Argentina’s immigration story told through cocktails

Tato's dream of creating a bar that tells the story of Argentina came true when he found a basement in Arroyo Street. He created Florería Atlántico, a bar that celebrates the transatlantic journeys of immigrants who came to Buenos Aires in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through his research with historian Felipe Pigna, Tato pays homage to these settlers by creating drinks like yamanas and Colonia Luján, which celebrate indigenous communities and Argentina's Japanese community respectively. He is committed to continuing his mission of narrating the immigration story through cuisine and drinks.

“My dream was to do a bar that tells the story of Argentina in some way. I did not know how until I found that basement in Arroyo Street,” says Argentinian bartender and bar owner Renato ‘Tato’ Giovannoni, the founder of Florería Atlántico in Buenos Aires, a bar that has made a regular appearance on several best bar lists and currently ranks 18 on the World’s 50 Best Bars list.

For 25 years, Tato searched for a basement in Buenos Aires and eventually found one in a classic, aristocratic neighbourhood on Arroyo Street. He explains, “It used to be a little river, and there was a building that once constructed ships to transport goods and people. I thought this probably was an immigrant neighbourhood and decided to do a bar that tells the story of Argentina through its immigration; where migrants came to and what they brought with them. That’s why it is called Atlántico, as the immigrants came through the Atlantic Ocean.”

Affectionately known as “Tato” by his friends, this bartender recently visited Bengaluru for a special bar takeover event at ZLB23, The Leela Palace, Bengaluru, in partnership with The Dram Attic. During this programme, Tato shared anecdotes about his life and career, offering insights into his remarkable journey in establishing one of the world’s finest bars.

Tato, who had previously studied filmmaking in New York, was driven by a clear concept. While the place had a ground floor, it served no purpose for the bar’s ambience, which thrived in the basement with its ice shakers, music, and subdued lighting. Tato adds, “In the ‘80s, Buenos Aires had numerous flower shops on street corners. I thought, why not have a flower shop on the ground floor with a wine selection that opens at 10 am? Florería Atlántico was born with a blend of flowers, the ocean, and the immigration story.”

“I cannot work without a clear concept for the menu, or a clear idea,” says Tato, adding that it perhaps comes from his background in advertising. “I have this need to learn and investigate,” he adds. Once the concept of immigration was clear, he started studying the biggest tide of immigrants that came to Argentina between 1880 to 1920s and those were the Spanish, Italian, French, Polish, and British.

“So the first six years of our menu were inspired by those nations, we would change the menu every six months with a big focus on Argentinian heritage, produce and our way of drinking. Six years ago, we decided to expand the menu further because Buenos Aires was the largest port after New York to receive the biggest flow of immigration in that period in time.”

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Buenos Aires stood as one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, welcoming over one million immigrants from Spain and Italy, along with significant numbers from Poland, France, Britain, and Russia. The city’s population surged from 4 to 7.9 million between 1895 and 1914.