From Ortigia to Ortigia. The meters that divide the old I stagger – cocktail bar opened in 2012 by the still owners Martina Marchese and Giuseppe Aloschi – from new there aren't even a thousand. However, it cannot be said that everything has remained as before, far from it. Now, the modern and bright environments pay homage in every way to the work of the bar manager Andrea Franzò, which in this new location also has at its side a chef with an important curriculum: Davide Cucuzza.
The environments
From via Pompeo Picherali to Piazza Cesare Battisti. This is the shift that, in June 2023, he made the Barcollo cocktail bar. Now, it is located inside the nineteenth-century Palazzo Giaracà, in a more lively area of the city, as are the spaces. In fact, if the previous cocktail bar was almost monochromatic, the rooms of the new establishment are a triumph of colours. From the imposing marble and brass counter to the flowers on the wallpaper and part of the ceiling, up to the colorful chairs, ranging from powder pink to petrol blue. Even the chandeliers, which are often an 'obligatory' furnishing element, here give a different light.
Mixing
The mixing philosophy of Andrea Franzòhas evolved over the last few years. If its drinks are confirmed to be particularly refined in terms of aesthetics and in the proposal of particular combinations, in which they always appear homemade personal, a change of choice should be highlighted. The territory, once more present among the raw materials used, now only serves as a backdrop to international recipes that aim to look well beyond the island.
The drink list of the new Barcollo is divided into three sections: Special, International and Soft drinks.
The Special they are signatures, the result of research which, over the years in which Andrea remained at Barcollo - now eight - has continued to grow. In total, there are twelve choices from which you can range. I'm on a diet is an Old Fashioned made with salted caramel instead of sugar, peanut butter bourbon and grapefruit bitters, It's Not a Paloma is made with mezcal, raspberry limoncello and pink grapefruit, and the Vegan is a blend of four liqueurs: elderberry, green apple, bergamot and mandarin. The International are twelve classics of world mixing performed to perfection: fromOld Fashionedfrom the Tommy's Margarita, passing through the Bloody Marys and for the more contemporary St Germain Spritz. Some of these, like the Paloma or the Negroni, they are then also presented again in the section Soft Drinks, in a non-alcoholic way, through the use of dealcoholized bases. This is also the case with Moscow Mule free, with non-alcoholic vodka, or of Free mojitos, prepared without the presence of white rum. The menu is completed with a small but careful selection of craft beers and local bitters, ideal to enjoy after dinner.
The kitchen
Barcollo's cuisine is the expression, in tapas and dishes, of the philosophy of thought of the chef Davide Cucuzza. If the inspiration is almost always given by Italian and international tradition, the choice of ingredients, the cooking technique or the way the dish is served are always personal and contemporary.
Among the tapas, the bao with octopus ragù, ricotta and toasted corn and the savory cannoli with creamed cod, coffee powder and katsuobushi stand out. Among the dishes, there is no shortage of interpretations of Vitello tonnato and aubergine parmigiana, which are accompanied by the chef's signatures, such as the crispy egg cooked at low temperature, breaded, fried and accompanied by sautéed spinach, pecorino foam and black truffle of Palazzolo. Among the desserts, however, the most popular is a reinterpretation of the Magnum: a hazelnut, coffee and whiskey ice cream stick.
The bar manager
Born in Syracuse in 1990, Andrea Franzò he was born as a waiter, a profession he began learning at the young age of 16, in local pizzerias and restaurants. In 2015 he arrived at Barcollo, a cocktail bar with kitchen where he became passionate about the art of mixing. Hence, the idea of doing a first basic bartending course, followed by thematic masterclasses and the first evenings in which one shows off as a bartender: "in very different cocktail bars: street but also set in five-star luxury hotels". After just three years from day one to I stagger, Andrea becomes the bar manager. Andrea studies and participates in competitions in the sector, placing first in a bartending competition dedicated to Eastern Sicily and third in the Italian final of The Vero Bartender of Amaro Montenegro. In the meantime, the place becomes an unmissable destination for cocktail lovers. The Andrea's favorite drink is the Old Fashioned. His favorite spirit, however, is no longer there: what he is passionate about in general is the world of beverage, which also extends to wine, of which he is a second level sommelier.
The executive chef
Born in Syracuse in 1991, Davide Cucuzza he started getting his hands dirty in the kitchen at a very young age. After attending the Hotel Institute in Modica, he enrolled at ALMA, one of the best Italian culinary training academies. Immediately afterwards, she began to "work her way up": first at the 2 Michelin star La Peca, then at the 1 Michelin star restaurant of Accursio Craparo La Gazza Ladra and finally at the Enoteca Bordò by the cook Bordonaro, a former student of Craparo, where in a few years she became sous chef. In the two summers in Turin, he dedicated himself to as many internships: with Vincenzo Candiano at the Locanda Don Serafino in Ragusa and with Enrico Crippa at the 3 Michelin star Piazza Duomo in Alba (CN). In 2017 he returned to Sicily, to work at the Taverna Migliore in Modica (RG), in Porto Cervo (SS) by chef Mario Tirotto, and then again in Modica, by Accursio, as sous chef of the Osteria Radici. In June 2023 Davide takes on the role of executive chef for the first time, at Barcollo. His favorite cocktail is Gin Tonic, his spirits mezcal and whiskey.
