Young Bartenders Excel at Lavazza Competition in Padua
At “Tecnobar & Food” in Padua, they hit the mark. In the large reception hall of the fair, Matteo Bazerla and Massimiliano Sperotto, both young residents of Bardolino, made their mark in the field of cocktails, placing first and second respectively, in the Lavazza category, at the XXVI edition of the interregional competition of the Aibes.
Recently enrolled in the Italian Association of Barmen, Matteo and Massimiliano surpassed their more experienced opponents with two new creations in mixed drinks.
Winners and Their Creations
Matteo, 25 years old, a former member of Bardolino’s football team and who runs, alongside his family, the “Miralago” bar and ice cream parlor on the lakeside facing the port, triumphed with “Afka,” a shaken cocktail based on coffee, cognac, cacao cream, whipped cream, and cocoa. This achievement grants him a spot in the national final of the competition scheduled in Saint Vincent.
Massimiliano, 24 years old, a graduate of the Luigi Carnacina Hospitality Institute and an employee at Hotel S. Pietro, took second place on the podium with “Ream,” a cocktail made with coffee, rum, blue curaçao, cacao cream, and whipped cream.
The Need for Professionalism in the Sector
Two young men who have embarked on the path of professionalism in enjoyable drinking, which remains very fashionable. Mixed drinks are becoming an increasingly common daily habit, especially among foreign tourists who flock to the shores of Garda.
Therefore, there is a need, even for public venues and top hotels, to have staff who are increasingly professionally specialized and creative in offering drinking pleasures born from clever alchemy, which involves mixing and shaking high-quality ingredients with shakers, served in particular glasses decorated with slices of pineapple, red cherries, or strawberries.
Customized creations that contribute to making gatherings at the bar or stays by Lake Garda more enjoyable. The school of cocktail making at Bardolino was once led by bartender Enzo Cali in the 1980s, who also gained fame for dedicating a drink to Briegel and Elkajer—two Verona championship footballers—during a soccer championship.
Following this, students from the Hospitality Institute, including Donatella Menini from Arbizzano, reached the national final of the “For a Cocktail” contest, organized by the Genoa Fair Authority in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Education.
Some years earlier, Fabio Pasqualini from “Mimosa” had also won in St. Vincent with his drink “Playa Tortuga.”