Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you begin your career and how did you progress into this role?

I was the owner of a company in Calabria and was far from the world of food and beverage. Tired of the Italian financial-political system, I could see myself parting from my company, trying to imagine myself in a job that gave me an opportunity to travel and grow in new worlds and cultures. I decided to spend a lot of money on my training in the best schools in Italy and with major masters. After my studies, I began to travel. Traveling around helped me to work in the best hotel companies and with different concepts.

Define your role and the tasks involved in your role.

My role as a Head Mixologist is as strategic as it is complex. I always have to adapt the beverage program to different factors, company vision, customer requests, and ultimately my vision. In all this, balance is the basis of everything. I can't be too creative sometimes, because it may take time to have an economic return or might not be captured by the customers, but it cannot be too similar to the classic, because the customers are demanding. Therefore the right mix of innovation and classicism is always the winning choice.

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What questions would you ask the bar owner before you plan your sales growth strategy?

It is important to understand the background of the Bar Owner. Some of them already understand concepts of food and beverage so their request and their target are realistic and concrete. This is the best situation because you always get constructive feedback and we end up talking in the same language. When the Bar Owner has never run an outlet, it becomes more complicated and the classic questions tend to be 'What does he want to create?', 'What experience does he want to offer to his customers?', 'Where does he want to go with his Bar?'.

When you have an idea of ​​what the owner of the bar wants, it becomes easier to understand which strategy to apply.

How can suppliers work with you to drive sales?

This is a good question! There are substantial differences between Europe and China. In China, working with Suppliers or Brands is essential because they can really be of great help to your business. Help in sales can be the creation of Pop-Up events and exchange of guest bartenders, which is very common in China, generally in Asia. This also allows you to collaborate between different bartenders and to grow the beverage movement while letting customers taste different styles.

Give us an example of a profitable bar menu program with examples of names and why you have them.

The last concept we developed in collaboration with one of the top 50 Best Bars in Asia was in Guangzhou, South of China also called the Flower City. We developed the concept where we created the taste by washing local flowers and plans. Guangzhou has the good fortune of hosting one of the largest botanical parks where we took inspiration from. We learned the use of sophisticated extraction techniques which gave us the opportunity to create incredible tastes and textures. 

Head Mixologist, Antonio De Luca behind the bar

What do you look for items that qualify for house pour?

Quality is always the word that comes to my mind. Moreover, nowadays in international cities, a complete variety of products must be available.

What are the four main things you focus on daily in your role?

The Mood of the Team, Training, Consistency in the Preparations, and Role Play.

5 ways to upsell drinks at the bar

Maintain very high standards of service, create an interesting concept for the customer, become familiar with the customer, maintain consistency in the quality of the drink, build a good pricing strategy. 

Tips on training new bartenders

We must work on their passion, teach them and understand the balance of taste starting from the classics, and step by step teach them the techniques to create interesting homemade products to combine or replace the structures of the drinks, respect for the raw material is fundamental.

What are the drinks trending in your country? cocktails, brand names, categories?

In China, the current trends are Sustainability and the use of Local Ingredients. Many bartenders are deepening the use of Tea, some Chinese medicines, and even spirits such as Baijiu and Maotai in blending which are giving excellent results. 

What's customer service to you?

Customer service and hospitality are fundamental. The basic ingredient of the successful "experience" is what we aim for. Our goals, the attention to detail, the storytelling, must be perfect in such a way that it creates a memory in the mind of the customer.

Define a good bartender

A good bartender is one who creates an experience to be lived for by the customer.

How do you manage non-performing brands?

I usually try to use them in blending in order to frame their taste from different aspects.

How can you increase your beverage sales with the selection you already have?

As always, beverage items must be consistent with the concept that is being supported. Everything must go in the established direction in such a way that there is coherence and that no one feels confused.

Antonio De Luca concocting up a cocktail

How according to you has the role of the Bartender evolved, especially now during Covid times?

The biggest change we had during the implementation of health regulations was the decrease in the number of seats that made the bars slightly more empty. Therefore, the atmosphere that one breathed before had changed. Moreover, some people feel conditioned to be in places like ours and sometimes you have to be a little conscious in understanding their discomfort and knowing how to put them at ease. In some cases, even the seats at the bar have been removed and for us, it was slightly traumatic not to have direct contact with our customers. This has brought a big change as we now walk in between tables to engage with people in different ways.  

What else do you look for in a brand before saying yes apart from quality, value, and package?

The brand’s ability to support us with promotions and sponsored collaborations between different bars is what we look for.

Give us an example of a common problem in the bar business and how you handle it.

One of the problems that I often encounter is the absence of urgency amongst the younger generation working at the bar. There are deadlines to be respected, experiences to live and accumulate to be in certain positions or to serve certain demanding customers, especially those who know what they want and expect the best. 

Your favorite places to enjoy drinks?

My home. In the tranquility of my home, I have set up a small liquid kitchen where I like to experience most of my drinks.

What's the best and worst part of your job?

The best part of the job is my Clients while the worst part of my job is the Salary Budget. Many times, I have found myself in situations where the staff works hard and deserves more than what they get. As a Head Mixologist, I am aware that it is not my responsibility, but the good staff ends up running away as they are aware of their worth, and it is hard for us to see them frustrated by this situation.

Interviewed By Prithvi Nagpal, Editor & Sommelier, Beverage Trade Network