Dorelli, Giampiero “Peter” (1940–), has worked in the bar industry for over fifty years. Trained initially in accounting, Dorelli left Rome and a future in the family banking business when he was eighteen to start a new life in the United Kingdom. After spending some time working in hospitality in the English countryside, Dorelli landed a position with the Savoy Hotel Group in Soho, London, where he made a name for himself as a bartender at the Pebble Bar at Stones Chop House. Here he honed his craft making cocktails and charming the clientele for fifteen years (while there, he earned drinks writer John Doxat’s “personal trophy” for his “99.9 percent perfect” Dry Martinis). After the bar closed, he was offered a position at the Savoy Hotel’s American Bar, where he became infamous as a bartender of extraordinary skill, wit, and charm. Dorelli is a perfectionist and a man who truly loves his craft. Since leaving the Savoy, Dorelli has taken on an educational role in the UKBG, judging competitions and continuing to stir many a perfectly executed cocktail. See
Doxat, John. Stirred, Not Shaken. London: Hutchinson, 1976.
Peter Dorelli website. https://www.peterdorelli.com (accessed March 3, 2021).
By: Tony Conigliaro