[:en]The cocktails that won the Turin stage of the Mix Contest: interview with Giuliana Giancano[:]

[:en]The Mix Contest Italy Tour, the competition that crosses Italy in search of the best bartender, is currently stopped due to safety provisions related to the containment of the Coronavirus and the next events of the challenge will resume when possible.

In the meantime we went to visit Giuliana Giancano, winner together with Martina Apollonio of the Turin stage of the Mix Contest which was held last January. It was they, with over 700 votes received, who bewitched the public and jury with two surprising creations.

Giuliana's place, the Pout Pourri Vintage Cafè, is a delicious and enveloping vintage corner in the Mirafiori district that the bartender manages together with her sister.

Giuliana, tell us about the cocktails with which you won the Turin stage of the Mix Contest.

There were two cocktails prepared: the Stop it it is a punch based on the idea of recycling and eliminating waste, in fact it involves the use of leftover panettone transformed into syrup and apple in the form of extract and biscuit as a garnish. To underline the eco-friendly concept, the only part of the apple not used in the drink – the seed – was given to customers along with instructions for planting it. The other cocktail, A Paloma for the Count, tells the story of Count Negroni who decides to move away from the winter cold of Turin without abandoning his favorite drink, the Negroni, and taking it with him to Mexico with a necessary adaptation of the ingredients. A cocktail dedicated to travel, ultimately. I love traveling and my job as a barlady has given me the opportunity to visit beautiful places.

Tell us about these trips!

In 2018 I participated in the competition Fifth Essentiae, in which it was necessary to draw inspiration from the 4 elements. Among the sponsors was Lavazza and my prize was visiting their coffee plantations in Colombia! Then participation in the Jerry Thomas Project allowed me to visit Sri Lanka by presenting and discovering Arrack, a typical local alcoholic drink. I've also been to the Caribbean, among other things I love working with rums...

What are your favorite cocktails?

I love drinking hot punches and Daiquiris. I have a love – hate for the Old Fashioned, maybe because customers always ask for it when I have to make a thousand drinks! (laughs, ed.).

By the way, what are the mixology trends these days in your opinion?

There is certainly a tendency to move towards low-alcohol cocktails. We also notice greater attention to the ecological aspect in this area: zero straws, zero waste... then I am lucky enough to have customers who let themselves be guided, who trust me and my proposals.

Your place, the Pout Pourri Vintage Cafè, is in an atypical area for a cocktail bar.

Yes, that's right, it's not really in the city center. I bet on this area, Mirafiori, and I must say that it worked: without advertising, all through word of mouth. Now I have been open for ten years and I have my loyal customers!

Tell me about the Pout Pourri drink list.

It's made of nursery rhymes and drawings! I wanted to highlight the playful aspect and describe the cocktails in a different way than usual.

And Giuliana's Drink List is truly special: it denotes an uncommon care and love for her work, as does her place, where - you can see - nothing is left to chance and every detail has been chosen with passion and involvement.[:]