Luciano Ferlito is the Head Bartender of Villa San Michele in Florence. He makes us two cocktails, one with Gin and Herbal Infusion and the second with Vodka and Lillet Blanc.
Luciano introduce yourself
My name is Luciano Ferlito and I am 45 years old. I am born in Sicily, where my family has a bar, and I work in this industry for the last 25 years. The last 10 years have been dedicated to the world of wine, I was a sommelier of wine and oil with a specialization in champagne. Even if I love my region, it was becoming a limitation and I preferred to move to Tuscany where I began my adventure at the Belmond Villa San Michele in Florence as head bartender.
The classic you want to show us
VS Martini
40ml Tanqueray Ten Gin
20ml of White Vermouth Blended (Cinzano 1757 & Lillet Blanc)
A spray of Herbal Infusion
The bar you dream of
The bar of my dreams would be a place where you can chill while you can nibble some traditional dishes, sip a glass of wine and drink cocktails to take you around the world. I imagine this venue inside a large library.
What do you do in your time off
I enjoy travelling and trying out different cultures and traditions. I am fascinated by oriental cuisine, the first people to develop the culture of umami flavour. I like to experiment with new flavours and replicate them in cocktails, for some years now I have been studying fermentations and contaminations. I spend my free time between a game of padel and dinner with friends where I cook.
The spirit you like the most
My favourite spirit is scotch whisky because it always gives character and flavour length when mixed in a cocktail.
What makes a good cocktail
A good cocktail should be able to leave a memory of the taste to the one who tried it.
What ingredient do you enjoy using in cocktails
The ingredient that exalts me is the vermouth in all its versions (sweet-dry-white-red-oxidized) it is so universal. One of my favourite cocktails is the Martinez.
The signature cocktail you want to show us
Brucoli 88
40ml of Belvedere Vodka
10ml of Lillet Blanc
10ml of Cointreau
10ml of Simple Syrup
10ml of Lime
2 Drops of Pastis
Where do you think we need to go to interview another bartender
I suggest you go to visit Emanuele Di Mauro and his bar is called Soda. It’s located in the Langhe area, Alba in Piemonte (Italy). It’s now temporarily closed because he is moving to a larger space.
Thank you Blue Blazer for making it happens