Dom Carella is the owner and Bar Manager of Carico in Milan. He makes us two cocktails, one with Watermelon Water and Whisky and the second with Vodka and Bloody Mix.
Dom introduce yourself
Hi, my name is Dom Carella and I am from Basilicata, a region well known for its regional cuisine. My passion for food and drink comes from my 10 years of experience as a chef. From there I moved to the cocktail industry and worked in a similar way to my cooking but in a liquid form. I blend my knowledge of ingredients and flavours to create cocktails that balance texture and taste, in a minimalist approach. It’s all about good raw materials and respect for them. Travelling is part of my background and I worked in many bars like Dry Milano, founded by Michelin-starred Andrea Berton, and BOKAN in Canary Wharf in London. Then I moved to Hong Kong, where I was the beverage manager of Pirata Group, where I’ve been involved in opening and creating dozens of innovative food and beverage concepts. I also lived in Shanghai where I managed the beverage program of the 2 Michelin stars 8 1⁄2 Otto e Mezzo Bombana…. I went back to Milan in 2019, where I’ve been involved in the restructuring of the Langosteria group and the general management of operations of the Aimo & Nadia Group. Then I decided to open my own concept place, Carico, a contraction of Casual Risto Cocktail. As a martini lover, I create in the venue an innovative “Martini Room”. It is an intimate place, 7 seats in a crescent and at the same counter. You buy time based on 3 formulas: 30, 60 or 90 minutes, within time, the martinis and twists are unlimited and served in half-drink cups so you have the opportunity to taste more types, while, in addition to a small one welcome drink, dishes are served every 15 minutes. They are made by Leonardo D’Ingeo, our chef.
The classic you want to show us
Rob Roy
20ml of White Vermouth
40ml of Watermelon Water
40ml of Johnnie Walker black Whisky
The bar you dream of
Carico is already my dream place because it’s a place where the guest is in the centre, where nothing is obvious, acceleration of ideas is a must and a big eye on service and respect is the base…. A place where customers can go every day and find something new, regarding food and drinks, from aperitif to dinner or late nights.
What do you do in your time off
In my time off I’m working on consultancy or building new concepts. At this moment luckily, I haven’t that much time off.
The spirit you like the most
I would say gin, but also scotch as they are like day and night, cold aromas versus warm. But if I have to choose one, as I’m a martini lover I would choose gin, plus we have our martini room here. So different types of gins and martinis that you can make from dry to dirty, or twists like gibson or vesper.
What makes a good cocktail
For me, there are stages. Starting from absolutely perfect raw materials, then a nice approach in techniques. But in the end, contextualization and taste are linked to place and time. For instance, in Italy, we drink differently than in Taiwan. In the ’90s the palate was different than now.
What ingredient do you enjoy using in cocktails
I am addicted to fig leaves, but more widely I really love to use what nature is about to throw away and try to find a new life for it.
The signature cocktail you want to show us
Our Mary
2kg of Yellow and Red Tomatoes
The Yellow ones (datterino giallo ) with 5 gr of oregano, 4 mint leaves, basil vinegar and jalapeño, 150 ml of balsamic vinegar and 200 ml vodka
Filtered and Bottled
The Red ones (ciliegina rosso) with 3 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, 10 drops of Tabasco, 1 spoon of Olive oil, 5 gr thyme, 1 pc of black garlic, 150ml lof lemon and 200 ml of Vodka
Filtered and Bottled
Poor the Two Bottles at the same time in a Glass
Where do you think we need to go to interview another bartender
I truly believe that Aki Wang can tell a good and interesting story about this world
Thank you to Blue Blazer for inviting us to Milan and making this interview possible.
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