Ask a Bartender: How To Create a Memorable Experience
By Chilled Magazine
We asked bar manager Alec Moniz of 10 Corso Como—a concept created in Milan by editor and publisher Carla Sozzani, that unites culture and commerce with a blend of fashion, food, art, music, design, and lifestyle—what it takes to create memorable experiences for his guests.
Tell us a bit about your background in the industry.
My industry background started at a pizza shop in Rhode Island when I was 15 years old with my two older brothers. When I moved to NYC, I was a student working at a chocolate shop in the West Village but my passion for hospitality moved me back to the restaurant industry at a brand-new Italian restaurant in Williamsburg called Antica Pesa. I was a busboy and worked my way to server and head server. That was three years of learning how to treat customers and give them a unique experience. I worked in Mexican restaurants, French restaurants … all different places sprinkled throughout the last 10 years. I am now here as a manager at 10 Corso Como part of The Howard Hughes Corporation.
Talk to us about the beverage program at 10 Corso Como.
The beverage program is Italian-heavy with an emphasis on giving people access to great wines at very reasonable prices. The wine and spirits list is accessible to all different types of people. Fresh cocktails that are simple.
How do you create memorable experiences for your guest?
A dining experience at 10 Corso Como should be personable. We try our best to make every person specifically happy within what their expectations, likes, and dislikes are. We take the time to care for every guest. It is very important in NYC to zone in on making one person as happy as possible at a time instead of looking at such a big picture of a restaurant. If you can make one person happy at a time and do that 300 times a day, everything will work.
What are some of your most popular cocktails?
Our most popular cocktail is our namesake cocktail the 10 Corso Como. It is essentially a Blood Orange Margarita. Blood orange puree, fresh lime juice, agave nectar, Amaro Montenegro (replacing triple sec) and blanco tequila. Our second most popular cocktail is the Vecchio Milano: Punch alla Fiamma Fantasia Liqueur, American bourbon, orange, Basement, and Angostura bitters with a dash of sugar. It’s our take on a classic Old Fashioned.
Any go-to or popular ingredients on the menu?
Go-to ingredients are always fresh juices and ingredients. We try to steer toward Italian ingredients because that is where our brand started, but we venture all throughout the globe in our beverage program. Season to season, we change things.