Fabio la Pietra

Bar codex Fabio la Pietra

In Brazil, I learned to be patient. Here, efficient doesn’t mean fast. The result will come – you just have to wait and not push it.

Real maturity is the ability to take guests’ expectations into account and make drinks that aren’t more complicated than they need to be. We’re not selling ideas, just cocktails.

Who am I to judge a guest who wants to drink a “Sex on the Beach?” I’m just going to make him the drink. If he’s happy, I’m happy.

At the end of the day, we’re just mixing alcohol, not searching for a cure for all illnesses.

You can behave professionally without being all “buttoned-up.” Professionalism doesn’t mean treating your guests formally.

The most complicated thing in my work is creating a team and making all of its members see and understand reality. Of course, the main thing is to see and understand it myself.

You need to surround yourself with people who believe in the same things you do. If they don’t, they can force themselves to believe. If they can’t force themselves, then they should leave.

I think that it’s not bad at all to be a little egotistical. It makes you move forward. It also makes you make the biggest mistakes.

I was 15 when I made my first cocktail. I opened a recipe book, and everything was in alphabetical order. The first was, of course, the Alexander. I saw cream in the description and thought, “this is gonna taste great!” It came out very sweet, and I really liked it.

To be honest, the first time I went to a bar with my friends, we ordered one drink each, then ran away without paying.

I think that we bartenders should learn from chefs. They learned to make interesting dishes long ago without using the most expensive ingredients, constantly learn new techniques, and pay attention to the smallest details. They were already doing this 50 years ago, and we’ve only just started looking in that direction.

Get inspired by others, but don’t copy anyone.