From Negronis with a twist to cheese-infused coladas, Milan’s famed Bar 1930 introduced an imaginative cocktail experience to the Spirits Library
Never a stranger to international bartender takeovers, The Spirits Library in Poblacion has always been on the lookout to bring rare and inventive tipples into the country’s bar scene.
Against the two-story backdrop of rare bottles, the local bar hosted Milan’s acclaimed Bar 1930 for a one-night guest shift, featuring Argentinian bartender Matias Barrueco.
Ranked 50th on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, Bar 1930 brought its imaginative, food-inspired cocktail concept to Manila.
Born in Buenos Aires in 1995, Barrueco grew up surrounded by the tastes, scents, and atmosphere of his family restaurant before eventually turning his passion for hospitality into a profession and moving to Milan.
On his first visit to Manila, Barrueco says it’s been “a beautiful experience” despite a 20-hour flight and jet lag. The cocktail creative embraced the guest shift trip to explore the city, sampling traditional Filipino cuisine and visiting local bars, where he was warmly welcomed by Manila’s bartending community. “When I travel, I like to know a little bit about the culture, taste, and visit the places,” he says.
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The not-so-secret speakeasy
Bar 1930 is considered Milan’s not-so-secret speakeasy. Since 2013, the bar has gained much popularity, especially with its inclusion on the world’s top 50 bar list.
Traditionally, to gain access to the exclusive bar, you need to be among the 193 selected members or develop a relationship with the connected restaurant, Mag La Pusterla. Another option is to share “not just a passion for cocktails but a common vision of conviviality, passion, and attention to detail.”
Born from analyzing guest preferences, Bar 1930’s “à la carte” menu aims to break down the barriers between the kitchen and the bar. The concept structures cocktails like a restaurant menu, with antipasti, primi, secondi, and desserts.
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The menu at Bar 1930 in Milan creatively fuses textures, offering a mix of solid and liquid elements that nods to breaking down barriers between kitchen and bar.
Inspired by Prohibition-era aesthetics, staff don earth-toned Loro Piana uniforms, complementing the bar’s vintage ambiance. Some cocktails are even designed to be eaten with a spoon, such as Hummus—a low-ABV concoction featuring a smoked paprika-based spirit, olive oil distillate, whiskey, and an orgeat infused with chickpea flavors, the main ingredient of the Middle Eastern dish.
On bringing the culinary cocktails to Manila
Taking from Bar 1930’s à la carte menu tradition, Barrueco brought a few of the bar’s celebrated drinks for cocktail aficionados in Manila to taste.
For one night only at The Spirits Library, Matias served four signature creations.
To start, the Balsamico and Prickly Pear Negroni was a delightfully balanced version of a Negroni that impressed a Negroni skeptic like me. “For the Balsamico Negroni, there were two ingredients that were difficult to find here, so we brought them from Italy,” Barrueco notes. “For example, the Bitter Fusetti is our brand of bitter we brought from Italy. We also brought red fruit gin from Italy because it’s impossible to find it here.”
The Ceviche de Pescado offered a liquid interpretation of the Latin American dish, featuring smoked herring, passion fruit, and habanero chili. All these flavors were broken down and distilled in Bar 1930’s lab in Italy, then brought to mix in with the alcohol at the Spirits Library.
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True to the concept of a menu and its different courses, the Parmigiano Colada delivered a dessert-like experience reminiscent of a subtle, snowy cheesecake, combining rum, pineapple, white pepper, truffle, and Parmigiano cheese.
To end, the Porcini and Soy Manhattan presented a bold, divisive creation featuring porcini mushrooms and soy sauce that, while creatively daring, wasn’t as universally appealing.
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Bar 1930’s concept often confuses first-time guests. “Many people, when we give them the menu, say, ‘Yes, thanks, but we want also to drink.’ These are the drinks!” Barrueco explains with a laugh. “It’s always a little bit confusing for our guests, but then we explain the concept, of course.”
There is a reason the bar is on the world’s 50 best list, and that is its determined innovation and meticulous, almost scientific attention to detail.
While having recently changed locations in Milan, Bar 1930 continues evolving while maintaining its reputation for sophisticated, avant-garde cocktails and a very exclusive atmosphere.
This Manila guest shift is just one of The Spirits Library’s almost monthly cultural exchanges, connecting both local and foreign bartenders through the universal language of hospitality.
And as the bartenders learn from each other, they create an experience hard to forget for those Philippine cocktail enthusiasts swinging by for a good drink.
The Spirits Library is open daily, 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. at 4963 Guerrero, Makati. For reservations, call 0917 160 1162
