In a constantly evolving sector such as that of mixology, Those who have had the opportunity and above all the desire to get involved and train in global contexts bring with them a broader vision of this art. An example is Joseph DiMartino, born in 1994 in Ragusa, an under 30 talent who is leaving his mark on the sector.
At just 29 years old, he boasts several experiences in renowned cocktail bars abroad and his creativity, humility and passion for mixology have led him to stand out and become a recognized face of contemporary mixology.
“To date, with my partner Mattia Cillia We manage more than 14 properties in Sicily and its neighboring islands, including almost all the starred chef cocktail bars such as Shipyards of Fat Sultan, Accursio Crapraro, Peter D'Agostino in Taormina just to name a few – Di Martino tells us – Furthermore Mattia follows the Academy of Ragusa and I also take care of all the kids we have trained and sent to various structures”.
Giuseppe di Martino's approach to mixology
Let's take a quick step back, to when Di Martino began to approach the world of mixology: "At 17 I started as a waiter in Catania, where I married the project of the local Dharma. Seeing the work of the bartender behind the counter, I decided to take the leap with the first bartender course and started working in discos. After two years I said to myself 'Everything is great, I also earn well, but I want to move on to the next step, something more concrete and formative'. There I discovered the world of hotels" Giuseppe tells us.
At 19, Giuseppe Di Martino began working as a barback for the 5-star luxury hotel NH Donna Fugata Golf Resort, but ambition pushed him to move for the first time from his beloved Sicily to land in Turin, more precisely at the restaurant Point of view by Luigi Iula and Salvatore Romano, the same owners of the cocktail bar Barz8.
“After three years in Turin, where I took the AIS sommelier course to get to know the world of wine and Vermouth in depth by visiting cellars and liqueur factories, I returned to Sicily for a pop-up cocktail bar project The Terrace with the starred chef Accursio Crapraro. It went very well and was a real test for all of us."
What led Giuseppe to think about moving abroad was perfecting his English and wanting to know what was happening outside of Italy: “I have always been like this: I love challenges and I still seek them today. I wanted to see the world outside of Sicily, so I left everything to continue with my professional experiences,” says Giuseppe, “I wanted to work in different contexts to learn more and more. Even now, I advise the guys I follow not to stay in the same place for many years: they have to stay in the structures, learn, leave something to the local reality and then dedicate themselves to another experience, otherwise you become flat.”
Experiences abroad and the return to Italy
At 24, Giuseppe Di Martino decided to move to London, where he began his experience at Gong Bar, run at the time by bartender Christian Maspes. “I remember it as a fantastic experience that taught me a lot, especially the etiquette of Asian cultures,” he says.
Subsequently, he landed at theOriole, a London speakeasy awarded among the World's 50 Best Bars from 2017 to 2019. Here he met Luca Cinalli, a key figure in his professional growth.
“At Oriole I learned Luca's philosophy: concentration, constant research, quality, customer service and teamwork. Behind the counter you are a team, you work together, and even today I teach this to the guys at the Academy”.
However, the air of London was starting to feel tight and he wanted new challenges in the hotel industry. “I then decided to focus on the Four Seasons!” says Giuseppe. “They were looking for staff in South America, Washington DC, Dubai and after a week they called me from the latter”.
Even the experience at Four Seasons Dubai It was very formative for the young bartender, who was able to bring to the company what he had previously learned at Oriole and Gong: “The Four Seasons gives you the 70% standards to follow, then each bar manager can put their own stamp on it. The Moon Sky Bar is one of the cocktail bars with the highest turnover in the world,” he explains. Faced with the bar’s volumes – over 1000 drinks a night – Giuseppe decided to introduce the pre-batch. “We would make between 150 and 200 Negronis in the afternoon, so in the evening we would use just one bottle instead of three.”
After the pandemic, in February 2021, Giuseppe embarked on a new project at SLS Hotel Dubai, where he again faced a major challenge. The complex included the S Bar, the restaurant Daughter, run by women only, and the Privilege, a cocktail bar with a swimming pool.
“I arrived three months before the opening and began studying the functionality of the bar counters and the service dynamics. I took on a new job consisting of meetings and staff training, up to creating the drink lists for the three cocktail bars”.
Giuseppe adds: “The owners immediately told us not to emulate the service of the Four Seasons. SLS focuses a lot on the wow effect and here I learned a lot in terms of marketing, especially in creating the drinks list, which first of all had to surprise the customer”.
After two years at SLS, Giuseppe decided to return to Italy, driven both by his family and by the many opportunities that Sicily offers in the mixology sector: "I joined forces with my current partner and today we have been collaborating for 12 years, providing consultancy, training and personally following some structures. Currently I take care of the osteria former Buvette bakery tofrom Agrigento and the cocktail bar Café Time by Chef La Torre”.
Bartender challenges
Considering Giuseppe's diverse and important experiences, both in Italy and abroad, there has certainly been no shortage of challenges: “As I said before, I live for challenges,” he explains. “The first trip to London was difficult: I was young, and supporting yourself in a city where you don't know the language well was complicated, especially entering the world of cocktail bars and not knowing how to express yourself despite your knowledge.
“SLS Hotels it was a huge challenge – continues Giuseppe – because I had to manage not only one cocktail bar, but three to manage, which required as many menus that had different concepts to follow and above all they had to have that famous wow effect which is not too easy to obtain immediately”.
Finally, we couldn't miss our ritual question: what are bartender Giuseppe Di Martino's favorite cocktail and spirit? "Rum agricole is one of my favorite spirits," he says confidently, "especially for the manufacturing process and the culture behind it. As for drinks, it depends on the season: in the summer I would drink something fresh like a Daiquiri, while in the winter I would go for a Rabo de Galo, so something similar to a Negroni."
