In Dubai the mixing scene is always growing. The reason? Innovation has always been the word that characterizes one of the most modern metropolises in the world. Three years after the last time, we interviewed one of the most important celebrity endorsement from the Italian mixology in the most important city of the United Arab Emirates: the bar manager of Blind Tiger, cocktail bar of the 5 star hotel Jumeirah Al Naseem, Francesco D'Arienzo.
The current scene in Dubai
Dubai is always in great excitement. “Compared to five years ago, there are three/four times as many venues. There is a great demand for Italian staff, for the difference in the savoir faire we have with the customer, for our hospitality". Thus begins the chat with Francesco D'Arienzo, bartender who has been making his mark in the city for years. “Here the choice is vast and they have inaugurated very important projects: the Japanese restaurant Zuma, the nikkei SUSHISAMBA, the Mediterranean ones LPM and Gaia, the South American ones Amazónico and COYA and Cipriani”.
Customers prefer sweet, fresh and light cocktails, such as highballs and sours. “In addition to a genetic issue – the Arab palate prefers sugarier drinks – there is also a temperature issue. The climate varies throughout the year from 20 to 50°C and it is unthinkable that the most ordered drinks are Old Fashioneds or Negronis. The latter are preferred only by a small part of the customers". Furthermore, among Arabs, non-drinking for religious reasons is common. Precisely for this reason, all the places have soft drinks on the menu.
Blind Tiger
Modern speakeasy, with Asian influence. The contemporary furnishings and soft lights create a unique and private environment for customers. The name is a direct reference to the prohibition period. Blind Tiger was in fact an expression used to say that there was a speakeasy nearby. The place is not actually a real speakeasy - because there are no passwords - but it is still hidden and difficult to find, because it is located in the basement of the hotel. However, 75% of the bar customers do not stay in the rooms. The venue is not far from Dubai Marina - an area full of beaches - nor from the Palm Jumeirah, an island that has the shape of a tree and which faithfully reproduces the glitz of Dubai in all possible sectors: hotels, restaurants and real estate.
Mixing
Blind Tiger's cocktails are minimal and inspired by the classics. “In the recipes, we use many contemporary techniques, such as milk punch, fermentation, for the production of sodas, rotovapor, sous vide cooking and so on. Everything, however, is aimed at revisiting international classics with an Asian touch."
On the menu, the research of Francesco and his team of bartenders can be appreciated in signatures such as the Najingan, a twist on the Negroni with a blend of Mancino vermouth infused for 36 hours with kumquat, and Himachi, a twist on the Cosmopolitan, with gin, sake, raspberries, yuzu, Sakura vermouth. Among the pages of the menu, the gastronomic aspect of some creations is also appreciated. The Jun is prepared with an Italian yellow pepper cordial, yuzu, reposado tequila and mezcal, while the Boulevardier with shiitake, butter, bread, vermouth blend and Campari.
In addition to signatures, there's room for a section of Kudamono daiquiri, four different fruit daiquiris, low alcohol cocktails, based on Campari, Fernet, Vermouth, and finally for a non-alcoholic section, with revisited classics such as the Spritz, mocktails with fruit and also non-alcoholic beer and sparkling wine.
In combination with the cocktails, it is possible to choose bites, tasty and tasty tapas, such as the Beef Bao Bun with braised beef cheek and hoisin sauce, or the Crispy Squid, crunchy calamari with black pepper and ginger. The perfect matches? The above-mentioned Boulevardier and the Jun respectively.
One novelty after another
As well as many cocktail bars in the ranking The World's 50 Best Bars, Blind Tiger is also quite active in the event scene. After participating in Negroni Week in September, in November it participated in Old Fashioned Week with the rye whiskey brand Mitcher's and in December it created a Christmas drink list with The Macallan Scotch whisky. The new year has also started with something new. In January, Blind Tiger inaugurated a guest shift program with important guests, such as Emanuele Balestra from Montecarlo, with a masterclass on edible perfumes, as well as Marco Dongi, from Bar Sathorn in Bangkok.
“The goal is to expand internationally, both with the guests we host and with those we would like to inaugurate abroad, to showcase our mix outside Dubai. The biggest goal? Without a doubt getting into 50 Best, but also making Blind Tiger an internationally recognized bar.”
Who is Francesco D'Arienzo
Born in Aversa in 1992, Francesco D'Arienzo he began his profession as a bartender very early. After some training courses, he fell in love with flair and the classics of mixing. Having reached adulthood, he had his first experience as a bartender in Gallipoli, after which he moved to London, first in the Soho district and then in the Chotto Matte nikkei restaurant chain, where until 2017 he learned an international mixing style, thanks to Marco Rosina. Then, the departure for Australia, where he worked at The Smoking Panda and then at 360 Bar and Dining in Sydney. In Dubai, as a senior bartender, he inaugurated the Galaxy Bar, a cocktail bar that came 67th in the 50 Best and won the Campari One To Watch award. So, a final experience at Amazonico as head bartender separates him from the current project in which, for the first time, he takes on the role of bar manager.
His favorite cocktail is the Gibson, his spirit is tequila.
