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For part three of the content series Dispatches from the bars’ frontline, in partnership with Perrier, we head north through Europe via some of the epicentres of the novel coronavirus pandemic. As all these cities are now reopening, we track the progress of three venues on The World’s 50 Best Bars list as they start mixing drinks, opening terraces and welcoming guests once more
ROME
Patrick Pistolesi
Drink Kong, No.82 in The World’s 50 Best Bars and the Campari One To Watch 2019
Sitting at home really wasn’t good for me. At the beginning of lockdown the whole team did the Zoom aperitivo thing, but by the end we were seriously depressed. I tried to remain focussed on what we wanted the bar to become once this period of isolation ended.
We presented our latest menu New Humans on 7th March; on 9th March we went into lockdown. When we had to close, we hadn’t sold one drink from the new list. At the time I was obviously concerned, but I started to feel that it is strangely poetic and perfect. It’s symbolic of the ‘new humans’ emerging from the caves, feeling insecure, but wanting to go out and experiment with new tastes and experiences.
It made me re-think the menu and how we were presenting it. I changed the order of the drinks so that the most challenging ones came first – shiitake mushroom flavours; Parmesan-laced cocktails that are extremely unusual for the Italian palate. We added a whole new natural, biological wine section and focussed on the things that these ‘new humans’ would want to try as they came out of confinement.
Drink Kong's main bar space, pictured pre-lockdown
The main thing that’s added to my positivity is the fact we were allowed to create a terrace. Overnight we worked with bamboo and black wood to create a beautiful serene space that I’m really proud of. It’s 40C here at the moment and Romans don’t want to be stuck indoors. The terrace has given a new aspect to the business and if the government don’t let me keep it, I’m going to chain myself to it. They’ve just announced that we can keep it until at least October 2021, which is a great start.
However, we’re still only really operating at around 40% of what we can do. That means that we’re operating with zero profit, but at least we are breaking even. I’ve been able to pay the bills and settle some of the suppliers’ invoices from a few months back.
We’ve been very strict about sticking to the opening rules enforced by the government. We have a doorman who explains everything as guests come in and our floor manager makes sure people are wearing masks when they go to the toilet and all the safety protocols are upheld. We want to set a good example as we are one of Rome’s only bars representing the new-wave cocktail scene – it’s a statement for us to show that we are doing everything right.
The fact is, when stuff like this happens, the nice people stay home and the people who don’t care and want to stick a finger up at authority go out. It’s very hard when we’ve had customers come in refusing to wear a mask and stick to the rules. Unfortunately, it can be the Italian way.
A few bars locally haven’t been as strict as us and are letting everybody in, so those people will just go there. That’s fine by me. I’m glad to be able to provide a safe environment for people to drink good cocktails and start socialising again.
What the city of Rome has done for us has been excellent. We have a lot of contradictions here, but being able to now have 45 seats outside has been the only good thing to come from Covid for me. It’s given the bar a new atmosphere, we get a live band in and the inside communicates brilliantly with the outside. Hopefully by October standing will be allowed in the bar and international travel will have picked up. Then we can really start making the progress we had planned for this year.
BARCELONA
Giacomo Giannotti
Paradiso, No.20 in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2019
I’m taking everything day by day and trying to stay positive. We were told at the beginning of this week [20th July] that Barcelona had to go back to Phase One in terms of the restrictions to restaurants and bars. There’s been a growth of Covid cases in a town about 100km from us where lots of people travel into the city, so the government are justifiably worried.
It’s a shame, as we were just getting back to some sort of normality. We had queues outside the door on Friday and Saturday night for the first time in months, but of course I understand that safety must come first. After the first spike of infections, we reopened on 8th June with heavy Phase One restrictions. From 22nd June we moved to Phase Two and have been operating relatively normally. Although now we are back in Phase One and we are only allowed 50% capacity, no seating at the bar and no standing.
Inside, we haven’t had to change much. We took a few tables out to make sure there was plenty of distance and kept everything to 1.5m. Outside, it’s been really interesting. We have opened a terrace, which for a speakeasy bar goes against everything we are about. However, from a business point of view, we need it to survive. We’ve got six tables out there and we have launched a Spritz menu – people can get a spritz and a pastrami board for €15 and it’s gone down really well. Maybe we were wrong about the terrace – it could well become a regular fixture for us.
