Federico Diddi is the Head Bartender of Il Sal8 bar Agricolo in San Vincenzo. He makes us two cocktails, one with Tequila and Honey and the second with Gin and Beetroot.
Federico introduce yourself
I’m Federico Diddi, I’m 30 years old and I’m from Livorno, a city on Tuscany’s coast. I started this job when I was 18 years old, in a place in Livorno called La Fortezza Vecchia during summertime for 3 years, as a Barback. After that, I got a bachelor in Economy and I decided to travel the world, and wanted to become a Safari Guide. In the end, I decided to come back home and continue my passion for this job. I worked some years in bars close to Livorno, but in 2017 I moved to Rome at “The Barber Shop” Speakeasy. There I met Joy and Matte. They gave me a new home. I started as an intern but in three years I became the head bartender. In 2020 I moved back to Tuscany and I started to work with Giulio Neri at “Il Sal8 Bar Agricolo”, in San Vincenzo, a cocktail bar inside an Organic Farm called “Poggio ai Santi”.
The classic you want to show us
Salty
45ml of Altos Tequila Plata
30ml of Lacto Fermented Honey Cordial
Few Drops of Olives Oil Infused with Beetroots
The bar you dream of
The bar of my dream would be a bar with a garden where you can grow your fruits and vegetables, where your customer can help you during the day, where animals are free, and where you can share to everyone your passion and your knowledge, where, also your customers can teach you all they know. A kind of an educational farm where there is “no waste” of any kind, knowledge and food.
What do you do in your time off
During my free time, I like to travel, when is possible. On regular basis, I like also to go for a walk in the countryside, to stay with my friends and go out to drink of course. I like also to read books. I like everything you can do away from home. But I like also to stay in front of the fireplace with something to drink, like a good scotch and chill.
The spirit you like the most
I love making cocktails with Whisk(e)y, American, Japanese, Scotch… All of them. I like to make forgotten classics or twists on modern cocktails. I love Whisky because you can have so many different flavours, so you can make the same cocktail with thousand of different nuances.
What makes a good cocktail
For many years I study cooking books, where you can learn a lot about different flavours and combinations. I work a lot on the texture of the cocktail too. I think the texture is the most important thing inside a cocktail, so for me, it’s hard to say that a cocktail is good without a pleasant texture.
What ingredient do you enjoy using in cocktails
I love using my homemade products. I’m so lucky to be able to see my future ingredients growing on the farm where I work: from the seeds to the maturity, waiting for the perfect moment to pick and use them. Is completely different from buying from a market.
The signature cocktail you want to show us
Geosmina
45ml of VII Hills Italian dry Gin
80ml of Beetroot extract
Where do you think we need to go to interview another bartender
You have to go to Livorno at “Alphonse”, a special speakeasy, to interview Giacomo Papi (and all the staff). Giacomo is a wonderful person and a great professional. I’m glad that I can say that we worked together at the beginning of our careers.