Angelo Immorlano, now Bar Manager at Nobu Dubai, has Puglian roots on his father’s side and a Spanish-leaning accent that hints at where it all began. Bartending was never the plan. “I started in Mallorca twenty years ago, in a small pub. I was watching Captain Tsubasa, playing football — I didn’t drink and knew nothing about bars.” He fell into the job almost by chance, then got curious fast. “A friend gave me my first cocktail book, with the great classics, and that’s when I started studying.”
The Training and International Career of Angelo Immorlano
Croissant Bellini
London changed the pace. “Tony Conigliaro showed me things that felt like science fiction.” From there came Roka, then Zuma — first in London, then in Dubai. “My wife had found a job here. We were supposed to stay a year, but it’s been ten. Now it feels like home — my brother lives here too — and together we’ve built our family.” Over time, Dubai turned from a stopover into a base, and the move pushed his career forward, eventually taking him to the top floor of Atlantis The Palm. “At Nobu, I was given a blank canvas from the start:I changed standards, philosophy, and approach.” The cultural connection, he says, had been there for years. “Japanese culture has always appealed to me, even as a kid. Being here today, in a place so closely tied to Japanese cuisine and mixology, feels consistent with my path.”
Mixology According to Angelo Immorlano
The new drink list follows a collective method rather than a single author. “The concept is the bar team — it starts with a brainstorming. We begin with a theme, in this case traditional Japanese instruments, and develop ideas together.” The aim is to keep guests a step behind, in the best way. “The result plays with expectations. We like creating cocktails that look like one thing but turn out to be something else.” A Michelada- inspired drink captures that approach. “It looks like a beer, but it isn’t. We used banana instead of tomato.” For Immorlano, though, the real work sits behind the scenes, with the people. “I try to create a relaxed environment. In Dubai many managers prefer distance — I don’t. For me, we’re all equal, and growth is part of my method. I take my team traveling, support them, and I’m direct with feedback.”
A Growing Team
Dubai, he notes, has changed along with him. “The community is much more united than it was ten years ago.” Looking ahead, he keeps it simple. “I want to see my team grow.” The principle underneath everything stays the same: “This is a people business — cocktails are just tools. What matters is hospitality, and to me that means connection and care.”
The article first appeared on Coqtail – for fine drinkers. Order your copy here
Photo by Mike Tamasco x Coqtail – All rights reserved.
