Matthew Biancaniello, Mixologist at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Library Bar, creates unrivaled specialties unlike anything ever experienced in Los Angeles before. One of the freshest and most unique talents to appear on the bartending scene, Biancaniello has found his niche by crafting cocktails based on farm-fresh foods, such as the Heirloom Tomato Mojito, the Last Tango in Modena, and the Roquette.
Impressively, Biancaniello only began bartending about three years ago when he transitioned out of a sales position with Time Out New York and began working for a catering company in Los Angeles. Self-taught, he read cocktail books to learn the basics, and when his wife gave him Dale DeGroff’s “The Essential Cocktail”, he started to view mixing cocktails as an art. His first official bartending job came at the Library Bar about a year and a half ago. He used his own time and money to revamp the bar from sour mixes to homemade syrups and fresh, local produce inspired by his farmer’s market finds, visiting five different markets weekly. In August of 2009, Biancaniello won the Chartreuse Sweet 16 Competition and just recently he placed nationally in the 42 Below World Cup. He will be featured in the upcoming issues of Instyle, Imbibe and Bon Appetit magazines and is a guest on the 8th season of Hell's Kitchen.
Working without a set cocktail menu, Biancaniello’s creations are based off of seasonal ingredients and unlikely pairings. Biancaniello may not have much history behind the bar, but his use of the freshest ingredients and his hunger for experimentation are what set him apart from the rest.
