Congratulations to Oliviya Snider, Sam Couchman, and Loris Murru, the bar team at One MICHELIN Star Osteria Giulia and the 2022 MICHELIN Guide Toronto Exceptional Cocktail Award winners! Here's co-head bartender Loris Murru on less is more.
What are you drinking these days?
This summer, we enjoyed lighter, citrus-forward cocktails, such as a classic margarita or the traditional Italian spritz. Moving into autumn, we prefer more spirit-forward cocktails. Our favourites would be a well made Negroni or Manhattan.
Favorite non-alcoholic drink?
Chinotto soda
How have your cocktail tastes changed over the years?
As we continue to grow our careers as bartenders, we have definitely experienced a change in tastes. We’ve graduated from sweeter taste profiles to encompassing a more balanced palate. Our first popular cocktails were centered around sweeter, rum-based drinks and the classic French 75. Now we base our cocktails around Italian bitters, vermouth, and amaro, balanced with citrus.
What’s the biggest misconception about mixology, or cocktails in general, that you’d like to dispel?
One misconception would be that many ingredients are required to produce a delicious cocktail. We feel that the simpler the ingredient list, the better the cocktail. Following suit with our kitchen team, we focus on high quality, seasonal products to achieve the best results.
What’s your ideal meal and pairing?
Lorighittas al Mare [hand-braided little rings of pasta with wild squid and scallops] paired with our Giulia spritz!
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Hero image: (L-R) Osteria Giulia's Sam Couchman, Loris Murru, Oliviya Snider
© Thomas Genga/Osteria Giulia
