The Italian bar manager shares his love for his craft and a newfound love for Asian ingredients
Bar manager Michele Mariotti was born to do what he does for a living. That was at least what we thought after meeting the Italian-native, who now helms Mo Bar at Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, on a packed Thursday afternoon.
It was evident in his ability to make guests feel comfortable, treating them like he had known them forever. In between concocting inventive libations that took us on a gastronomic journey through Southeast Asia, he would walk from table to table, chatting guests up to ensure they were having a good time, and never failing to say goodbye as they leave.
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“There is never a dull day when you work in a bar,” a jovial Mariotti confesses, looking like he came out of a fashion spread with his well-tailored suit, perfectly coiffed hair and charming smile.
He admitted with a chuckle that he originally studied tourism in his native country because he wanted to work in the travel industry. That all changed when he took a summer job in a hotel bar in Lignano Sabbiadoro, and discovered that he preferred the “positive energy” people in the bar had because they wanted to have a good time.
He decided to pursue this profession fulltime, sharpening his skills at London's The Blue Bar at The Berkeley, the now-defunct 7 Tales at Sosharu, and the legendary American Bar at The Savoy, before moving to Singapore to take on this “amazing opportunity”.
In between sips of clever cocktails and bar bites, we chatted about his newfound love for Asian ingredients and his plans for Mo Bar.
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