Classy, stylish, timeless: Milan’s Principe di Savoia is the embodiment of the Dorchester Collection’s unwavering character. It follows, then, that the hotel’s cocktail bar, Principe Bar, is equally as elegant.
The bar recently welcomed Daniele Celli to take the helm as the new bar manager, bringing with him a wealth of creative mixology talent. Born and raised in Abruzzo – a picturesque verdant region of Italy to the east of Rome – Celli had his first taste of bartending while traveling Australia, but it was only once he returned to his home country that he sought a professional career in the industry. Here, he competed in several competitions and honed his skills in a number of cocktail bars.
While the negroni didn’t originate in Milan (it is to Florence that we give thanks for that iconic cocktail), the city’s aperitivo culture is one of the biggest in Italy – and the spagliato (the negroni’s trending cousin) is said to have first been whipped up here.
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However, despite the city’s status as cocktail hotspot, Celli is on a mission to bring something a little different to the Principe Bar. “My objective is to be able to inspire clients to try something different, so I choose to work on the quality of products to focus on the drink list rather than the food or the traditional concept of Milanese aperitivo,” he says.
As a result, his new drinks menu features a selection of classics (some of which date to the 1800s) as well as a number of signatures. Among them is the 100 Cavalli – a fun mix of rum, black tea and chestnut.
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Ingredients:
– 50ml Rum Zacapa 23
– 120ml chestnut sherbet
– 65ml orange pekoe black tea
– 1/2 lemon
– 1 lime
Method:
Pour the juice of the ½ lemon and whole lime into a highball mixing glass and add the rum, chestnut sherbet and orange pekoe black tea. Stir to combine and add a stick of ice. No garnish necessary.