Diageo World Class IRISH FINAL Video

Over the past nine months, the thrill and anticipation built during the WORLD CLASS Whisk(e)y, Gin and Vodka heats, has inspired training events as well as new concepts and ideas in mixology. Since the launch of WORLD CLASS, the very best of Ireland’s bar industry have battled it out through the intensity of the qualifying competitions, leaving three national finalists standing.

Max La Rocca was judged as the most creative and entertaining bartender in Ireland and been crowned with the prestigious title of ” Ireland’s WORLD CLASS Bartender of the Year”

Max will advance to the Diageo World Class Global Final 2010 in Athens, Greece this July, where he will flex his mixology might against 30 of the best bartenders from around the world.

If you can’t see the video properly this is the FACEBOOK link and the YOUTUBE link

Thank you to all the people @ Diageo for the amazing event and to the excellent Judging Panel:
Angust Winchester, Justin Smyth, Tom Doorley, Nick Munier


The Antico Daiquiri

IT: Cliccare sulla foto per leggere l’articolo

English translation of the article:
The choice of a cocktail expresses the guest character or the mood of
that moment; to obtain the most elegance in taste and tone is best pairing each TOSCANO® cigar with the proper cocktail, a combination that enhance the pleasure of one with another, as if they were homozygous twins.

So we like cuddling our readers by suggesting a correct pairing
between cocktails and “TOSCANO® cigars” also explaining the reasons.

— ANTICO DAIQUIRI —
My drink is obtained by creating a “glass bell of smoke” through
the use of the glass part of the shaker put upside down, in which, during the preparation of the drink, half of the “Antico TOSCANO®” cigar burns slowly.

Everything is then shaken together allowing the molecules of the smoke to bind wonderfully with those of the alcohol.

Inspired by the combination between the unmistakable aroma of the TOSCANO® and the Daiquiri, one of the most famous international cocktails, the “Antico Daiquiri” has a wonderfully fresh taste and a really delicate TOSCANO® aftertaste.

Thanks to our Friends at TOSCANO® for the opportunity.

Massimo La Rocca

Interview on SENSEZ.NL

IT: grazie mille a Mr Ming Chao per l’opportunità di essere su Sensez.nl con un’intervista (scrolla in basso per la versione inglese).

ENG: thank you very much to Mr Ming Chao for the opportunity to be on Sensez.nl with an interview (scroll down for the english version).

Interview on BAR-MAGAZINE.SK

LA VERSIONE ITALIANA LA TRADURRO’ QUANTO PRIMA, CHIEDO SCUSA

ENG: A million thanks to Alexandra Tinkovà and Stanislav Vadrna for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts on BAR-MAGAZINE.SK

HERE IS THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

— 1. What do you think is the specific, unique about hotel bars (comparing with other bars), and do you believe todays hotel bars are of the same importance as they were 70-80 years ago?

1a)”TIME” is one of the topics that really differentiates hotel bars from other bars:

The customers usually stay with us for a really short period of time or even only one night, so we want to make sure it leaves our bar with the BEST impression, my policy is.. “going the EXTRA MILE even serving a glass of water”.

This doesn’t mean just finding unusual ingredients for your cocktail program (as most of the modern bartenders seems to be concerned with) but to give the customers the BEST welcome making them feel comfortable, before anything else.

1b)I think hotel bars today are even more important than before.
In the past, the hotel bar was a place where people went to drink and socialize, today, it’s also to conduct business and also to be entertained.

Peolpe like to eat a light breakfast, hold small business meetings or work alone on laptops in the afternoon and managers are changing their views on the bar’s potential whithin the hotel.

— 2. What is the most important thing to have if you want to have the best hotel bar?

A well trained and..most af all a PASSIONATE bartender, it all starts form there.
He is the person that will look after a well stocked liquor display, that will create your ambience and that will make sure customers keep coming back; of course after that, the tools and equipment choosen are very important too.

— 3. What is the pride, the uniqueness of bar where do you work?

Our friendly but elegant approach to our customers…let’s say “italian way”
Times are changing and I think people travelling for pleasure but especially for business want in a way feel more “cuddled” with a not-so-strict approach when they go to hotels even if they are Luxury Hotels.

— 4. What would you advice to a newcomer who wants to work in a hotel bar?

1)Learn to be a good host, ask thousands of questions to your head bartender or mentor..never stop being curious.
2)Don’t make comparison with other styles of bars otherwise you’ll end up not enjoying working there!
3)Watch how your head bartender welcomes people even before learning the difference between a gin and a whisky.
4)Treat the bar as it was your own living room, is the only way the make “the BIG difference”