Root + Bone: Pull up a chair with Peter Dorelli
For the Liquids issue of Root + Bone, it felt only right to meet with Peter Dorelli, known in many circles as the godfather of English bartending. His career has taken him from the Pebble Bar in London’s West End to the Savoy Hotel’s American Bar in Mayfair—where his old-school approach to making drinks revolved around making each customer feel special—and he doesn’t mince his words when it comes to the failings of some of London’s trendy bars. Root + Bone spoke to the cocktail consultant about psychology, inspiration and the time he had to shake a dry martini for Dudley Moore.
Root + Bone: First off, what’s your favourite drink?
Peter Dorelli: A negroni, without Antica Formula. You go to any of the bars in London that I frequent and ask what Peter Dorelli’s favourite drink is and they’ll all know, because I’m a bit boring and monotonous that way. My second favourite would be a rye old-fashioned, and in winter I like a hot toddy with rum—with lemon, honey, rum, cinnamon and cloves, topped up with hot water.
R+B: What’s inspired you lately?
P.D: London’s hotel bars continue to inspire me, because they don’t overdo things. Hotel bartenders have a good basic knowledge and an intelligent approach, and they’re extremely clever when it comes to twists on classic cocktails. Trendy bars overdo it on the flavours these days, and they make drinks far too personal. There’s a lot of talk about the amazing things they do, the flavours they’ve concocted and the ingredients they’ve added, but when it comes to actually serving the drink, it’s often not that great. I’d think—what are you trying to do with all of this? That’s not a balanced drink; educate your palate before you start down that road. So the restraint employed by hotel bartenders in London is impressive.
R+B: What’s your least favourite trend at the moment?
P.D: I’m not keen on all the bitters; people put it anywhere, just because it’s trendy. Everyone seems to make their own bitters these days, their own infusions, every kind of god-knows-what, but because it’s trendy, not necessarily because it’s needed. Even in a classic, they’ll put it in there when it doesn’t belong… it’s becoming overdone. There are dozens of bottles of bitters on every bar now, right under your nose—who has the most bitters? It’s like a competition.
R+B: What’s the most important quality a good bartender needs?
P.D: It was Gary Regan (cocktail writer and mixologist) who said something like: “People don’t remember what you do for them, but they’ll never forgive them for what you make them feel.” People want to feel good, they want magic moments to take home and it’s terrible when a bartender doesn’t understand that this is what counts. Drinks you can get anywhere, it’s the human experiences with a bartender, the interaction with others that makes people feel important, that they’re being taken care of. They like to feel that a bartender made something special for them, that they’ve been put on a platform. We all like to be pampered, we need our ego massaged every now and then.
R+B: How would you greet a care-worn customer?
P.D: I used to look after a lot of stockbrokers from the City when I worked at the Savoy; I used to have these guys appear on my door and I’d think—my god, what happened to you? How long have you been at it? I’d tell them, ok, ok, sit down, sit down, give me a minute. I’d bring them a glass of Champagne and say relax, it’s on me, drink it, and I’ll come back for your order. These guys have been on the phone making decision after decision all day, so when they come to my bar, they don’t want to make a decision again first thing. They want it to be taken away from them for just a little while, they want to be taken care of, and that’s what I’d do.
R+B: So as a bartender, psychology is important to you?
P.D: Absolutely, it’s all about body language. I’d know what someone wants and how they feel by how they move… whether they want to unwind or to be entertained. Some people move fast when they come in, some are heavy-footed and tired. Some guys are like ballet dancers—I’m here, what can you do for me? I want to be noticed, I want to be entertained. Some want to ponder things, some want to see and be seen. Placement is important. If a quiet guy comes in by himself, you’re not going to put him next to a party of six, you’re going to put him in a secluded corner. A couple on their way to the theatre might be bubbly, so I’d put them near the piano where the action is. You have to have attention to detail and an awareness of the customers’ needs.
R+B: One of your most memorable moments as a bartender?
P.D: I never shook a martini in my life, except once. You never say no to a customer, but I’d have both my chaps around, my youngsters, and if anyone did ask, I’d say: “Hey Giovanni, come here, this customer wants a fantastic shaken dry martini—now you’re going to do it.” That was the way I avoided doing it, but once I couldn’t get away with that. Dudley Moore came in one night after 10pm with a lady—she was taller than him, they all were, he loved gorgeous, tall ladies—and then all the jolly theatre people came in. I asked Dudley to play one little tune, but he wasn’t having it. Finally, he said he would, but only if I would shake him a dry martini. It was blackmail, but I had to do it, and he made me do it right there at his table. He did end up playing for more than a half hour, and after the second tune, his lady friend came and sat in his lap. Best dry martini I ever shook.
