Joe Alessandroni has got his finger on the pulse when it comes to spirits, cocktails and glamorous bars.
What’s a spirit evangelist, we ask Joe Alessandroni five minutes after we meet. It’s a legitimate question. Apart from a more glamorous title as creative director of Crafty, the team responsible for Proof & Co’s group of venue, Alessandroni also wears the hat of said ‘spirit evangelist’.
“Mostly it entails a lot of research and development,” he answers. “So we come up with everything from the concept to the beverage menu, to coordinating with the designers on the layout and equipment. We kind of coordinate the whole project together and help build bars that are then ready to be passed off to talented bar teams. We give them the tools they need to succeed.”
But it’s not all R&D for the 39-year-old, who started in the business more than 15 years ago as a bartender in the US and worked his way up to a long string of accolades. Alessandroni still likes to get behind the bar, and makes an effort to do so once a week at Junior, the intimate 12-seater pocket bar on Cook Street in Tanjong Pagar.
The bulk of his time, however, is taken up with overseeing projects and concept development for clients, such as Manhattan, which recently raced up the rankings to become the world’s number 3 bar, according to The World’s 50 Best Bars. Then there is the much talked-about reinvention of the Raffles Sling for the newly relaunched Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel, and work on the rest of the property’s watering holes. Alongside, Alessandroni is also busy with Jerry, “a pretty comprehensive online beverage training platform that’s covering everything from spirits knowledge to cocktail operations and leadership and sort of back of the house stuff.”
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
New Blood
The next-generation is breathing new life into the forgotten art of spice-mixing, peppering the traditional trade with renewed ideas and fresh perspectives.
Sharing Is Caring
Compared to its flagship at Serene Centre, Fat Belly Social at Boon Tat Street is a classier and bolder affair, in more than one sense.
Nutmeg's Role In Singapore's History
From tales of it being used to ward off the plague in mid-1300s Europe to one of the ingredients in dessert, we have all known, tasted, or at least heard of nutmeg. But not many know of the spice’s role in Singapore’s history.
New And Improved
The ever-profound chef-owner Kenjiro ‘Hatch’ Hashida finds more room, three to be exact, to express a Ha Ri philosophy at Hashida Singapore’s new location at Amoy Street.
Pairing Spice-Driven Cuisines With Wine
Pairing spice-driven cuisines with wine has long been a challenge but with a little imagination, it doesn’t have to be.
Let Land Grow Wild
Niew Tai-Ran has worn many hats: aeronautical engineering major, investment banker, avid surfer, and, for the last 14 years, winemaker. Discover how this Malaysia-born, Singapore-native is championing the “do-nothing farming” philosophy at his vineyard in Oregon.
The South Asian Misnomer
Incredibly diverse and varied than most know, Indian food is far more intriguing than butter chicken or thosai. Here is a crash course on the extensive cuisine from region to region, recognisable for the seemingly infinite ways of using spices.
Keepers Of The Spice Trade
From its glory days along trade routes to pantry staples all over the world, spices have become so commonplace that we’ve taken them for granted. For these three trailblazers, however, spice is their livelihood and motivation: Langit Collective working with indigenous rural farming communities in Malaysia; IDH’s Sustainable Spice Initiative; and chef Nak’s one-woman mission to share forgotten Khmer cuisine.
Sugar, Spice And Everything Nice
Like food, spices bring vibrancy and variety to alcoholic beverages. Surfacing in unexpected ways on the palate, find everything from cumin to tamarind, cloves to cardamom enriching these drinks.
Building Blocks From The Archipelago
For the smorgasbord of dishes found in Indonesian cuisine, it is a little known secret that the modest bumbu, in all its variants, is the bedrock of such flavourful fare.
