DAVIDE BONCIMINO

Bar Manager, The House on Sathorn

You might say living in Southeast Asia has always been part of Davide Boncimino’s destiny. Although born in Italy, he’s half-filipino – on his mother’s side – and as a child he spent summers visiting extended family in The Philippines. By high school, however, he was busy studying accounting and computer programming, later switching to languages and literature in university. And like many students before him, he thought bartending would be a fun and lucrative part-time job. “I still remember my very first shift,” he recalls. “It was a private catered party, and I had so much fun I said ‘I want to do this!’”

In 2013 he left his hometown to work in Milan, but soon after he relocated to London. Although he couldn’t speak English that well, he nevertheless found a job at a swanky Mayfair bar called Mr. Fogg’s Residence where he spent the next two years perfecting his craft. He also began entering cocktail competitions, one of which was presented by the Filipino rum brand Don Papa. “I won both the regional and the national competition, so my prize was a trip to The Philippines.” This first-prize jaunt also included a stop in Singapore, where Davide met key players in that city’s booming cocktail scene. When he was offered a job there he couldn’t refuse, which led to a lengthy stint running the bar at Madame Fan, at the JW Marriott Singapore.

His tropical tenure took a new turn when he moved to Bangkok in October 2020, shortly after his 31st birthday, to oversee the drinks program at The Bar at The House on Sathorn. “The new cocktail menu will be sharing the beautiful history of this historic building," he reveals. "Four sections, to represent four eras, and each with a little story.”