Jacopo Lancerin is the bar manager of CuCù in Bassano del Grappa. He makes us two cocktails: one with gin and dry vermouth, and the second with a fino mix of vermouth and honey sour mix.
Jacopo introduce yourself
I was born in 1997 in Bassano del Grappa and, in a way, I grew up behind a bar. My grandfather and my uncles have run our family venue since 1969, and from a very young age I was surrounded by that atmosphere of people, service and conviviality. I believe my connection with the world of hospitality began there, long before I could ever imagine it would become my profession. My education then followed a path closely connected to the land and the transformation of raw ingredients: I studied agriculture and oenology, and it was during those years that I developed a deep passion for distillation. From there, moving into mixology felt almost natural: in cocktails, I found the meeting point between the technical side that fascinated me and the human side of hospitality I had grown up with. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to experience this industry from different perspectives, working as a bartender, Brand Ambassador, consultant and Bar Manager in several venues across Italy. At the same time, I founded 400 Conigli, my own project dedicated to gin and distillation, born from the desire to explore botanicals more deeply and to understand the entire process of creating a product starting from the raw ingredient itself. Today, I am, with Elisa Favaron, the Bar Manager of Cucù in Bassano del Grappa, one of the four venues within the Miotti 1934 Group. Cucù is a small cocktail bar where we try to bring together research, creativity and, above all, a very personal vision of hospitality.
The project that perhaps best represents where we are today is our new cocktail menu, “PANTAREI – The Theory of the Flow.” The concept comes from the meeting of two ideas: Heraclitus’ Panta Rhei — the idea that we can never step into the same river twice, because everything flows and we change along with it — and the psychological theory of flow, that state in which we become so deeply immersed in what we are experiencing that we lose our perception of time and even of ourselves. The menu translates this journey into eight stages and eight signature cocktails, each connected to a specific sensation and a part of the body. The ninth drink is The Mirror, and it is probably the one that best expresses our philosophy. It has no predetermined recipe: it begins with listening to the guest and is created specifically for the person in front of us. For us, it represents the beating heart of Cucù because, ultimately, behind all the research, technique and creativity, there are two very simple principles: listening and care. The visual identity of the menu is also an integral part of the project and was developed in collaboration with Andrea Filippi and Gabriele Moschin, two Milan-based luxury designers whose work spans fashion, design and artificial intelligence. We also wanted to dedicate space to the people and brands who often work behind the scenes, but whose support allows us to keep growing and developing our ideas.
In recent years, I have also dedicated a lot of time to competitions, which I see as opportunities to constantly challenge myself, exchange ideas with other professionals and continue learning. Looking back, I find it beautiful to think that, despite all the experiences I have had and all the different paths I have taken, everything began exactly where I still find myself today: behind a bar.
The classic you want to show us
Martini
50ml of 400 Conigli Gin
15ml of Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
1 Pinch of Salt
The bar you dream of
Rather than imagining the perfect bar from an aesthetic point of view, I dream of a place with a very strong identity. Somewhere small and intimate, where every detail exists for a reason, but above all, where people walk in as customers and, within a few minutes, feel like guests. I would want a bar capable of being technically very ambitious without ever becoming cold or pretentious. A great deal of research behind the scenes, simplicity in front of the guest. And probably with a small distillery connected to it, because my dream is to be able to follow the entire process: from the raw ingredient to the spirit, from the spirit to the cocktail, and from the cocktail to the person drinking it.
What do you do in your time off
Above all, I try to spend time with the people I love. Our work can easily take over every part of the day, and over the last few years I’ve realised how important it is to protect what exists outside the bar as well. I enjoy working out, travelling, eating and drinking well and, inevitably, visiting bars and distilleries. So I’m not particularly good at completely separating work from my free time! But whenever I can, I simply love slowing down and enjoying time with my family, friends and the people who matter most to me.
The spirit you like the most
Without a doubt, Scotch whisky. It is a world that fascinates me because of its incredible depth and the way it connects place, raw ingredients, tradition and time. I love the fact that apparently simple ingredients such as grain, water and yeast can give rise to expressions that are completely different from one another. Change the place, the distillery, the fermentation, the shape of the stills, the peat, the wood or the years of maturation, and every bottle ends up telling a different story.
But what I probably love most about Scotch is time itself. We live in an age where we are constantly trying to make everything faster, while whisky continues to remind us that some things simply need to wait. Once a cask is filled, no matter how much we understand and control the process, we eventually have to step aside and allow the wood, the spirit and the years to have their own conversation. I find something deeply romantic in the idea that someone can distil something today that may only reach its greatest expression ten, twenty or thirty years from now, perhaps in the hands of someone they will never meet. That is why, when I drink a great Scotch, I never feel as though I am simply tasting a spirit. I feel I am tasting a place, the choices made by the people who created it, and above all, the time it has patiently travelled through.
What makes a good cocktail
For me, a great cocktail needs three things: balance, identity and drinkability. Technique is fundamental, but it should never be the first thing the guest notices. You can use twenty different techniques to create a drink, but if the person drinking it does not want to take another sip, then all that work loses its meaning. I like to think that complexity should stay behind the bar, while simplicity belongs in the glass. And if, beyond simply tasting good, a cocktail can also tell a story or leave someone with a memory, then it becomes truly interesting.
What ingredient do you enjoy using in a cocktail
Probably aromatic herbs, spices and botanical ingredients. My background in oenology has given me a very strong connection with raw ingredients, and I enjoy working with apparently simple ingredients and trying to extract different nuances from them. I particularly love aromatic herbs because they can change completely depending on how they are treated: fresh, dried, distilled, infused or fermented. The same ingredient can tell entirely different stories.
In general, I prefer to start with an ingredient rather than a technique. First, I try to understand what I want to express; then I choose the best way to extract it and bring it into the glass.
The signature cocktail you want to show us
Bushido
40ml of a Mix of Vermouth
30ml of a Honey Sour Mix
60ml of Miso and Celeriac Cordial
Where do you think we need to go to interview another bartender
I think two other people definitely deserve to be interviewed by you: Niccolò Amadori from Alto Rooftop in Cervia and Emanuele Primavera from Cinquanta Spirito Italiano. They’re two incredible professionals and good friends of mine who are really making their mark in our industry.