Welcome back to Cheers with Nat – the podcast dedicated to cheering on women in drinks.
Today's guest is Claudia Carrozi, Fleet Beverage Development Manager with Cunard cruises and President of the UK Bartenders' Guild.
Claudia and I had a lot to chat about, so our conversation will be coming at you in two parts.
Now, for those of you who listened in to last week's episode with Jo, you might feel a bit of déjà vu here, as part of Claudia's story also takes place on a ship – but this time, we're in the bar!
Claudia knew from a young age that she wanted to be a traveling bartender, so in this first part of our conversation, you'll hear how she seized the opportunity to make that happen, where she went in her four years at sea, and how her role changed when Covid brought her back shore side.
Then, in part two, we'll we cover Claudia's role with the UK Bartenders' Guild.
What stuck with me from this conversation:
On her first hotel job: "He was like 'Well, this is a job for men', and I was like, I can do it."
On her plan after finishing school: "My plan was learn English, travel the world. You know, be a traveling bartender."
On Amit Sood, one of her mentors: "He really mentored me on the basics – how to read a class, how to talk to people, how to explain things. And that was another person that I was like, I really want to be like him. I'll have this experience in my heart probably for the rest of my life, because that was the other kickstart for the other part of my career."
On seizing opportunities: "This person picked up the phone and was like, 'I have an opportunity for you'. And I had no idea who this person was, but I was like, bring it on."
Links & things:
What we're drinking:
Where Claudia works:
Claudia's original cocktails, available on the Cunard cruise lines:
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Cunard Spritz, with Cunard gin, Aperol, yuzu, tonic and cucumber peel
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Cunard Rum Punch, a blend of rums with passion fruit, pineapple, and a little bit of absinthe
Recording info:
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