You don't have to spend a long time in Michele (Mi-KEH-le) Zama's company to know he was born to be around people. His welcoming smile, easy humour and vibrant personality just suck you in and before you know it, the hours have flown by. It is probably a good thing, therefore, that he is working as a bartender - the perfect job for a guy who mixes social and professional skills in just the right measures to create a fabulous cocktail of atmosphere and delicious drinks.

Michele was born in Lugo, Northern Italy, in the province of Ravenna. His first job was as a bartender for a little bar in a small hotel...when he was 14 years old! He was only there for one month, but met quite a few Italian VIPs who tended to frequent the area - early adventures for a boy barely into his teens. By the time he was 16, he was bartending at discotheques when on holiday from school, so come graduation he had a lot of experience under his belt.

He decided to pursue work in the service industry full-time, and so found employment in an Italian Bar serving all the variations of coffee you can imagine. He stayed there until he was 23 before turning his hobby fixing and selling computers into a paying job with a local company. He was with Promo Tech for seven years in total before finding his way back to his old friend - bartending.

By October 2009 Michele was growing tired of living in such a small place. He had only travelled a little in his life, and now felt it was time to spread his wings. With the encouragement of his girlfriend who had already experienced living abroad, he took the plunge and moved with her to London even though he didn’t speak a word of English. He managed to find work as a barback in Smiths of Smithfield, Farringdon while his girlfriend worked as a server in a restaurant on the next floor up. In the mornings he studied English; in the evenings he worked. To hear him speaking English now you’d never dream he’s only learned in the last 18 months!

The happy couple stayed in the UK for a year, and then looked to move elsewhere. A mutual friend was working in Grand Cayman, and so Michele sent out his resume. He got offered a job by Ercole Musso, and was designing the cocktail menu for La Dolce Vita by the end of November, 2010. He has been smiling behind the bar there ever since.

Michele loves mixing drinks, loves meeting people, loves running the bar at La Dolce Vita, and loves his girlfriend – whom he asked to marry him the day before I interviewed him for this piece. If you thought he was smiling before… My first introduction to Michele’s work was when I had one of the best Cosmopolitan martinis I’ve had in a long time after a superb dinner at this terrific restaurant. I urge you to stop by for one of his fabulous cocktails and a chat – you won’t be able to resist either. 

Blue Moon
(good ol’ European measurements
for a change)
50ml Grey Goose L’Orange
25ml Triple Sec
25ml Blue Curacao
Dash of Grenadine

Chill martini glass by filling with ice and soda water. Put ice in shaker and add Grey Goose L’Orange, Triple Sec and Blue Curacao. Shake! Shake! Shake! Pour into chilled glass and add dash of Grenadine. Enjoy!