Luca Bruni from the Depero Club in Rieti is the bartender of the year, perhaps the most awaited award of the Barawards, the award, promoted by Bargiornale in collaboration with Dolcegiornale, Hotel Domani and Bargiornale Restaurants which every year photographs the best of Italian hospitality and which celebrated its tenth edition on Monday 13 January with a truly explosive evening at Alcatraz in Milan. Marco Maccarini, DJ and television presenter, acted as master of ceremonies. Twenty-one awards were distributed (as well as three honorable mentions) involving bartenders, pastry chefs, chefs and other protagonists from the world of hospitality. Seven titles went to professionals working in Milan, while Rome and Naples shared second place on the podium with three prizes each. Six hundred locals and 530 professionals made up the shortlist.
In addition to Bruni, an expression of the futurist-inspired venue in the city at the geographical center of Italy, in the part concerning the cocktail bars, Bargiornale’s strong point, Edris Al Malat of Dry Milano was awarded as bar manager of the year, Gabriele Armani of Paradiso of Barcelona as Italian bartender abroad of the year, Alessio Megna of Freni e Frizioni of Rome as under 25 bartender of the year, Sentaku Izakaya of Bologna as revelation bar of the year, L’Antiquario di Napoli as cocktail bar of the year, the Mandarin Garden of the Mandarin Oriental Milan in Milan as hotel bar of the year, Rita&Cocktails of Milan as bar team of the year and the Convivium Bar of the Relais Monaci delle Terre Nere in Zafferana Etnea (Catania) as green venue of the year.
Moving on to food – a subject increasingly linked to good drinking – ‘Ino in Florence was chosen as sandwich shop of the year, Moebius in Milan as revelation restaurant of the year, Ducasse at the Hotel Romeo in Naples hotel restaurant of the year and Chiara Pavan from Venissa in Venice, chef of the year.
Other awards of various kinds went to Cafezal Coffee Hub of Milan (coffee bar of the year), Chiara Beretta of Fine Spirits (brand ambassador of the spirits&co year), Gianni Cocco of Fabbri 1905 (brand ambassador of the year coffee&more), Carmela Maresca of Luminist of Naples (bartender of the year), W Rome of Rome
(revelation hotel of the year), Giuseppe Solfrizzi of Le Levain in Rome (pastry/ice cream chef of the year), Birrificio Lambrate in Milan (brewery bar of the year) and Caffè San Carlo in Turin (pastry/ice cream bar of the year).
Three special mentions: at the Terrazza Rooftop Bar & Bistrot of the Grand Hotel Principe di Piemonte in Viareggio
(Lucca) as bar menu of the year in collaboration with DiSaronno. A OA TS Based On A True Story of Siracusa for social communication of the year and Barmacia – Soluzioni Spiritose of Potenza as promo video of the year.