Carlo Splendorini
Born and raised in Italy, Carlo Splendorini discovered his passion for hospitality early on, attending the Istituto Albergiero di Assisi at the young age of 13. Just one year later, he staged at Caffe di Perugia, next to the Bacardi Classic champion, one of the greatest bartenders in Italy.
Carlo made his way to Germany, where he experimented with European bitters and amaro. He then traveled to London and focused on Sardinian products and herbs at Canal Sardo, before moving onto Nobu Green Park, where he experimented with Japanese-influenced cocktails.
Carlo left Europe for the United States in 2007 coming to San Francisco where he honed his skills and came into his own creating the bar program at Gitane. It was here that Carlo was first recognized for his talent creating classic cocktails made with seasonal ingredients, paying particular attention to small distilleries and handcrafted spirits.
Carlo then became lead bartender for the Michelin-Starred MICHAEL MINA San Francisco, where he was the force behind a cutting-edge and continually evolving cocktail program. He helped to establish MICHAEL MINA San Francisco as a front-runner in San Francisco’s cocktail scene with stunning classic cocktails that incorporated unique flavors and syrups, hand-pressed juices, and market fresh ingredients. His position rose to Corporate Bar Director with MINA Group to ensure that the same level of cocktails could be experienced at MINA Group restaurants across the country. In 2015, Carlo co-founded The Modernist, a private social club in downtown San Francisco, where he serves as Bar Director in addition to his consulting role with bar programs around the city.
Inspired by the aperitivo and cicchetti bars in Venice, Bar Sprezzatura is Carlo’s newest concept in San Francisco’s Financial District where he helped create an Italian-focused bar program.