Renato "Tato" Giovannoni has been chosen the best bartender in the world
between the floors of the Argentinian Patagonia and the small coastal town of Pinamar, the restaurants and coffee shops of his father, the great entrepreneurial spirit of his mother, the hours and hours he has spent training without even knowing it, and the freedom that flagship bars of Buenos Aires gave him as Great Danzon Bar or Sucre, like this, little by little, and with a colossal effort that bears his hallmark, the Argentine Renato “Tato” Giovannoni has become the best bartender in the world in 2020.
Catapulted by prestigious international bartenders and elite bar professionals, the official council of 50 Best Bars awarded him the highest distinction of Senior Bartenders’ Bartender 2020 , which is granted only to those who challenge the limits of being a bartender.
“I have fulfilled all the dreams I set for myself, a little later, a little earlier, but I never dreamed of this. I was very happy that Argentina is recognized through Flower shop (third place in the 50BestBars list in 2019), that there are more and more bars and that the eye of the industry after many years has returned to my country, that was already more than enough... but the recognition of this award is something that you get once and lasts for a lifetime” Tato confesses to Traveler.es.
Altos Bartenders’ Bartender 2020 belongs to Renato Giovannoni
Creator together with Aline Vargas, his life partner, of one of the most distinguished bars in Buenos Aires, Florería Atlántico, Renato Giovannoni considers himself a dreamer, although not even in his wildest dreams had he managed to imagine that he would be awarded an award of such caliber , and that iconic bartenders from all over the world would choose it.
**A JOURNEY THROUGH THE FIRST STEPS OF RENATO GIOVANNONI **
In that adolescence that he spent in Pinamar and even participating in all possible positions in a restaurant, he did not fully understand the profession of a bartender, and that is why he decides to go to Buenos Aires to study Graphic Design , art was something that was not alien to him because of his family's professions, and although he worked in certain bars for fun, it was not until after graduate from advertising art director, who instead of going to an agency, decides to go to the Great Danzon Bar , that bar that would finally return to Buenos Aires the perfect fusion between Buenos Aires and international cocktails.
Listening to Tato tell me about his life, I perceive in an instant that he is a true Traveler spirit, so it is not surprising that he will travel to Los Angeles to become a filmmaker . And although sometimes some events alter his plans, when he returned from the United States he received a call from Luis Morandi who would put him to work at the bar in Sucre. “It is the first place where I realize that in addition to being happy being a bartender, it was easy for me and I loved it. , at that moment I told myself 'I want to be a bartender all my life, I want to dedicate myself to the bar, to the cocktail bar' …and later, over time, I began to understand that my profession was not just being behind the bar”.
After a formidable experience of four years in Sucre , grateful for the freedom they gave him, something that has led him to erect one of the two best menus of his life by intermingling cooking with cocktails and understanding that he could extract flavors from solids, his next great stage would find him at the Hotel Faena with Agustín Sena , giving life to the bar and meeting his current partner, until an opportunity would arise in a restaurant in the Big Apple.
And although he would not turn out as he expected due to the loss of an investor, after six months he would return to Buenos Aires having visited bars and understanding what things were done very well there and demystifying the scene a bit. "I began to understand that being Argentine added a lot . It wasn't about continuing to look outside, it was about seeing what was happening in our country and what could be done with products that weren't used in Argentina but that had a lot of years of history."
Florería Atlántico: a bar that has been hidden behind a flower shop
That thought perfectly condenses the secret of Atlantic Florist . A bar that opened its doors in 2012, but that for a long time existed in Tato's mind, and that undoubtedly conquered the hearts of locals as well as those of avid adventurers from all over the globe. "Florería is part of my travels, and of what I was absorbing in Berlin, London, New York, Tokyo , although it tells the story of Buenos Aires and Argentina, it is a conjunction of all those trips".
ATLÁNTICO FLOWER SHOP: THE BAR WHERE TATO'S PASSIONS COME TOGETHER
Since he conceived the idea of having a bar in Argentina, he always knew it would be in a basement, although he did not realize that it would take about ten years to find it. "Florería was on Arroyo street and in front of it had been the Mihanovich building , where Nicolás Mihanovich saw his ships enter and leave from the Río de La Plata, then I imagined that the whole area was a port and that it would be called the Atlantic ".
Located since then in the picturesque area of Retiro, the jewel of Buenos Aires is not defined as a speakeasy; it is rather, "a bar that has been hidden behind a flower and wine shop" , and which at the same time has become a living account of the five largest migrations that arrived in Argentina: Spain, Italy, France, Poland and England , proposing to change the menu every six months with the aim of paying tribute to all those stories of immigrants.
But over the years and with the appearance of Florist among the 50 best bars in the world , Renato began to feel that his country was much more than those five nationalities, and he decided to join forces with the Argentine historian Felipe Pigna to erect a letter that, upon reading it, is one of those books that you want to treasure because of the stories in which they immerse you. "Together with Felipe Pigna we selected 3 native peoples and 11 colonies . And with the help of Juani Gerardi and Bioco Conexión, we looked for small producers in each of the regions where those colonies were located. It is the first volume of an encyclopedia that we want to be called Colonies and Original Peoples".
Ostend: one of the drinks on the new Florería Atlántico menu
Although it is a book with invaluable details, it also is the new menu from Florería Atlántico, which Renato and Aline were hours away from presenting on March 11 at the Festival Atlántico , an event that celebrates sustainability but had to be suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. An event that has led them to reconvert like so many other bars or gastronomic establishments, bringing their most successful drinks to the public, such as Apóstoles Ginger and Negroni Balestrini, through Atlantic Canned , as well as receiving all those who longed for the bar in these months on the traditional sidewalk of Arroyo Street.
Mentioning that Renato's achievements culminate in Florería would be not honoring his great passion for hospitality and insatiable creation, from cocktail bars such as Las Gintonerías , Rotisería Atlántico next to Florería, exporting its flagship drinks to more than 25 countries, starting to carry the Vermu Giovanonni to the world, to have the book 'Argentine Cocktails: Tato's Sea', and to continue shaping or assembling the concept of different bars around the world using Argentine distillates.
After yesterday's announcement where the Best Bars in the World in 2020 according to 50 Best Bars have been announced, Florería Atlántico has managed to rise to seventh place in the best bar in the world , in the same virtual ceremony where Renato received the award from him. A moment that has consecrated long years of effort, humility and commitment, sealing a career that was influenced by his father, renowned bartenders such as Eugene Gallo and Argentine cooks who opened the doors of his kitchen without hesitation.
In case there are still doubts about his imprint and distinction as a bartender or rather, an international businessman today, the professionalism that he learned with the people he was lucky enough to work with stands out. "And added to that I think a personal concern and a love for my country , showing what is in our country is also a stamp that represents me", concludes Renato.
Passionate about travel, he hopes to soon find himself back on the streets of London, tokyo either New Zealand and he bids Traveler readers farewell with a hopeful message, that soon we will be on that plane that transports us to the destination of our dreams , and perhaps even enjoying a magnificent cocktail created by the best bartender in the world.
Atlantic Florist, in Retiro, Buenos Aires