Between history and culture, from Prohibition to exotic mixtures of avant-garde, emerges Mixology, the art of mixing where nothing is left to chance. Luigi Bormioli embarked upon this new adventure with a collection of luxury Barware and Cocktail making equipment, created in collaboration with Yuri Gelmini, head barman of the Surfer's Den in Milan ad Futuristic Mixologist. The study and the search for new elements, expert hands which know how to mix and fine-tune new flavours, everything is left to the taste and the imagination of Futurist Mixologist Yuri Gelmini, and leads to forms of creativity and aesthetic expression thanks to both technical means and his ability deriving from study and experience in this field.
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I listen to my own curiosity and the curiosity of my customers.
Every day I ask myself what I can do to render each thing special and more interesting.
I am fascinated by historic products which have not yet found use in cocktails, such as "vino
cotto" (literally 'cooked wine', a type of wine originating in certain regions of Italy) obtained
from winemaking cooperatives, or "gocce Imperiali" (an alcoholic drink distilled from herbs
and produced by certain Italian monasteries), available in many monasteries.
I also find it highly stimulating to work with new products, and above all with those which
bring to the world of drinks perfumes and flavours which are traditionally not found there,
such as flavoured sodas or liqueurs with extracts and spices more usually used in cooking.
My interest in many historic and "individualist" – as well as often regional - products, led me
to futurist mixing, which has reached a peak again in recent years thanks to the writings and
seminars of Fulvio Piccinino.
One aspect of "polydrinks" (in Italian "polibibite") that especially fascinates me is their
designation not so much for a particular moment during the day, the classic pre-dinner/afterdinner,
but rather for the occasion of their use. Try entering a "quisibeve" (literally a "hereone-
drinks") with a doubt that torments you and order a "snebbiante" (literally a "mind
clearer"), or, with an idea in your head for how to pass the night and order a "guerrainletto"
(literally a "war-in-bed"), and you will understand what I'm talking about.
In mixology attention must be given to many different aspects, of which the drink is only one part -
even if this is where it all starts. The preparation of the cocktail is carried out before the eyes of the
customer, so the instruments are just as important as the ability of the barman to create a moment
of magic. Serving the cocktail in an attractive glass which lends prestige completes the job.
This is precisely where Luigi Bormioli and I meet. Every time that I serve a drink in a Luigi Bormioli
glass, both my customer and I are able to enjoy its brilliance and superior
design. What was missing was a line of equipment that would also embellish the work of the
barman. For this reason the "Mixology" line was launched by Luigi Bormioli, a company for
whom "innovation is a state of mind which you live day by day: we want to learn, change, surpass
our limits. This is actually a precondition for guaranteeing the long life of a company: to stay
young and be reborn every day".
The energy of these words won me over, and I am proud to embark on this new adventure
with such an important company, which is "open to all initiatives that can bring improvements
in knowledge, behaviour, technology, growth and better value" for all those who frequent it, as
professional or as customer - this world in continual evolution.
Yuri Gelmini
