Detail, Hard Work, No Shortcuts

Giancarlo Mancino talks with Sam about his journey from a small town in Italy to consulting on some of the most amazing projects around the world.

Giancarlo Mancino, GM, is a force of nature, a friendly wealth of knowledge but with a drive and intensity that characterises all good entrepreneurs.

I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know GM over the last couple of months as we have been working closely together on a really exciting project due to open in the spring.

Like myself and Alex at Behind Bars, GM’s roots in the industry is bartending. He’s managed to successfully navigate the transition from bartender to entrepreneur by building on that base knowledge and expanding his skill set so that today, he really knows a lot about a lot of different aspects of our industry from consulting and putting in place successful systems for venues to succeed, to the production side of beverages, logistics, brand building and all the different bits of knowledge needed to make that work, to glassware design and production.

All of these ventures take skill, and speaking with GM I get the impression that he loves to collaborate, loves to bring his touch and personality to the projects he works on and the people he works with. Growing up in a small town in Italy, GM’s love of music first drew him into the industry, managing the music for bars in his hometown of Pignola.

And this love of music, specifically Blues and Jazz, combined with a frustration with how the industry was quite slow to develop in Italy, motivated him to leave home and head first to America and then to the UK.

And it was here, under the stewardship of the legendary Salvatore Calabrese at the Library Bar, that GM began to really immerse himself in the world of professional bartending. Awards followed, and with these awards, opportunities.

The One and Only Group, at the time the owner of the most exclusive luxury resorts in the world, approached Giancarlo to consult on a new opening in Mauritius and following the success of this project, on other properties around the world.

His expertise and eye for detail and service, allowed him to implement top to bottom, front to back programs that would empower staff and management to deliver a level of service that matched the luxury and price tag of the resorts.

He describes how he works;

“I’m not a doctor, I don’t go in and fix problems. I’ve never done this, I don’t repair damage. I only work from scratch, this is because every project has a million details that need to be perfect. I’m a creator. ”

From here he was head-hunted by Taj Hotels in India, where he opened around 20 bars. His success in India culminated in the creation of ‘Giancarlo’s Place’. A 3 floor, super ambitious, restaurant, cocktail bar, cigar room in the middle of the silicon valley of India, Bangalore.

Differences of opinions with partners saw GM cash out of India, and move back to London to refresh himself and his skills. Not long after, the Ritz Carlton called and asked GM to head up their project at the Ritz Carlton Ozone in Hong Kong. This move started a long chapter of a presence in Asia, and the birth of the GiancarloBar LTD company.

And this is where GM really began to spread his wings and influence into many different facets of the industry.

Today, GM is involved in ownership in several venues, he is the mastermind behind Mancino Vermouths, he has recently collaborated with Italesse, creating a line of premium glassware; the Wormwood Collection, and has teamed up with Urban Bar to create a range of classic bar tools, he is involved with Rinomato Appertivo, with Sei Bellissimi sparkling cocktails, with Bocktailed, a line of bespoke, bottled cocktails, with Sprezza, a line of ready to serve, canned spritz’ and for the last 6 years GM has been the global bar and beverage consultant for Rosewood Hotels.

Despite being busy all the time, his approach to projects remains the same;

“I believe in quality, I believe in hard work with no shortcuts. I take my inspirations from the classics, from the 1920’s, the 1930’s, from Blues, from Jazz. Most of all I am dedicated to the details.”

For GM, the detail is what has become his trademark. From the shoes of the uniforms to the onion in the Gibson, to the bathrooms, every detail needs to be contemplated and selected to perform its role in delivering the overall concept.

And his latest project? GM was approached by Orange Hospitality to lead the bar concept for this very special venue. It will encompass all GM’s experience, passion and eye for detail. It is an ode to classic Italian hospitality and tradition with quality of service and product at the fore of everything a guest will experience once inside.

And so, I had to ask GM; ‘having traveled the world, knowing all the suppliers, why choose to work with Behind Bars in this project?’

“I know all the bar suppliers around the world but from the first call with Behind Bars, I knew this would be a good fit. The quality of the product speaks for itself, but the quality of service, the innovation and the intuition to be able work with me to collaborate what will be the engine of this very special venue, to be honest has taken a lot of pressure off my shoulders. I feel safe that Behind Bars also represents the same values as I do; quality, detail, and service”.

For our part, working with Giancarlo on this latest project has been a wonderful experience. To work as a part of a team with such dedication to excellence is what we love and hopefully this is the first of many collaborations in the future.

As for the venue, all will be revealed soon enough! But as a teaser, it will be absolutely incredible!