Marcello Cauda

MARCELLO CAUDA, BAR MANAGER AT THE BLUE BAR AT THE BERKELEY, LONDON, TAKES US ON A JOURNEY THROUGH HIS CAREER AS AN EXPERT BARTENDER, AND SHARES A POPULAR CLASSIC WITH A TWIST – THE MIRROR MARTINI.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR TIME AS A BARTENDER.

When I turned 14, I enrolled in an Italian hospitality school where I started to learn more about liqueurs and spirits. During the summer months, I’d work at a small bar in the south of Italy – it was here that I discovered my passion for the drinks industry. Once I finished school, and after time spent learning my craft in small restaurants and bars, I found myself in Melbourne working at a fantastic speakeasy whisky bar called Beneath Driver Lane – the venue was simply fantastic.

After an incredible year in Melbourne, I took on a role at the opening of The Stratford Hotel in London, specifically at its Mezzanine Bar. Being part of the opening team was really rewarding and I had the chance to create a cocktail menu called Authentic Life – I have such great memories there.

Last year I had the incredible opportunity to join the Blue Bar team and it is such an honour. The Blue Bar at The Berkeley has such a stellar reputation for innovation and unique menu concepts – it is a pleasure to be working with a team who share my love for the industry.

PLEASE SHARE ONE OF YOUR EXCEPTIONAL COCKTAIL CREATIONS.

We have launched our new Blue Move menu, which consists of 12 signature cocktails taking inspiration from the Blue Bar’s rich heritage. One of my favourite creations is our very own Blue Bar signature martini, titled the Mirror Martini.

The Mirror Martini is a fruity and dry gin-based cocktail, which carefully blends aperitif wines and is served into a bespoke mirror-coated martini glass – we love this affectionate nod to the signature mirrors

MIRROR MARTINI

INGREDIENTS:

• 50ml Bombay Premier cru

• 5ml Orchard eau de vie – our own Blue Bar blend which guests can buy at the bar

• 10ml Cocchi Rosato

• 10ml white port

• One drop of peach bitters

• Cherry caviar

METHOD: that have always hung on the walls of the Blue Bar. www.the-berkeley.co.uk/restaurants-bars/ blue-bar

Carefully stir all the ingredients together, excluding the cherry caviar, and serve into a chilled martini class – we use our special Mirror Martini glasses. Garnish with cherry caviar and serve.

We also showcase our very own Blue Bar Orchard eau de vie, in collaboration with Barney Wilczak at Capreolus Distillery. We visited his distillery and sampled an array of eau de vies before blending apple, raspberry, pear, damson and bacchus to create our own Orchard. The whole experience was incredible.