Outside Paradiso, in the space now occupied by the new terrace
It’s been particularly tough for the team. We were just about to launch our new Universe menu after eight months of development. We had just finalised things with local artisans for the glassware, spoken to chemists about the ingredient combinations we were using and everything was set. The first two weeks felt like vacation, but their moods are certainly more up and down now – none of us like to be stuck indoors.
I tried to keep people feeling motivated and engaged by running weekly masterclasses with brands over Zoom. At the end of the class we did an exam, with a small prize like a bottle of the spirit or a dinner out. I had no idea how it would take off! The team were so competitive. Most of them have been together for four years, so we’re more like a family. I really believe that this period has brought us all closer together.
For European cities like Barcelona, the months around September and October this year will be crucial. I was in Rome last week and the streets were very empty there too. Both cities rely on tourism for hospitality businesses like mine, so we really need people to start travelling again.
PARIS
Rory Shepherd
Little Red Door, No.36 in The World’s 50 Best Bars 2019
We’re all good right now! We go to bed every night and try to make tomorrow a better day. We’ve worked all the way through the period of confinement here and it’s been an intense six weeks or so to say the least – I’m looking forward to a holiday.
Little Red Door and our other Bonomy Group venues are all open, but with reduced capacities. We’ve made sure that there’s a minimum of 1m space between guests and all groups are seated so they are a good distance apart. People are generally ok about it, which has been good to see.
One thing that we’ve been really pleased about is the local government allowing us to run a terrace. We’ve been applying for a licence to operate one for at least a year, so this has given us the opportunity to prove that we can manage it responsibly. I just hope the local mayor is taking notice.
It’s been really interesting to watch the terrace space and its guests develop. Obviously, terrace culture is big in France and the locals know what they want from a terrace bar. Previously, when there have been queues of international tourists outside Little Red Door, it’s not something that Parisians would get involved with. However, having the space outside has given us the opportunity to reconnect with the locals.
Initially, we developed a new style to anticipate what the Parisians would want: a weekly-changing selection of interesting wines and beers, the brasserie look and feel, spritzes, small plates and meze-style food. We wanted to give them something they would recognise to bring them in. However, as it turned out, they just wanted to try the cocktails from the new menu – but they just weren’t prepared to queue to get them when we were busy. Like the rest of the world, everyone’s been watching the ‘cocktails at home’ videos; now they want to come and see how the pros do it.
Little Red Door's new menu Don’t Judge a Door by its Colour
Speaking to the locals over this period has confirmed something I was already thinking: the French aren’t stuck in their ways anymore. Of course, there’s the same culture and knowledge around food and wine, but it’s a more modern and international attitude. Parisians have realised that during confinement, they are still hearing the non-French voices; that we’re not tourists, we live here. I’ve always tried to speak French to everyone I meet, but in the last few weeks I’ve had a lot less hostility about speaking English. Everyone seems more welcoming and accepting.
We launched our new menu Don’t Judge a Door by its Colour six days before lockdown, which wasn’t ideal. We thought long and hard about how we could give people the opportunity to try it before we reopened, so we made a V2 of the menu and sold the drinks in oversize 75cl bottles and made them a little lighter, more aperitif in style. When the parks and spaces by the river reopened, it proved a great success. People would come in, pick up a bottle or two and head off to the river – it was awesome to witness.
Little Red Door's bottled cocktails from its new menu
Even though the bottles have made up a great new revenue stream that we’re going to continue to develop, it’s certainly not made up for the loss of business. Our bar needs to be full to make money, so we really need international tourism to pick up to get back into real profitability. The French government’s monetary support has been great [Chômage Partiel, which pays 85% of an employee’s full salary], but now we need to start seeing the crowds and put all the plans we’ve made over the last few months into action.
Dispatches from the bars’ frontline, in partnership with Perrier, is a content series from 50 Best that explores bartenders’ experiences as they face up to the ever-shifting challenges presented by the global pandemic.
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