Manifattura

In an era in which globalization is as galloping as it is in ours, we are often besieged by ever new products, more and more exotic and special, but risking to forget the richness of our territory, which is particularly rich not only in raw ingredients, but also of traditions that teach us about their use. If this is true for food, it’s even more so for the world of drinks and mixology. A reality that the cocktail bar Manifattura, in Florence, has fully embraced.

Manifattura is a venue created by the bartender Fabiano Fabiani, which fully adopts the model of a total and vaguely humorous Italianity, which is reffered to with the use of the flowery vocabulary of the pre-war futurists, and sees the cocktails transformed into “corroboranti nazionali” (national corroborations) and“miscugli ardimentosi” (courageous mixtures), the tapas in“acquolinatori” (mouth-waterers) and the aperitif liqueurs such as vermouth, prosecco and bitters coming back as protagonists, all strictly Italian, like any other element within the menu. Another proposal is the acidulous sorbets with apple vinegar and fruit, diluted in spirit “in the manner of the Serenissima”.

Always “in the manner of the Serenissima” is the section of the “acquolinatori”, plates of gastronomic specialties of which are marked, in the menu, the best combinations with this or that drink. All the “acquolinatori” are simple but bear the imprint of a refined gastronomic concept that, even in its easiness, looks to the specific characteristics of the excellent raw materials: stuffed artichokes and squid, aubergine parmigiana, cold cuts and cheeses with mustards.

The“miscugli ardimentosi”, or cocktails, are dedicated to the great Italian personalities of the times gone by: Gabriele d’Annunzio, Antonio Meucci, Domenico Modugno and Renato Carosone. The ingredients are all of Italian production, those labels that until the ’70s were the protagonists of Italian drinking life and now survive in more provincial places, far from the most fashionable cocktail bars. The drinks are balanced and diluted to perfection, the natural perfume of their ingredients aptly exalted in each of the recipes on the list.

Although the concept and the same music that animate Manifattura are clearly vintage-inspired, the look of the restaurant is in line with our idea of ​​a contemporary cocktail bar. The best part is definitely the dehors, with its walls covered with leaves and vines, where you can enjoy your aperitif looking at Piazza San Pancrazio and the beautiful ancient façade of the Marino Marini Museum, a mixture of ancient and modern and perfect symbol of this cocktail bar.

Why go to Manifattura? To enjoy a drink with inimitable style, in an atmosphere that is unique not only in Florence but throughout the country and especially to discover the great excellence that lies behind an Italian-only offer when it comes to drinks. What city is better than Florence to experience the best that Italy has to offer? Run out of the house, then, and go try it. You won’t regret it.