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/after- dinner, but rather for the occasion of their use. Try entering a quisibeve (literally a “here- one-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 and I meet. Every time that I serve a drink in a Luigi Bormili 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.