Making Cocktails With Amalfi Lemons at Dukes London

Palazzi, a native Italian who has been working in mixology for decades, has an affinity for lemons from the Amalfi coast, which he sources exclusively for the bar.

All of the staff at the Dukes wear classic white cocktail jackets– an old-school formality that adds enduring charm to their playful Italian gesturing (all of the Dukes staff are Italian, and they are very loyal to their regions).

Every martini served at Dukes London comes in a frosted glass– no exceptions.

Palazzi pioneered the process of bespoke cocktail making at Dukes– his team will customize any cocktail (whether you like it dry, sweet, etc) during their bespoke table side preparation.

As head bartender at Dukes, Palazzi carries himself with assured, avuncular charm.

Palazzi makes all of Dukes infusions himself. The rarest (and perhaps the most rich) is his truffle martini infusion, which contains a secret ingredient that he will not share with anyone else on staff.

Palazzi, who previously worked in Los Angeles and at the Paris Ritz, says that when he came to London for the first time, he felt like it was home. He’s been at Dukes Bar ever since.

Subtleties like leaving the leaves on each Amalfi Lemon give Dukes table side presentation setup a “farm-to-decanter” luxuriousness.

One of Palazzi’s associates, hard at work.

The Room 39 cocktail, which Palazzi made for Garden Collage in honor of the Chelsea Flower Show, is finished like most of Palazzi’s finest cocktails: with a generous squeeze of un-waxed Amalfi lemon, cut length-wise.

Room 39’s subtle green color comes from the thyme infusion that Palazzi makes himself.

Sprigs of thyme add one final hint of garden-sourced charm.