The The Doping Bar of Milan has announced the new bar manager: Nicola Romiti. Already known in the city for his experience Carlo and Camilla in the sawmill and for the most recent one at Al Naviglio restaurant, the Marche region is the one chosen by the boutique hotel Aethos Milan of Piazza Ventiquattro Maggio. After a soft opening, the bar manager presented the new drink list, themed around popular dances from all over the world.
Nicola Romiti
Born in 1993 in Fossombrone, a town in the Marche region in the province of Pesaro and Urbino, Nicola Romiti he began working in the world of cocktail bars starting from local clubs. Passion takes him to Milan, where in 2018 he joined Carlo and Camilla's staff in Segheria as a bartender and then became the bar manager three years later. This experience allows him to learn a mixing style, that of liquid cuisine, which will characterize him in the years to come, leading him to experiment with new drinks with the use of seasonal fruit and vegetables, thanks to the close contact with the restaurant with the which one will find himself working. With the arrival of Covid-19, Nicola returns to the Marche, to Fano, for an experience as a bar manager at Tinto cocktail bar. After the brief experience, at the Al Naviglio Restaurant in the spaces of the former Carlo and Camilla in Segheria, the doors of a new and exciting experience opened for Nicola, at The Doping Bar.
Nicola Romiti's favorite cocktail and spirit are Americano and agricultural rum.
The local
An English living room with vintage furnishings. This is the style of The Doping Bar, a very elegant cocktail bar, but at the same time equally convivial. The style of the furnishings is unique: the taste that the first owner of the hotel had for period objects, personally found around the world, stands out in the rooms.
Some examples? A 1:18 scale model of the Titanic or a real ostrich. If the counter is dominated by traditional wood and vintage, lampshades and a vintage bike, the black-white checkerboard floor is a display of elegance that has never gone away and the large rooms where the seats are placed are a tribute to internationality. The relaxing atmosphere invites you to enjoy the beauty of time that passes. And, as we know, there is no better way to do it than with a good drink, from aperitif to after dinner.
Mixing
The style of Nicola Romiti is confirmed. The liquid cuisine he had put into practice by Carlo Camilla in the Sawmill has remained the trademark of his signatures. Along with premium spirits from all over the world, seasonal fruit and vegetables always feature prominently in his cocktails, on which Nicola focuses much of his research. In a hotel context, like that of The Doping Bar, a classic mix cannot be ignored, and this is why, only on request, the bar staff is available to create all the icons of international mixology. Accompanying Nicola in this new adventure, there are those confirmed Alessandro Cuomo and Andrea Lucanera, head bartender and bartender respectively, and five new entries.
The new drink list: popular dances
The theme of the new drink list, the first designed by Nicola Romiti, is popular dances from all over the world. Dance is an art, like mixing, and specifically these dances are synonymous with joy and conviviality, as is The Doping Bar. There are twelve choices in total on the drink list. It ranges from The Hula, sweet, fruity and creamy, inspired by traditional Cuban dance and made with Santa Teresa 1796, yakitori grilled pineapple, mango, lime, hibiscus and meringue, al Tango, a twist on classic on Hanky Panky, which aims to recall the atmosphere of Argentine dance. The classic Yerba Mate is in this case mixed with Tanqueray 10 infused with Amalfi lemons, Italicus, Fernet, Yerba Mate, The Organics Simply Cola, Falernum and CO2. The result? Elegant and sparkling. The Tip tap, traditionally called jig, was born in Ireland, as demonstrated by the alcoholic base of the sweet, intense and creamy cocktail of the same name: the Jameson Black Barrel, here supported by Ketel One vodka ladyfingers mix. The other ingredients are Mr. Black, coffee, mascarpone foam and Caffè 124, cocoa. Another cocktail on the new drink list, fruity, spicy and silky, is the Bollywood, a reference to the Indian world, with Bombay Premier Cru, coconut oil, turmeric, curry and coconut water.
The kitchen
The mixing of Nicola Romiti has always been characterized, in recent years, by the great contamination with the restaurant adjacent to the cocktail bar. The flagship gastronomic outlet of the Aethos Milan hotel is called ZAÏA, is driven by chefs Dario Guffanti and Luigi Gagliardi and stands out for a mix of Italian and international flavors, for a spicy and eclectic result. The style of the furnishings is linear and Mediterranean and, as per The Doping Bar, the ideal of conviviality is central here too, as demonstrated by the dishes that are well suited to sharing. While waiting to study an ad hoc cocktail pairing, Nicola Romiti has already started talking with the two chefs. The result will be revealed soon.
