Toni Cortés Recatalá
Bartender / Businessman
Toni Cortés, bartender and owner of Candil Bar & Drinks. Member of the board of directors of the ABCV, acting as vice-president. National cocktail champion and world champion in the ‘art deco’ category.
With a passion for cocktails and the world of distillates, he works as a trainer for the CdT (Valencia Tourism Centre), and the CEFIRE (Training, Innovation and Educational Resources Centre of the Valencian Community)
Profile
My name is Toni Cortés Recatalá, I live in Benicarló (Castelló) and I am currently the owner of Candil Bar & Drinks.
I started studying at the CIPFP Costa de Azahar (Hospitality School) in Castelló, and at the CIPFP Benicarló (Hospitality School). After working in different bars for 13 years, I put into action the dream of having my own bar, which has been running for 9 years now.
I decided to explore the world of mixology professionally 5 years ago, as I needed to have enough knowledge to be able to offer a better service to my customers. From there I began to study the world of gins, sparking in me the desire to learn more and become a professional in the world of distillates.
Whether by taking courses, training, master’s degrees and being self-taught, I try to improve myself constantly. The mixture of learning, designing cocktails, seeing people’s reactions when tasting them, creating new experiences and other reasons, help me to keep my passion for this world alive and thus try to improve as a professional day by day.
I am currently vice-president of ABCV (Valencia Bartenders Association).
"Our premise is to use quality distillates and spirits, being aware that the base of the cocktails we design must be up to the task of capturing our essence in them".
All these experiences have helped me develop a new discipline through teaching, so as to share my knowledge with all those who seek to grow on a personal level as professionals or future professionals in the industry. Reaching this point in my life and being able to share experiences is just one more reason to want to continue growing and contributing new things to this fantastic industry that is exponentially evolving.
For me, cocktail making is the opportunity to express myself through distillates, liquors, syrups, homemade elaborations, mixers, etc., in order to inspire and generate an opinion in our customers.
I am also a member of the 7 Jiggers, a group of friends whose interests in the world of mixology unite us under the hashtag #castellonseagita. We are a very close-knit group. A combination of diverse perspectives and knowledge that leads to constant and progressive growth. Togetherness, sharing experiences and the desire to evolve are necessary ingredients for learning and growing.
For all this to succeed, it is crucial to work with quality raw materials. This is why it is very reassuring to have a distillery such as Teichenné, SA by your side, because of the amount of products it has, but above all, because of the quality of these products, as it broadens the horizons for the creation of new proposals.
‘Our premise is to use quality distillates and spirits, as we are aware that the base of the cocktails we design must be up to the task of conveying our essence’.
In my case, I especially like to work with Level Gin Reserve and Gin L’Arbre, as they are top level products, not only for the quality of the base alcohol, but also for the result and complexity of aromas and flavours that I obtain when designing signature cocktails. But cocktails are not just an alcoholic base, we need to give body and life to our creations, so using any product from the Teichenné liquors or the Ultra Premium Liqueurs range (without added colourings) is a guaranteed success for our menus or events.
As I said before and with so many references at hand, the possible combinations are infinite.
In short, there is a lot to learn, but also a lot to enjoy!