“I’m for the idea that drinks have to be approachable, tasty, and simple.”

In partnership with Hendrick’s Curious Gin Trail through the north end of Sydney city. Six great bars are involved, with delicious Hendrick’s serves on offer at Apollonia, Aster, Disco Pantera, Frank Mac's, Martinez, and The Doss House.

Sydney cocktail bar Apollonia will celebrate five years of drinks this year, having found a rapt and ready audience in the north end of the CBD. The bar, which channels a Sicilian bandit’s drinking den vibe, is named for an ill-fated character in The Godfather, as bar manager Damiano Pellegrini explains in the interview here.

In a world of cocktails often built and designed for the ‘gram, Damiano also talks about how the creative side of the bartending gig isn’t everything to him. “I know how to make drinks,” he says in the chat below, “but it’s not my main focus.” Instead for him, it’s about the hosting side of the bartending equation.

“I love talking with people, love talking with guests, a genuine relationship,” he says.

Below, Damiano talks about the inspiration behind Apollonia, the three things he looks for in drinks, and why bartending was the adrenaline job he had been looking for.

BOOTHBY: So if you could tell people who you are, what you do, and where we are right now, that would be wonderful.

DAMIANO PELLEGRINI: I’m Damiano. I am the bar manager here at Apollonia. I’m from Italy. You can probably hear the accent.

BOOTHBY: Most bartenders are.

DAMIANO PELLEGRINI: And we’re at Apollonia. Apollonia is a beautiful, hidden, small bar, very close to Circular Quay. And we are part of a hospitality group called House Made Hospitality. It’s a new hospitality group, actually. Everything started back in 2021 with this venue and two restaurants above us, Grana and Lana.

I moved here in Australia around three years ago, in early 2023. And as soon as I found this bar, I fell in love. It’s pretty great.

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BOOTHBY: What’s the big idea with the bar here at Apollonia? There’s a story to everything that goes on.

DAMIANO PELLEGRINI: So the creative behind Apollonia comes from Jason Williams, a well-known hospitality figure here in Sydney, the beverage director and co-owner of the group. And this is actually his first bar, Apollonia.

Back in the day, he was in love with the the Godfather movie. So he decided to open his first bar with this concept. Apollonia, for those who don’t know it, is the Sicilian wife of Michael Corleone in the first movie. No spoilers, but she ends up pretty bad.

BOOTHBY: She doesn’t make it. She’s not in the next movie.

DAMIANO PELLEGRINI: Yeah, the concept of the bar and the story behind the bar is all about the figure of Apollonia

BOOTHBY: And that’s where you get this idea of the bar — I’ve heard it described as like a Sicilian gangster or bandit’s drinking den.

DAMIANO PELLEGRINI: Exactly. Mostly it’s a dark, hidden bar, very romantic with a nice atmosphere. A lot of candles, stonework and the building’s been around since forever.

BOOTHBY: How long have you been bartending for?

DAMIANO PELLEGRINI: I’ve been bartending for most of my life actually. I’m from a very touristic part of Italy, called Lake Garda. It’s the biggest lake in Italy, and we live on tourism. So when I was like 13, 14 years old, I started working summer in many small cafes and bars and I loved it. So I started studying the hotel hospitality school back in Italy and after a few years I got my diploma.

This was back in 2019. After that, I started to travel around. I moved to Abu Dhabi. I spent almost a year there working for a big international group. After this experience in Abu Dhabi, I went back to Italy. Most of my time I worked in luxury hotel but when I turned 21, 22, I was feeling a bit bored. I was trying to find a bit more of adrenaline, so I started working in cocktail bar.

BOOTHBY: What is it about bartending that attracts you to the job — why do you do what you do?

DAMIANO PELLEGRINI: I love talking with people, love talking with guests, a genuine relationship. I’m not much into the creativity side so far.

BOOTHBY: You’re a people person. Anyone can learn how to make drinks, but not everyone’s nice to people.

DAMIANO PELLEGRINI: I know how to make drinks, but yeah, it’s not my main focus.

BOOTHBY: Tell us about the Hendrick’s drinks that you guys have made for this collaboration.

DAMIANO PELLEGRINI: This is a special collaboration with Hendrick’s Gin until the end of February, these two super approachable cocktails. One is a Spritz style. It’s summer, everyone loves Spritzes. And I’m for the idea that drinks have to be approachable, tasty, and simple most of the time.

BOOTHBY: Check, check, check.

DAMIANO PELLEGRINI: The other one is a Sour. Most of the people love both of them, especially in summer. So it’s a Spritz style cocktail made with Hendrick’s, some Prosecco, and a touch of soda and rockmelon cordial.

And then the Sour.

BOOTHBY: It’s called Melon Cucumber Number.

DAMIANO PELLEGRINI: Oh, yes. We’ve got a Sour with a touch of Italian amaro, some lemon juice and an aquafaba foam. Simple and delicious.