Once Upon A Time
Once Upon A Time is Villa Igiea’s new cocktail menu by the cocktail Maestro, Salvatore Calabrese. If our historic bar counter could speak, what stories would it tell? Tales of movie stars, of Belle Epoque glamour, of Villa Igiea’s most glamorous patrons. The Maestro invites you to take a seat at the bar and select a cocktail – the next story will be yours to tell.
Many stories are told on bar counters. Bar counters have many stories to tell. Particularly when the bar counter is as storied as the one at Villa Igiea. Dating back to 1900, our bar counter is recognised by the Italian heritage authority as an object of significant historical importance. And now it has a twin. When Rocco Forte Hotels renovated the palazzo in 2021, we created a new side to the bar.
“I like to imagine that the counters talk to each other when nobody is there, at the end of the day” – Salvatore Calabrese
Join the Maestro of cocktails, Salvatore Calabrese, in imagining their conversation as you sip on an aromatic vodka cocktail. What stories does the older half tell its young apprentice?
The Maestro is a born storyteller. Every cocktail he creates captures a memory, and encapsulates a narrative. From tales of Kirk Douglas’ love affair with the martini, to reminiscences of Harrison’s Ford stays at Villa Igiea with a Manhattan in hand, Maestro Calabrese weaves plot and passion into every drink, creating new twists on beloved favourites.
Each drink is a whisper, a snippet of gossip, a memory of a bar counter that has spent one hundred and twenty three years at the centre of every cultural movement. Through these stories, the young half of the bar counter will learn the history of Villa Igiea. And how does every good story start? Once Upon a Time…
Discover history, majesty and serenity at Villa Igiea: a turn-of-the-century palazzo at the perimeter of vivid Palermo, the foot of Mount Pellegrino and the Gulf of Palermo.
Discover history, majesty and serenity at Villa Igiea: a turn-of-the-century palazzo at the perimeter of vivid Palermo, the foot of Mount Pellegrino and the Gulf of Palermo.
Discover history, majesty and serenity at Villa Igiea: a turn-of-the-century palazzo at the perimeter of vivid Palermo, the foot of Mount Pellegrino and the Gulf of Palermo.
