Latteria’s Luca Baioni and Nicola Pau talk Fringe (and share three recipes)

The Hendrick’s Curious Gin Trail is back at Adelaide Fringe right now, with 10 great bars to visit showing just how good the cocktail scene is in Adelaide right now.

Latteria opened on Hutt street in Adelaide in the first half of 2024, bringing with it a distinctly Italian sense of hospitality. The bar is inspired by the Milanese latteria that co-owners Luca Baioni and Nicola Pau remember from their youth in Italy. The latteria was much like the Australian take on the milk bar, but it also served as a meeting place, where you’d meet your friends to connect and then head out for the night. This Adelaide re-interpretation of the latteria gives it something of a glow-up, however, and we’d wager that Luca’s talents with the mixing tins surpass anything you remember getting slung across the milk bar bench.

They’re a vital stop on this year’s Hendrick’s Curious Gin Trail itinerary, so Hendrick’s ambassador James MacRae — you may known him as Wee James — sat down with Luca and Nicola to get a sense of what’s in store at Latteria during Fringe — take a look below, and check out the recipes, too.

JAMES: Alright darlings, we are here at the fabulous Latteria.

LUCA: My name is Luca. I’m the bartending partner here at Latteria.

NICOLA: I’m the venue manager, managing partner, whatever you want to call it, here at Latteria.

LUCA: You pick, we’re barely speaking English.

JAMES: So guys, we’re very excited to have you on board as part of the Curious Gin Trail. Now, this time last year, you guys were just about to open.

LUCA: Exactly right.

JAMES: And you were here for the Fringe period as well.

We were here but we were definitely not as involved — we were sweating in this building.

JAMES: For those who haven’t been to Latteria before, obviously you’ve got so many guests that come down to the Fringe festival. How would you describe Latteria as a venue?

NICOLA: Well, Latteria is definitely a place where you want to come before, after your Fringe show. You can come for a drink, you can come for a nibble, a full dinner. You can come for late night drinks and snacks. Come to listen to the DJs, come see Luca shaking behind the bar. There are so many reasons. The place is pretty big as you see. There are many different pockets, different areas where you can be, you can sit outdoors.

JAMES: I personally love sitting at the bar though. This is also very elegant. So why are you excited about Fringe?

LUCA: Look, to be honest, both for Nicola and myself, Fringe is one of the most exciting times of the year. And I think it’s also one of the most exciting time of the year to come to Adelaide. There’s so much coming to life. There’s artists from around the world, around Australia, and of course, tourists coming and visiting. And if I can suggest, it’s the best time to be here [at Latteria], my friend. And I know you will be.

JAMES: I will definitely be here with bells on, and I’m probably not going to leave the bar, which is excellent. We have some superb Hendrick’s drinks on the menu for Fringe, so tell me little bit about those.

LUCA: We were very happy to work with Hendrick’s original and the Grand Cabaret. And we created three drinks. We focused two of them more on Grand Cabaret and the inspiration of the decadence of French late 1800s or Belle Epoque. So they’re a little bit more fruit forward, a little bit more approachable. They’re fun — there’s a touch of bubbles, because why not?

While for the original Hendrick’s we went a little bit more classic and we created a Martini-style drink that is very much in the style of the Martini that we like to offer here in Latteria. A little bit more smooth, a little bit more approachable with a nice salty vibe.

JAMES: If you’re going out in Adelaide, some of the bars that you may be starting at — outside, obviously, Latteria — and maybe finishing with. What’s your key picks, key favourites out there?

NICOLA: Proof is definitely probably the first one I’ll start at. It’s aperitivo-style, you sit downstairs, have a chat with bartenders. They’re great.

LUCA: We also have to mention our neighbour Bar Torino, course. We are so happy to be next door to them.

Pineapple, Bubbles & Berries

“Bubbles have the unique power to bring us immediately into a celebration. This is the sense that we want to bring with name name name, then transporting our guests to the opulence and deliciously decadent flavour of the Belle Epoque that inspire Hendrick’s Grand Cabaret. We paired tropical fruit and berries to add an exotic touch, and a little technique to back it up and bring it to a modern-day drink. Think a French Martini x Bellini Mashup...with an unmistakable Latteria approach.”

• Hendrick’s Grand Cabaret
• Raspberries & Blackberries Syrup
• Green Pineapple Cordial
• Pineapple Aromatic Wine
• Carbonation

Grand Cabaret Punch

“Inspired by classic Punch recipes, highlighting the fruity notes and style of Hendrick’s Grand Cabaret, brightened by zesty citrus, white hibiscus and a classic punch serve.”

• Hendrick’s Grand Cabaret
• Grapefruit Oleo Saccharum
• Lemon & Grapefruit Juice
• Orchard Fruit, White Hibiscus, Grapefruit & Lemongrass Tea
• Peach Aperitif

Dirty Hendrick’s

“At Latteria, we love listing smooth, savoury Martinis. The idea that you can enjoy few Martinis, while keeping the ability of speaking with sense is appealing to us, and we would love our guests to enjoy that too. The trick is still packing enough flavour and texture to make it a tasty experience.”

• Hendrick’s Original
• Salted Cucumber Juice
• Verjus
• Extra Dry Vermouth