Hotel bars in Mayfair can feel like museums. Dover Yard feels like someone’s living room – if that person had impeccable taste and a sustainability committee. Giulio Guarini Dover Yard’s Director of Good Vibes & Beverage has been here since opening, and his approach is simple: hire personality, solve problems fast, never stop having fun. You can feel the force.
It’s the kind of place with informal five-star warmth, where RnB replaces jazz and reclaimed Yorkshire stone meets Scandinavian chic, and where the team are elemental forces of nature.
Forces Of Nature
“Marco Grisafi is fire,” Giulio begins without hesitation. We’ve just asked him to liken each member of the Dover Yard team to a force of nature – a fitting exercise given the bar’s current Regenerative Forces menu, with sections dedicated to ‘Elemental Flames,’ ‘Earthly Revivals,’ ‘Celestial Flows,’ and ‘Aqua Vitae’ celebrating the elemental power of seasonal ingredients and sustainable practices. “Plus, Marco [Dover Yard’s Head of Bars] has got that red hair and beard, and the personality to match,” Giulio laughs.
“Danny [Daniele Mondelli, the Head Bartender] is water – he’s the one who usually calms things down, keeps everything flowing smoothly.” He pauses to consider before adding: “Mo [Dover Yard’s chatty Front-of-House presence] is earth. That’s because he’s your down-to-earth guy who can create instant connections with anyone who walks through the door.”
And Giulio himself? “I’m probably air,” he admits with a self-aware smile. “Always floating around, my mind drifting seven projects ahead until the team pulls me back with a ‘Chill out, Giulio, let’s get this one done first.'”
Dynamic Dover Yard
It’s a perfect snapshot of the team dynamics at Dover Yard – fire, water, earth, and air working in harmony, each element essential to creating the warm, elevated experience that keeps guests coming back as regulars.
Dover Yard takes its name from a true Londoner’s secret – a newly pedestrianized cut-through between Berkeley Street and Dover Street that offers a quiet escape from Mayfair’s bustling streets. Part of 1 Hotel Mayfair, London’s first mission-driven sustainable luxury hotel, the bar opened in July 2023 with a rebellious vision: to create a neighborhood hangout in the heart of the neighborhood.
The warmth is amplified by the design: traditional dry stone walls built from reclaimed Yorkshire stone frame a double-sided fireplace that anchors the space, while Katie Walker-designed chairs and sustainable timber furniture create an atmosphere that’s more Scandinavian chalet than stuffy Mayfair.
Informal But Elevated
The service philosophy is simple: warmth over formality. “We’re not very suited and uptight,” Giulio nods. “We have an informal approach to hospitality. But that doesn’t mean it’s not five-star elevated.”
RnB flows through the speakers instead of the expected jazz. It’s a deliberate choice that signals Dover Yard’s difference – modern, approachable, alive. “You can go somewhere flashy to celebrate something special, to show up and show your friends,” Giulio explains. “But we’re the place to come all the time.”
And people do. On any given night, Ed Sheeran might be tucked in a corner, Usher crooning at the bar, or a footballer ordering rounds for his table. Ed even has his own drink now – a collaboration born from a casual conversation over oysters.
“He noticed that the Tabasco had our logo on it and mentioned he makes his own hot sauce,” Giulio recalls. “He brought it next time. I made a drink with it. He loved it, said he had to have it all the time.”
What was meant to be a one-off gesture became a regular request – the kind of spontaneous magic that happens when a space prioritizes openness over exclusivity.
Dover Yard’s Bartending Edicts
Besides self-associating with the airy energy of ideation, Giulio’s been dubbed the beverage ninja for his multitasking. What then, we wonder, inspired by the 1987 cult classic ‘The 10 Ninja Commandments’ – where principles include facing difficulties, respecting family, being fearless, and keeping promises – are his ninja commandments? Giulio’s bartending edicts are decidedly more practical for the cocktail world.
“Commandment one would be always looking for a solution to the problem, never coming up with more problems,” Giulio explains. “Never detach from the problem – as fast as you understand it, jump straight to the solution. There’s no point marinating on the problem itself.”
