When Bar Leone came to BAR 45
When Lorenzo from Hong Kong's Bar Leone, ranked number one in the world by The World's 50 Best, walked through the doors of BAR 45 for our recent collaboration, it wasn't his first visit. Back in 2013, a young Lorenzo spent time at the very same bar, then under the stewardship of the celebrated Andrea Cos. The experience left a lasting impression, and BAR 45 remained a meaningful part of his journey as he went on to become one of the world's most acclaimed bartenders.
"He told me, 'I was actually about to come here and take a position as a bartender ten years ago,'" recalls Enrico, Bar Manager at BAR 45. It was a true full-circle moment, making this collaboration at the end of 2025 feel less like a guest shift and more like a homecoming.
Shared philosophies
The collaboration came together through London’s close-knit bar community. A mutual friend visiting from Drink Kong during Negroni Week introduced Enrico and Lorenzo, revealing a shared approach to hospitality and cocktail making. Both bars draw inspiration from Italian drinking culture, with a focus on classic aperitivo traditions and clean, uncomplicated serves.
"I love the concept of Bar Leone because it's very similar to our style," Enrico says. "Old-fashioned Italian drinks, Negroni, simple mixology. That's our concept as well."
The event was designed to bring the Bar Leone experience to Mayfair: Lorenzo's recipes, made together behind the bar at 45 Park Lane.
The Negroni trolley
To understand why this collaboration matters, you need to understand what the Negroni means to BAR 45.
The bar's iconic Negroni trolley was first introduced in 2013, but it wasn't until Enrico joined in 2022 that it found its true identity. Under his direction, the trolley stepped into its own with an innovative sensory ritual – each Negroni is paired with a personalised scent created by the bar team, spritzed over the cocktail tableside.
"Like a woman wears her perfume, our Negroni wears a scent in the same way," Enrico says. "We want to keep the soul of the Negroni, the aperitivo, the bitter notes, and add something where you start your experience from the nose."
Even the glassware is purpose-built. BAR 45's signature glass was designed with a specific shape to trap the sprayed aromas above the liquid, holding the fragrance until the first sip.
A Ferrari Dino and a full house
For the night of the collaboration, no detail was too extravagant – including a vintage Ferrari Dino, one of the most iconic models ever produced, parked outside. It arrived courtesy of Tom Hartley, a regular BAR 45 guest, who had the car branded with the event's logo as a personal gift.
"It just came out of a conversation from nowhere," Enrico recalls. "We were talking about the event, vintage bars, whatever, and he said, 'You know what? I'll do it for you.' He brought the car, made all the logos, all the design. It was his gift."
Moments to remember
Ask Enrico for his favourite moment of the evening and he offers two. The first: a quiet team briefing before doors opened, where Lorenzo shared the philosophy behind Bar Leone's ‘cocktail popolari’ concept, the belief that great cocktails belong to everyone.
"That was quite an intimate moment between Lorenzo, me, and the team," he says. "A very great moment."
The second came when the room filled up and the collaboration was announced to a packed house. "Seeing all the work and the effort we put into this actually coming through, that was the moment where everything became real," Enrico says. "That was a great moment for me."
Bar Leone's olive oil Negroni
True to its ‘cocktail popolari’ philosophy, Bar Leone shares many of its recipes. Here’s the olive oil Negroni that featured at the event.
Ingredients:
Monkey 47 gin
Extra-virgin olive oil
Sweet vermouth
Campari
Orange blossom
Garnish: Olive branch with leaves
Method:
Vacuum-seal all the ingredients in a food-grade vacuum sealer bag.
Cook sous vide (in a temperature-controlled water bath) at 45°C, for one hour.
Freeze the mixture overnight, then strain away the olive oil solids that form.
Strain a second time through a paper filter, to remove any remaining drops of oil.
Add the clarified mixture to a mixing glass, then stir for 5 to 8 seconds.
Take your serving glass and add a large ice cube into it, then strain the mixture into the glass.
Add the garnish.
Sip and enjoy. Salute!
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