Fiorella Larrea: the story of the Luz Awards-winning bartender and her creations

Clarification: This article was originally published on October 20, 2021. It was updated due to the announcement of the Luces Awards 2021.

“The bar chooses you, you don’t choose the bar,” Fiorella Larrea (Lima, 1991), current bar supervisor at Tragaluz and winner of the 2021 Luces Award for Best Bartender, was once told, and it is a truth that is often repeat. Although her career was concentrated in services (she studied hotel and restaurant administration and, in addition, marketing) she dedicated herself to cocktail bar It was not always within their plans.

Now, being behind a bar, leading a team and running operations is a fascinating time for her, but the path was not easy, especially for a woman in a male-dominated bartending world: “When I studied bartending We were only 5 women in a room of 30, I was surprised. It has not been easy for me, I have had difficult moments with the guests, I have had someone who asked for a change of bartender or told me that suddenly I did not know how to prepare a pisco sour. However, I showed my abilities with attitude and doing what I know how to do”, says Larrea.

Fiorella started out as a housekeeper with no cocktail experience, and later became a hostess. It is in this position, in 2016, already at the Belmond hotel, that she had to approach the functions of a barmaid (barwoman or bartender) because it was necessary to know how to prepare a cocktail. It was her curiosity that led her to fully enter the world of drinks and liquors, she learned the techniques from the teachings of other bartenders and soon found herself serving the most requested drinks by guests. She even, she remembers, that sometimes they asked for drinks that she did not know how to prepare. In these cases she had a way out of it: she asked the guest to prepare it with her behind the bar. “At one point I discovered that I liked being at the bar more than being a stewardess,” she tells us. She liked the idea of ​​interacting with guests, knowing their tastes, needs and listening to them talk about the different bars in the world.

“Every day I learn something. The strongest thing has been learning the techniques beyond the recipes, because there is something much more complex behind a martini, a negroni or a pisco sour, it is not just about following the recipe. I have tried to acquire the best techniques depending on the bartender I worked with, be it a super classic or a more contemporary one. There were those who did not apply the technique because they wanted to get the cocktail out faster. I have taken the best of each one,” he continues. The decorations are also extremely important because you have to be clear, for example, if serrana mint or lemon will be used and why. “Everything matters in a cocktail,” he says.

In 2019, with all that experience, she was appointed supervisor of Tragaluz, the restaurant with a terrace at the Belmond Hotel. Going at night and facing the magnitude of Mateo Liébana’s paintings in the entire environment is an impressive experience, and it is very refreshing to know that the colors of those oil paintings combine with the cocktails on the new menu. Pinks, yellows, browns and greens delight the eye and the taste, especially if they are accompanied by a salmon and avocado tartar or some strip roast tacos with an unforgettable chalaquita. This new menu has syrups prepared by themselves and bright colors.

Cocktails without prejudice

In cocktails, prejudices and stereotypes are also crossed that are guided by the colors or the intensity of a flavor, the softest or pinkest drinks are usually recommended to women while men drink the strongest and darkest. “This does not have to be like this,” emphasizes Fiorella. “If they ask you to create one for Women’s Day, you think of something pink, camu-camu, prickly pear, strawberry, hibiscus come to mind, but then you wonder why it has to be pink if the color doesn’t say who you are. , doesn’t define, it’s just a cocktail and cocktails are dedicated to everyone, don’t be afraid to recommend”.

For Larrea, we live in a ‘miseducated’ society regarding cocktails because we believe, for example, that the martini is super strong, since it normally contains gin or straight vodka: “I used to believe that men like strong drinks until Joel Chirinos came (he’s like my mentor to me) and I told him that girls never order a martini because it’s a strong drink. He replied that it is strong if they do not know how to prepare it. I kept quiet and he taught me how to make a martini using the refreshing technique. For me it is a cocktail that requires a lot of dedication to be able to enjoy it”.

On the other hand, and as part of this education in eating and drinking, it is understood that a cocktail and spirits are served with food, so their function is also to pair, a little rooted custom in our country where we usually accompany the lunch with a soft drink or juice: “We worry about eating and not drinking, and it is important because it is a pairing. If we start drinking rum, vodka or pisco the experience will be better. ”, reflects Larrea, convinced of the multiple possibilities that would open up if more attention was paid to the culture surrounding liqueurs.

Get to know the new Tragaluz cocktail menu

captain

Fiorella Larrea baptized it as Capitana because she initially made it and because it is dedicated to women. The idea is that they take a Captain without feeling very bitter and thus encourage them to ask for another. The white chocolate on the rim he put it in representation of the delicacy of the woman, but at the same time because he goes well with the cocktail. It’s a strong cocktail, but it definitely won’t be the only one of the night.

sour melon

They were clear that they would make cocktails with personality, that people can identify that it is from Tragaluz and that they leave with that idea. It has Tío Pepe, which is a fortified herb wine, and Citadelle gin, which has a lot of botanicals. Ideal to start the night.

fake spritz

They wanted a spritz on the menu but easy to drink so people feel satisfied. “People believe that because they put a lot of alcohol in it, it is tasty, not necessarily, sometimes it is very strong and you no longer ask for the second or delay in drinking. The idea is that this person will drink the Fake Spritz and easily order another one.” It’s refreshing.

Yellow Submarine

Fiorella and her team wanted it to feature turmeric because it’s eye-catching and doesn’t need much decoration. The ice has the figure of the Egyptian god Anubis, a recurring image in the place. The name comes from the famous song by The Beatles because “we wanted that cocktail to have the same impact as the song and to be remembered forever”. It’s an extravagant drink.

The Skylight Martini was made to capture the identity of the venue. Also part of his menu are Scotch Black, Tea-Rum and a spring red wine.

Where?

• The Tragaluz Restaurant is located at Los Carolinos 118, Miraflores, inside the Belmond Miraflores Park
• Instagram: @tragaluzperu