On May 6, The Doping Milano celebrates its newly redesigned spaces with an evening built around two distinct moments and a special guest. Luis Alberto Gilbon Castillo and Javier Alejandro Rodriguez Hidalgo, mixologists from Handshake arriving from Mexico City, open the program with three cocktails: first during a four-hands dinner inside Aethos Milan alongside Trattoria Contemporanea, then behind the counter of The Doping Bar with bar manager Nicola Romiti for the debut party of the new pergola.
Handshake From the Table to the Bar at The Doping Milano
Milan has been waiting to experience the cocktails of Handshake, ranked No. 2 on The World’s 50 Best Bars 2025 list. On May 6, first at the table and then at the bar, two of its leading mixologists present three drinks. Starting at 7:30 pm, Aethos Milan comes alive with a four-hands dinner by Trattoria Contemporanea, paired with a cocktail journey curated by Handshake. The featured drink is Cariño, built on aged rum, French liqueur, lemon, vanilla, Greek yogurt and nutmeg—a creamy yet fresh profile designed to accompany the dishes and set the tone for the evening.
From 9:30 pm, the focus shifts to The Doping Bar, where Luis Alberto Gilbon Castillo and Javier Alejandro Rodriguez Hidalgo take over the counter to mark the official opening of the new pergola. Guests are served an elegant Fig Martini, with gin, fig leaf, dry vermouth, citrus and lemon oil, alongside a Coconut Negroni, where gin meets coconut, bitter, red vermouth and fig leaf for a rounder, more enveloping take on the classic.
The Doping Bar Unveils Its New Look
Throughout the evening—organized in media partnership with Coqtail – for fine drinkers—the transition from dinner to after-dinner is reflected both in the glass and in the space. The new pergola extends The Doping Bar outdoors, expanding its use across the day.
The glass structure filters natural light and creates continuity with the interior, while flowering plants and trees along the perimeter shape the atmosphere. Venue’s distinctive furnishings and its layered collection of objects now extend outside, incorporating the new area.
Located at the entrance of Aethos’s courtyard in Porta Ticinese, the space retains the refined feel of classic gentlemen’s clubs, reinterpreted through contemporary design interventions. A setting poised to remain among the city’s go-to destinations for quality drinking and nightlife.
Photo courtesy of Aethos Milano
