Focus on Valeria Bassetti

Valeria Bassetti has been in hospitality her entire career. Research, advocacy and branding are her specialties, but it doesn't stop there. Her entrepreneurial spirit has taken her all over the world but she loves Rome sweet home.

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My interview with Valeria

When did you get your start in the business and how long have you been at it?

I started 23 years ago. I am 45 years old now. Half of my life was spent behind a bar!

When did it hit you that a job behind the bar was going to be your career?

After my first cocktail bar in Piazza Navona, around 11 years ago, I felt that was my destiny. I wasn't ready, it was tough, crazy and intense but definitely it was the job of my life.

What advice would you give to the 22 year old Valeria just starting out in the business?

Studying, travelling, reading books regarding art and history, be curious, be open-minded, asking every day or every night: am I happy doing this? Can I make other people happy with my job?

What is a soft skill that every bartender should have?

Empathy. Feeling customer’s needs and sensitivity.

Valeria, you do a lot to give back to the bartending community. Tell us about your involvement in IHN -International Hospitality Network.

Getting involved with IHN after one month the association was created in Rome was more than a “call of duty”. Together we can change the rules and fight for our rights and professionality. We do care about the emergency related to the pandemic situation but even more about the new start after. It’s free to join IHN and gives you the opportunity to join a community with the same goals. Info here.

What can you tell us about your “consulenza emotiva” (emotional consultancy) gig?

My personal idea of consultancy is more dedicated to training ownership and to create a motivated team. Mood and atmosphere are important as a food menu and drink cost. I call it: the Standard of customer' s happiness.

You are involved as a trainer for conscious drinking: tell us about that.

Taste and palate must be trained and pushed to discover the unknown like any other sense. My projects also involve children's education for taste and smell and I am working on a research project about the gender difference between the female and male palate. Work in progress!

You organize the Roma bar marathon, what is that?

In 2018 the European famous free Magazine ZERO and I organized The Roma Bar Marathon: 12 hours of music and bartending. Almost 30 DJs and 40 amazing Roman bartenders. An event that created the good vibe for what has become The Roma Bar Show.

You are a consultant for female entrepreneurs, what does that involve?

I care about the female workers and owners in the hospitality system. It’s always a matter of choice, I am just working for a better future for the next generation of female bartenders.

What is a skill women possess that is very successful behind the bar?

The same as a man, no doubt. But also more self-confidence and the belief in what I call “sisterhood”.

You have been a brand ambassador in the past. Are you representing any brands currently?

Mine: Drink_it!

**Tell us about your project, Drink_it.**
Is like having a tour through our history and our ideas. We started 4 years ago and we had only one goal: bringing good drinks into the homes of Italians. We don’t substitute the bar experience, we supply this experience when the bar is not available.
Image: Danilo, Valeria, Emanuele & Maayan: the Drink_it team.

Or if you are just too lazy to go out! For the bar industry we can be considered as a solution. Ready-to-drink is a new frontier, and we are exploring all the possibilities our creativity suggests.

**How does Drink_it differentiate itself with the many ready to drink cocktails in the market that sprung up in the Covid period?**

Well, we were the first one in Italy. And we decided to remain artisanal and completely eco- friendly. We have our own laboratory and we can create our drinks as a team and tailor-made for special clients. We also do consulting on everything from sourcing bar supplies to marketing, operations, training, concept , bar layout and events. Our decision not to be in every market allows us to invest in research and make interesting co-branding with different companies. I am extremely proud of our team: Emanuele Broccatelli is an amazing Chef and Genius of Taste, Danilo Cipollini is the best commercial agent we could ever work with and Maayan Bazak is creative and explosive and gives that hint of the international point of view that adds a magic touch on our social channels.

Valeria, can you tell me a secret side of yourself that has nothing to do with bartending?

That’s a really good question! I love books and literature, especially the Beat Generation Poetry and the American Authors like Henry Miller and Roth. Anaïs Nin and Virginia Woolf are my greatest inspiration. Jeanette Winterson and the Italian Michela Murgia are my idols at the moment.

Why did you pick the Instagram handle poco_seria (not very serious)?

(Laughs) It’s an old Italian song from the 40’s, my grandma used it to poke fun at me when I was a kid. In Italian it rhymes with my name. Kind of a prediction of my destiny… because I am serious but I don’t take everything too seriously!

When things open up again, where can we find you behind the bar?

Probably not behind but sitting in front, talking, smiling and supporting the network.