Welcome to The Raise the Bar Issue, dedicated to the search for the “Rare and Wonderful” and the philosophy behind world-leading bars around the world, all united by the Italian brand, founded by two American visionaries (Frank Grillo and Steven Acuna) who dared to see beyond, and raise the bar of Altamura wheats intended use, and apply it to vodka. The rest is liquid history.  Going into this issue, I asked myself: What does it mean to raise the bar? Who dictates the size and height of the bar? Is it about making things more exclusive, or adding layers of fuss and complicated words? Or is it about understanding something else? Michelangelo once said, “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.” I think about this often when I think about hospitality — how easy it is to settle for the bar we’ve already cleared, to mistake competence for excellence, procedure for care. Raising the bar, then, isn’t about reaching for something loftier or more exclusive. It’s about refusing to aim low in the first place…but none of it can be done in a vacuum. 

Lorenzo Di Cola, Head of Brand at Altamura Distilleries, takes us inside the vodka brand that is expanding into the world’s most exclusive bars. He reminds us that raising the bar in hospitality is not a transaction. It is a connection. Di Cola spent an entire month in the air last year bringing the vision of Altamura Vodka across the world. He understands the “hospitality reflex” — the instinctive knowledge that whether a guest wants a book recommendation or a vodka soda, their underlying need is to be seen. He teaches us that luxury service, inside and outside of the bar, without empathy is just procedure.

 Life coach Grace Kelly reminds us, in her op-ed, that the word aperitivo comes from the Latin aperire, meaning “to open.” What I discovered is that raising the bar is an opening — a sacred pause between asking and listening, between serving and truly caring. It is the decision to stop performing hospitality and start embodying it. To slow down. To actually see the person in front of you. The same philosophy of seeing the person in front of you trickles down to celebrity stylist Tony Lo Foco, a revolutionary in the world of hair styling, who rises by slowing down and taking his time with his clients.  Susan L. Schwartz offers a literary tribute to the “Spirits of Venice,” using the city’s bars as a lens to honour her father and the rituals they shared.

Lorenzo Quinn unveils his exhibition “I Give You My Heart,” where art becomes a “materialized dream” that uses the symbol of hands to call for global unity and collective responsibility. Monica Iotti explores the “invisible art” of etiquette, defining it not as rigid rules but as a framework for human dignity and the profound experience of being understood. Felix Lo Basso charts the evolution of fine dining toward a “private” future, where the chef comes to the guest to provide the ultimate luxury of freedom and spontaneity.

In Vieste, Leonardo Vescera realized that his native Gargano held everything he ever needed, building an ecosystem where guests live the story of Puglia.  We also take you  into some of the world’s most innovative bars, from the Stravinskij Bar in Rome, where Mattia Capezzuoli reimagines elegance through structure, to the 79th floor of MO Bar in Shenzhen, where Tiger Chang narrates the colours of China. Whether it is the “Scandinavian Mindset” of simplicity at Ruby in Copenhagen or the “New Balkan Soul” at Dragoljub in Belgrade, we celebrate those who refuse neutrality.

We also celebrate Venice Cocktail Week, marking its 5th anniversary this October, founded by the visionary Paola Mencarelli, a gathering that embodies everything this issue stands for: connection, craftsmanship, and the raising of the bar in the most poetic city on earth. Because raising the bar is elevation through honouring the human connection…and Michelangelo would remind us we should always aim higher.

As always, with gratitude,