DAVIDE BONCIMINO
“My choice of drinks for the day depends on how I’m feeling at that moment. It can be a classic negroni as an aperitif, followed by a refreshing daiquiri or a manhattan on slow evenings with friends”
Italian-filipino Davide Boncimino has shaken up a storm as head bartender at London’s Mr Fogg’s Residence, which was on The World’s 100 Best Bars list in 2015, and winner of the Singapore leg of the Bacardi Legacy Global Cocktail Competition in 2017. At the 40-seater Madame Fan Bar, opened in February as an extension to Cantonese restaurant Madame Fan, he brings a bold and adventurous edge to cocktails that use ingredients made from scratch, and incorporates culinary techniques, such as milk washing in the Molokó Royale cocktail — a milk-vodka with cold-brew coffee liqueur in a twist on the classic White Russian. He loves dabbling with herbs and spices too. “These ingredients, which are usually used in cooking, are able to bring out other flavours,” Davide says. “For instance, black peppercorn is both bitter and spicy. When there are many flavour profiles in one ingredient, it adds an edge to the drink.”
Keen on Kumquats
“I came across kumquats (miniature oranges) when I first started working in Madame Fan. I realised we can use each part of the fruit in many ways — it can be zesty or nutty depending on the technique used. In one of our signature cocktails, the (Not) Classic PBJ, it is made into a lusciously sweet caramelised liqueur that balances the peanut butter fat-washed Glenfiddich whisky.”
Rock On
“I spend 15 to 20 hours a week rock climbing. I started on it last year when I decided to quit smoking after 10 years. Now, I feel so much better! It’s good to have a hobby; it helps you to switch off. When I climb, I don’t think of anything else, otherwise I’ll fall!”
Home Sweet Home
“My hometown is a small village of about 3,000 people near the town of Biella in northern Italy. We had a garden where we grew blackberries, peaches, olives, cherries and some vegetables. I would cook with my father and brother on Sundays. We never had a recipe and just went with whatever we liked. From my house, you can see the mountains and the woods. There’s hardly any noise. It’s perfect for relaxing.”