HostMilano is also about mixology, with the latest technologies and hottest trends regularly presented at fieramilano Rho every two years (the next edition will be held from 13 to 17 October 2023). So how is the cocktail bar recovery going now? We asked two well-known bartenders who work at opposite ends of the planet, in Taormina, Sicily and in Sydney, Australia.

Paolo Viola, BM & Consultant Manager at the Morgana in Taormina, says he takes a very varied approach to mixology: “I don’t follow the rules and I’m not keen on labels. I like to focus on authenticity, and pay close attention to my audience. That’s especially important when you have to break down the barrier of scepticism that still exists towards cocktails in Italy. The rules should come from your customers and you need to apply them.”

Have two years of lessons on Instagram on how to make cocktails at home changed people’s attitudes? “They’ve had the opposite effect, actually: consumers are more attentive and knowledgeable now, but when they go to a bar, they just want a good cocktail without having to worry about the tricks of the trade. People don’t go to bars for an educational experience, they just want to relax and take it easy.”

What trends are you seeing in this period of recovery? “Low-alcohol or even zero-alcohol cocktails. There are lots of new brands launching alcohol-free spirits. There again, people are also thinking back to the 1990s, when everyone was drinking Cosmopolitans and Long Islands and letting their hair down without too many ifs and buts.”

How is the ‘recovery’ going? “Very well. All the bars are full again, and the future will be dictated by those who can come up with surprises without feeling they have to do the impossible: using just a few ingredients to create a ‘symphony’ that stays with you. And gets customers coming back for more.”

What about the technologies being used? “You’re no one if you don’t have a rotovap to distil your own spirit.”

“For me mixology means researching new products, and finding the best way to extract the flavour from a single ingredient and create an experience for our customers,” says Paolo Maffietti, bar manager of Maybe Sammy, which was named Australian Cocktail Bar of the Year in 2021 and is ranked 22nd on the World’s 50 Best Bars list. “Its like being a star-rated restaurant, except that you’re serving drinks and not meals, with various methods of preparation that are in actual fact not so different from those used to prepare food.”

As for trends: “at Maybe Sammy we spend 90% of our time working out how to create preparations and drinks and how to serve them in the best possible way, but I think that our patrons still want a good old-fashioned experience, where you sit at the bar and spend time with friends, meet new people, have fun and leave all your problems behind you. That’s why we try to create emotions through our service. At Maybe Sammy you get bartenders with soap bubbles, or wearing strange masks; sometimes they put on little shows behind the bar. Customers want to have a good time and they want excellent, high-quality service.”

What essential equipment do you need? “High-quality bar tools like Boston shakers, Jiggers, bar spoons etc. A Daiquiri shaken in a three-piece shaker and one done with a cheap Boston produce two completely different drinks. And the same goes for back-of-house, where you need sous-vide machines and now the very trendy rotovap to distill infusions, spirits, liqueurs and so on.”

How do you see the future of your sector? “In Sydney the recovery has been brilliant. People couldn’t wait to get out again to spend time with friends and family, and bars really needed that after the two-year pandemic. Foodservice seems to be thriving here in Australia. People are happy to spend money, and invest in opening new places here and abroad, so we’re hoping for the best.”