Marco Tagliabue : Creps al Born (Barcelona)

Marco Tagliabue, is head bartender at Creps al Born in Barcelona. He makes two cocktails for us, one is with Bulleit Rye and Campari, and the second is with Cachaça and spinach.

Marco introduce yourself
I’m Marco Tagliabue, head bartender at Creps al Born in Barcelona. I am 27 years old and I come from Lake Como in the north of Italy. When I was 19 years old I decided that I needed to move to a big city where things happen, so I moved to London. I began working in a coffee shop like most Italian boys. But I am not good in the mornings so they moved me to the night shift and that’s where I discovered the cocktail world and hospitality. So, in the end this job found me and I worked as a bartender for 4 years in London, then moved to Barcelona which is also very cosmopolitan and with similar products from my region in Italy. The cocktail scene is still quite young here so a lot of concepts can work. My first job here was at the W Hotel on the beach and then at sky bar for a year and a half. One of my best friends, Juan who is the manager of Creps al Born suggested I come to work with him… that was 2 years ago. In the beginning it was just a crepe place and we had the opportunity to develop the drinks side and it worked very well. Crepes are quick bites to eat with cocktails before or after dinner. It’s easy going, we are like a big family and it’s lots of fun. Each season we change the menu, the decoration, but it always stays a local bar where people can feel like they are in their living room.

The classic you want to show us
Chat Noir (Boulevardier twist)
40ml of Bulleit Rye whiskey
25ml of Dubonnet rouge
30ml of Campari
4 drops of tincture of truffle salt
1 dash of angustura bitters

The bar or party you dream of
The bar of my dreams would be a place with live music in the night and a DJ afterwards, maybe a ballroom in the days.
It would be a place to dance with good cocktails and food. A fabulous experience in a friendly atmosphere for 50-60 people.
When I get out with friends or a lady, it’s more about cosy bars like Collage. For fun I can come here at Creps or for good cocktails Ohla bar.

The spirit you like the most
For cocktails, I prefer to work with gin, maybe because of my introduction to cocktails in London. You have a big spectrum of flavor and it was the first spirit infused with spices… each one is a reflection of the master distillers who blend it.

What makes a good cocktail and which product do you want to highlight at this moment
A good cocktail for me is a drink which leaves memories with a person. You should feel a snap, an elaborate or weird mix, whatever. That’s what I try to create with my drinks.
The other products I want to highlight are Amaro’s from Italy. I grew up with them and my favourite one is Braulio, which has a small batch production. It can add bitterness and sweetness and I love it’s complexity.

The signature cocktail you want to show us
Popeye Sour
50ml of Cachaça Capucana
30ml of lime
25ml of almond syrup
1 slice of ginger
10-12 spinach leaves
Several sprays of Mezcal

Where do you think we need to go to interview another bartender?
You should go to meet Damien a French guy at Baxter inn in Sydney. He’s one of the first guys I met in this industry. Also go and see Dario Comini at Nottingham Forest in Milan.

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