Run The Mix, the best Italian bartender team comes from the South – Italian Cuisine

Here are the winners of the team competition promoted by Pernod Ricard to enhance Italian mixology

The gold medal for the best Italian bartender team flies to the South. It ended in fact with the victory of the Southern Runners led by Matteo Bonandrini and Alexander Frezza the first edition of Run The Mix, the competition for talent of the tricolor mixology proposed by Pernod Ricard. That yes, he wanted to evaluate creativity in creating new cocktails and the ability to prepare them, but also the ability to present everything in an appealing way, to respect service times and establish an immediate and effective relationship with the customer.

The rules

The spaces of IT, in that of Milan, hosted the three finalist teams, divided by geographical origin. Nordic Runners, Middle Runners Southern Runners, coming respectively from North, Central and South Italy, found themselves having to propose a sequence of cocktails designed ad hoc for the challenge, served in combination with special dishes that have highlighted the possibilities in terms of food pairing. Everything was then presented to a jury of experts, who assessed the teams' performance by adopting peculiar points of view: Francesco Cione Bar Manager of the Octavius in Milan evaluated the technique; Marco Sacco, starred chef owner of the Piccolo Lago di Verbania, the ability to surprise, enhance and entertain through food pairing; Lucia Stragapede, founder of Pastichéri, the ability of to sell and customer loyalty; Nelum Francesca Caramini and Gabriele Litta, drink stylist owners of Fluffer Studio, the beauty of the presentation and the harmony between aesthetics and taste; Alberto Vaccaro, coach certified by the World Association of Business Coaches, empathy with the client and the ability to relate.

The winners

The three drinks presented by the Southern Runners to the jury somehow wanted to retrace the phases of every man's life: youth, adolescence and maturity. hummingbird, the first of the proposed cocktails, played on the union of citrus, cocoa and vodka scents Absolut Elyx. On the other hand, the suggestions in the glass of Punk, where the banana met the notes of Tequila Altos. The drink christened Owland finally concluded the service with the complexity – and therefore maturity – of whiskey Jameson Black Barrel. Riccardo Russo and Ugo Acampora from Naples, Giuseppe Milillo from Giovinazzo and the two under 30s Luigi Rosario Grasso from Catania and Giovanni Maffeo from Lecce, together with captains Matteo Bonandrini and Alexander Frezza, have thus won the honor of winning this first edition of Run The Mix. For them also a trip to London to discover the Beefeater world and the most renowned places of British mixology. The perfection of the simplicity of food pairing, the elegance of the presentation and the balance in the garnish, the opening towards the customer and the strong cohesion of ideas, styles and knowledge have led the team of the South to triumph over those of the North and of the Center, second and third place respectively.

Summer trends

"I am convinced that what my team has been able to propose fully reflects the current trends in our sector", he underlines Matteo Bonandrini, captain of the Southern Runners and bartender of the Mak Mixology of Palermo. «The search for the best quality ingredients, of course, but also a substantial reduction in alcohol content, in favor of aromas and flavors that wink at distant lands. It is no coincidence that among the most popular distillates of the season there is undoubtedly tequila, a precious product ready to be finally valued properly, which inevitably brings with it a load of tropical scents perfect for the summer ".

5 wrong things we do at work (and that make us fat) – Italian Cuisine

Here are the main mistakes we make every day and the simple remedies to avoid gaining weight between a sedentary life and bad habits

I don't eat anything, but I don't lose a kilo. I have to change my diet. I always eat little at work and yet …
Stop. If you don't understand what is making you fat, an explanation is there. Even if you are not giving yourself obvious sgarri, binges or excesses, the accounts on the scale do not return.
If we told you that you are probably doing at least 3 of these common mistakes that lead us to gain weight little by little and to take bad habits at work? Here is the list of villains and how to change your routine with some changes.

Breakfast at the bar

The last minute alarm, a rush shower and off to the bar before entering the office. This habit is a concentration of calories (400 if you choose cap and brioche), saturated fats and sugars. To get your day off to a good start, wake up a quarter of an hour earlier and awaken your body with fiber, sugar and protein. For example with a low-fat yogurt, whole grains and a fruit.

Coffee break and sugar

Indispensable, fun and relaxing. But if every coffee is accompanied by a sachet of sugar, we are on the wrong path. You will have to sweeten only the first of the day and take all others bitter. That won't be more than 4. And if you don't like bitter coffee, why not share the preparation of a green tea to drink naturally?

Lunch at the desk

Time is short, laziness a lot. And so day after day you are used to having a bite in front of your computer, maybe even optimizing the lunch hour to get on with the work. But this is not a good idea. This custom will lead you to eat more than necessary, do not do the little motion allowed by the lunch break and digest the frugal meal with difficulty. Leave the desk at least to eat and take ten minutes to walk briskly after lunch.

Skip lunch

There are also those who are undecided whether to have lunch in front of the PC or outside, solve the dilemma by skipping the meal. And then he consoles himself with a caloric snack in the afternoon or an aperitif before dinner. These behaviors take us away from our weight and confuse the body that gets used to not receiving energy when it requires it and stores the substances that we propose to it out of hours. We listen to our body and stimulate the metabolism, always finding the time for a light and balanced lunch.

The snack machine

Look carefully at the snack dispenser and give it a warm farewell. From today on you will stay away from small packs rich in saturated fats and preservatives and you will opt for simple snacks prepared at home.

Below 25 good ideas for preparing light and tasty snacks

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Ricotta Recipe with Hazelnuts – Italian Cuisine – Italian Cuisine

Ingredients

250 g goat ricotta
30 g shelled hazelnuts

Duration: 5 min

Level: Easy

Dose: 4 people

For the recipe of ricottina with hazelnuts, coarsely chop the hazelnuts and distribute them on the ricotta.