His second commandment? Be a chameleon. “You gotta wear different hats every time. You gotta act accordingly to the situation, make sure that you’re ready to counter-attack.” On any given night, Giulio shifts between beverage director, financier, motivator, and creative – sometimes all within an hour.
And his third, maybe the most important: “Never stop having fun. Because if you’re not enjoying it, why do it at all?”
The Strategy Behind The Spontaneity
“Good vibes are just something I carry with me. I like to have fun, and that’s a natural symbiotic thing. I like people that have fun, I hang out with people that have fun, and I have fun.”
The energy has been attracting some of the world’s best bars over to Dover Yard for the night – Handshake Speakeasy, Kiki Moka from The Cocktail Club, Jakarta, and the team from Café La Trova, Miami (currently No.13 in North America’s 50 Best Bars). “And Hope & Sesame, The Bar in Front of the Bar, Bar DePero, Wisdomless, and Library at Sea,” Giulio adds.
There’s also a strategy behind the spontaneity. While the bar maintains all the formal service standards – acknowledging guests within minutes of their arrival, proper drink service protocols, meticulous attention to detail – Giulio’s hiring philosophy prioritizes personality over technical skill. “I hire personality. I don’t care how good you are behind the bar, as long as you have a good chat with me. We can teach everything else.”
Three Menus In
Bringing that infectious energy to Dover Yard since the beginning, so far he’s overseen three menus.
“From the first menu, I’d pick our Bamboo Ocean as indicative of what we do. This drink featured a croissant garnish and remains so popular that it’s still available as a secret menu item. It established some of the core prep techniques that would define the bar’s approach.”
From the second menu – called ‘Seed to Sip’ – the Rookie Bramble, he decides, is another drink that shows their approach. “Made with repurposed marmalade from breakfast service, this drink exemplifies the bar’s commitment to sustainability. And sometimes the straightforward drinks are the most popular,” Giulio shrugs.
Finally, from the current ‘Regenerative Forces’ menu, the Mushroom Whiskey, he says, is a standout. It uses mushrooms three ways – as a whiskey infusion, in a cordial, and as a rehydrated garnish served with bourbon on top, becoming one of Dover Yard’s most iconic offerings yet.
The menu isn’t just a list of drinks – it’s a gateway into the bar’s philosophy, Giulio contends. The current offering, Regenerative Forces, focuses on seasonal ingredients and repurposing, with an emphasis on British produce and sustainability.
Piquing Curiosity
“The menu is like a card you give someone,” Giulio explains. “It’s a presentation that takes them into our world. That’s where curiosity piques.” Some guests just want a drink, but most appreciate the story behind what they’re sipping – especially when the bartender can articulate it well.
There’s plenty to talk about. The bar works closely with suppliers like Field & Fork, who provide seasonal, local ingredients. Giulio has completely moved away from imported produce, even creating workarounds for typically imported ingredients. “They make passable fake passionfruit here,” he reveals, showcasing the innovative spirit that drives drinks like their Passionfruit Martini – with rum, gooseberry, custard, champagne, and some of that imitation passionfruit replacing the imported fruit with its large carbon footprint.
Behind Dover Yard’s Sustainable Bar Culture
Creating a sustainable bar culture that leads to drinks like these requires more than good intentions – it needs systems. At 1 Hotel Mayfair they’ve established a sustainability committee that meets every two weeks, pulling in people from different departments across the hotel – including Dover Yard – and not just senior staff.
“We make sure we talk to each other and understand where limitations for different departments are and what we can do to improve them,” Giulio explains. The committee tackles everything from waste sorting (they have an on-site facility to crush bottles and press cartons) to coordinating with the kitchen on bread fermentation projects.
The bar is also working with a regenerative farm inspired by Maker’s Mark’s Hill Farm in Kentucky, helping to educate the team about ecosystem-based agriculture. The upcoming menu, Off Season, planned for March next year, will focus on preserving summer fruits for winter and vice versa – a concept that requires meticulous planning and coordination with suppliers.
“But if you’re not enjoying it, why do it at all?” Giulio repeats his third commandment – a mission statement for everything happening at Dover Yard. From repurposed marmalade to Ed Sheeran’s hot sauce, from Yorkshire stone to secret menu items.
Wink Hotels' is a new kind of Vietnamese hotel made for the modern traveler and ready to take on the world.