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Meet the Maestro
Casino International speaks with top mixologist Salvatore Calabrese, newly appointed to the Playboy Club, London
Salvatore Calabrese is regarded as one of the world’s foremost mixologists, a man whose creativity is hampered by nothing. He brings his superb reputation to the Playboy Casino and spoke with Casino International about his plans for the bar…
Casino International: What are the most important aspects of what you do, Salvatore?
Salvatore Calabrese: In the front of house, no job is too small, every day is different. In the bar world, although you develop your cocktail list and your list of spirits, you create something unusual for people to talk about – but day by day, it never stops. It’s not like teaching the host a few things and then leave them on their own.
CI: How hands on will you be with the club?
SC: Whenever you walk into my home, you know I am there. My staff will be trained to know how to host. For me, that is one of the most important things there is: not everybody is indispensible, but everyone is dispensible.
I’m always hands on, I’m not the kind to walk away from a job – it’s my name on the door, after all.
CI: What do you bring to the Club?
SC: I am a big presence in the bar world, and I am a big personality – but the beauty of this is, you might call me The Maestro but I’m only as good as my team. We have to be in harmony to make beautiful music together, if we’re not working together well, we won’t make something special and make sure everyone feels like a VIP.
CI: Will there be a signature drink for the Club?
SC: If you know who I am and what I am like, you’ll know there will be many signature drinks! I’m going to create a step into the past in my cocktail list; if you come in to my bar, you can order a gin cocktail which will be the very first gin cocktail ever created in the 1820s, using a Geneva gin from that period, with some Curacao from 1800. I’ll make a collection of old cocktails and we’ll be offering people liquid history, with the genuine ingredients.
