At Atlas, the art of the cocktail goes beyond the glass

Ask Esmeralda Castrogiovanni what makes a great cocktail, and she won’t start with the ingredients.

“A good cocktail is well structured, but a great cocktail comes with a great experience,” she says. “It’s about the balance of flavour, and how the drink comes together with the experience you create for the guest.”

For Esmeralda, bartending is about conversation – getting to know a stranger, reading their mood, and making them feel like they belong at the bar, rather than simply sitting in front of it. It’s a skill she has honed over more than a decade behind bars across several countries, and one she now brings to her role as head bartender at Atlas.

Located within the Art Deco grandeur of Singapore’s Parkview Square, Atlas is one of the world’s most acclaimed bars, earning a place on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2024.

Joining Atlas in September 2025 wasn’t simply another career move for Esmeralda – it was an opportunity she couldn’t turn down.

Esmeralda’s path into bartending was unexpected. Born in Malta and raised between Malta and Italy, she had considered becoming a psychiatrist, before deciding that the years of study weren’t for her.

Instead, at 17, she took a job as a restaurant server in Malta, then trained as a bartender when a position opened. What began as an opportunity quickly became a passion.

She rose through the ranks to become a trainer, bar manager and operations manager, before heading overseas to broaden her experience. After stints at sister venues in Spain and Romania, she relocated to Milan to join the European Bartender School as an instructor, teaching across its campuses in Europe and the US for five years, while continuing to work behind the bar.

Her career also took her onto the global competition circuit, where she was a two-time top finalist at Diageo’s World Class Bartender of the Year competition in Spain and the 2024 Art of Italicus Aperitivo Challenge, where she earned the title of Global Bar Artist of the Year.

So when the opportunity to join Atlas arose, she did not hesitate.

“Asian bartending is very respected all over the world, and the spotlight was on Singapore,” she points out. “All bartenders have the desire to visit Atlas one day.”

At Atlas, no two days are the same. Some are spent behind the bar; others are devoted to e-mails, planning staff training or finding new ways to elevate the guest experience.

On shift days, service starts long before the first guest arrives. After a pre-service briefing to review reservations, stock levels and notable bookings, comes the less glamorous work: restocking bottles, cutting garnishes, and preparing syrups and infusions.

“People don’t understand that there’s a lot of preparation. It is not just grabbing a bottle from the back and mixing it,” she shares.

Leading a team of 15 bartenders across morning and evening shifts, Esmeralda says her biggest challenge isn’t making drinks – it’s maintaining consistency.

“You need to make sure everyone is on the same path,” she says, ensuring that standards are upheld and key updates are communicated between shifts.

The job comes with its sacrifices – late nights, weekends and public holidays – but for Esmeralda, the trade-off is worth it. What keeps her coming back: the people. “You never know who’s in front of you,” she says.

She recalls guests who claimed they disliked entire spirit categories, only to leave with a new favourite cocktail. “They’re really appreciative when you help them choose,” she reveals.

Next, she hopes to mentor her team onto the competition stage, helping the next generation of bartenders realise just how far the profession can take them.

“Bartending is like art,” she declares. “It’s always creative.”

Photography: Franz Navarrete

Hair and makeup: Benedict Choo