With a passion for mixology and nearly 30 years of experience under his belt, Patrick Pistolesi is one of the most prominent names in the realm of Italian bartending.
The Rome-based bartender and mixologist has received numerous culinary accolades throughout his career. Italian-born with Irish heritage, Pistolesi creatively combines his ancestry, a blend that is evident in his bar. Growing up, Pistolesi spent many summers in Ireland’s southeast county of Cork. As he snuck in and out of pubs, discovering the town’s vibrant nightlife, he quickly became enamored with the bartending profession.
Pistolesi broke into the culinary scene as a teenager when he worked at The Shamrock in Rome. With little to no experience behind the bar at this point, 19-year-old Pistolesi nervously accepted an impromptu summer job offer to bartend at a Roman festival. Recruiting the help of a bartender friend who showed him the ropes, Pistolesi treated the days leading up to the festival as a crash course, trying to learn and remember everything he possibly could in a short period.
Following the festival, Pistolesi continued to learn more about the ins and outs of bartending, securing a series of jobs at Irish pubs, discotheques, and summer cocktail bars. As his skill set grew, so did his reputation. Pistolesi moved to New York and then traveled around Europe, expanding his global knowledge of the cocktail industry.
Pistolesi returned to Italy amid the emerging cocktail renaissance and opened the country’s first gin bar, The Gin Corner, in 2013. He started to enter and win various competitions, which allowed him to continue to travel and collect international inspiration. Some of this inspiration from his time spent in Japan later manifested in Pistolesi’s cocktail bar: Drink Kong.
Located at Piazza San Martino ai Monti 8, Rome, Drink Kong earned the twenty-first spot on “The World’s 50 Best Bars” list from the 50 Best Stories publication. Japanese inspirations, King Kong, and 1970s futuristic ideals served as muses for Pistolesi as he brought Drink Kong to life in 2018.
Drink Kong received its name from someone in a bar who once told Pistolesi that he resembled the iconic King Kong. This observation inspired an unforgettable nickname and eventually became the perfect title for Pistolesi’s cocktail bar.
With a bold mantra and neon colors and lighting, Drink Kong invites customers inside to:
“DISCOVER THE SPIRIT IN YOU,
THE LONG-FORGOTTEN FLAVORS,
GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK
FROM THE WORLD OUTSIDE AND
LIVE THE KONG EXPERIENCE.WE WILL GIVE YOU A CHANCE
TO FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCT ONCE AGAIN,
GRAB IT!”
Open every day from 6:30pm to 2am, Drink Kong boasts an extensive food and drink menu that piques the interest of food and drink lovers alike.
Last month, Pistolesi returned to his theatrical roots with Hub4Brands’ new television program, “Cocktail Tour: The Art of Italian Aperitif.” on Sky. The program’s ten five-minute episodes follow Pistolesi as he creates and mixes a variety of drinks and explains their importance. This series aims to show Italians the sophistication behind mixology and highlight emerging trends in the field.
On July 17, Pistolesi opened the doors to his newest endeavor: Wunder Kong. Rome’s dreamiest new secret garden awaits fans of both cocktails and Pistolesi at Via Ulisse Aldrovandi, 1. Designed by Pistolesi and Wunder Bar, the debut of the summer space comes just a week after securing the location. The garden offers a dozen drinks that place an international emphasis on the cocktail realm, attempting to broaden the horizons of Rome’s cocktail scene.
From sneaking into pubs as a curious teenager to becoming an award-winning mixologist with successful business endeavors, Pistolesi’s passion has paved the way for success. Restless and always eager to expand, Pistolesi continues to explore how he can cultivate change in the cocktail community.
