mattia for this quick interview. And a big hug to all my colleagues in London and all around the world!

Most bizarre client request:

Virgin Aperol Spritz.