A path full of experiences and various detours is what led Riccardo Rossi to Freni e Frizioni, a cult place where the aviation engine is the passion.
How did Riccardo Rossi begin your journey into the world of mixing?
It started a bit by chance, or maybe not entirely. Since I was a child I dreamed of England, a dream that seemed so far away until, after university, I moved there with the intention of staying only four months, in the end I ended up staying for five years. I work my way up like everyone else, I start as a waiter until I have the chance to move on to the counter bar back, and from then on it was love at first sight. I completely immersed myself in the world of bars, I managed to make a career thanks to my stubbornness, but like all things, new stimuli are sought and the crisis arrives. I asked myself if the path I was taking was the right one for me, so I followed a video maker course which led me to return to Italy and follow a master's degree at Sapienza in digital video audio editing; but I had to continue to support myself and so I come from Brakes and clutches.
Did Freni e Frizioni represent the end of this crisis or a new opportunity?
Initially from Brakes and clutches I started working part-time in conjunction with university, then the opportunity came in 2016 with the opening of The Punta Expendio de Agave, created thanks to the collaboration between Freni e Frizioni and Jerry Thomas. My partner and friend Cristian Liar he began to follow the new reality, while I became bar manager and partner of Freni e Frizioni, finally realizing that I had found my path.
How would you define Brakes and Clutches in one sentence?
Brakes and clutches it's a street cocktail bar, this is the definition I like most, born 16 years ago. However, we were never satisfied, its reality evolved in a continuous path, we could remain with "disco numbers" while continuing to only make beer, wine and spritzes. And instead, we decided to specialize in cocktails and offer them to the public while remaining a point of reference for the Capitoline jet set. I could sum it all up in one slogan “Brakes and clutches where quality goes hand in hand with quantity”.
In recent years you have also published books for the sector, what are they about?
The first book"Use and Maintenance Manual vol. 1” was published in 2015 for the tenth anniversary of Brakes and clutches. This is a book dedicated to the general public, for our customers or for anyone who wants to know the "instructions" to start the engine of a cocktail bar. In honor of Freni's reality, we decided to provide the public with the first tools to approach the world of mixology, also through the written participation of industry experts who follow one another in the pages of the manual. In short, a complete compendium for approaching the world of bars; later, the second “Brakes and Clutches Hottest Drinks” of 2019 dedicated to our 50 best successful cocktails. The third, however, was supposed to be released in 2020 but due to the health emergency it came to light on 4 July 2021, for the birthday of Brakes and clutches, a second volume that follows the lines of the previous one “Use and Maintenance Manual”, but with a more international aspect and the collaboration of icons from the world of mixology within it.
You also bottle your products in a Lab, what is it?
It is a small creative space, in the back area of the bar, dedicated to the laboratory of: bitters, syrups, cordials. It acts both as a place of pure experimentation and as a place of preparation for the preparations (excuse the pun) needed to make the drinks on the menu.
What is your mixing proposal?
My idea of mixing has always been that of less is more. I like minimal mixology: playing with a tasty cordial, the distillate and a soda. Then you go through phases in life as with everything, as a child I drank a little sweeter, now I am more focused onhigh ball. They are constantly evolving and for this reason a Brakes and clutches I try to offer a 360˚ mix with a varied choice of spirits and flavours. Those who come to us always find the right solution!
What does your drink list consist of?
Our drink list changes every six months and consists of 12 drinks. The current menu is dedicated to the neighborhoods of cities around the world, it was already planned in 2020 but we only presented it this year for reasons known to all. It was designed in honor of the most famous t-shirt of Brakes and clutches “Trastevere VS Everybody”, it was supposed to be a witty menu that praised the idea that from our Trastevere area we would cross all the Roman neighborhoods in liquid form. In the end, after the year of inactivity, we understood the essence that this drink list could have and we decided to add the slogan "Travel with us” dedicating it to the neighborhoods of the cities of the world. We imagined that with our drinks people could travel with their minds and visit, even if in liquid form, an ever-changing city. The menu is represented by a metro map with 12 stops for each drink. Among the Best Sellers we find: Bastille, a low-alcohol highball made with pear-infused vodka, floral liqueurs and tonic; And Malecón, a cocktail on tap, a project that we have been carrying out since the Roma Bar Show.
Do you think technique is more important for a good bartender or creative flair?
Absolute creative flair, technique can be improved while personality and resourcefulness cannot, you are born with it!
What is your favorite spirit?
This is a good question, I have done a lot of research over the years, and although I am one of the greatest Italian experts on Peruvian pisco, I can tell you that gin and tequila are in equal first place. I also love whisky, but I don't think I know it well enough to call it my favourite. It's a bit like asking what your favorite band is, I find it difficult to answer.
New plans for the future? Is there any news coming?
Yes, there is a new opening happening for the second half of November. It will always be in Rome in the central area, it will have the soul of Freni but with a different concept, no longer a street bar. We will have a rich food menu, but we will not have any type of proposals pairing or similar, it does not represent our way of being. We prefer to focus on simplicity and speed with a pinch of innovation.
One last question, which is a bit like our closing leitmotif: what is your favorite cocktail?
I can tell you three, it's really difficult to choose. For the aperitif I prefer a American, for the winter period I would tell you a Old Fashioned, and among all day for any season: Gin Tonic And Paloma. I also love the Martini cocktails, but I can't define myself as a "Martiniano" or whatever they call themselves, I prefer simplicity even in my way of drinking.
Of CLELIA MUMOLO
