In London today, it’s rare for a bartender to have plied their trade at one establishment for more than a few years. Mercurial cocktail bartenders infamously tend to hop from one hot new opening to the next, generating a CV lengthier than Leonardo DiCaprio’s list of recent love interests. But that’s not the case with Sardinian-born Maura Milia, who is approaching her 10-year anniversary at the world-renowned Connaught Bar.
It’s this passionate loyalty to her team, and Milia’s exceptional ability to host that has catapulted her from a promising cocktail waitress in 2014 to bar manager today. From her days as a prospective talent to award-winning bar personality, she and her team have garnered an array of prestigious awards, including the World’s Best Bar in 2020 and 2021. In the global bar industry, Milia is up there with the finest there is.
But when Milia hangs up her finely-tailored Connaught Bar blazer after mixing many of the bar’s famously flamboyant tableside martinis, how does she let loose and unwind? Or better yet, where does someone with such elegance go out in her spare time? Here, she shares her expert intel. And if it’s good enough for someone with Milia’s sophisticated taste, you best believe it’s good enough for the rest of us.
If you could only have one drink in London for the rest of your life, what would it be and where?
It would be a French 75, my favourite cocktail of all time, best enjoyed at Satan’s Whiskers (343 Cambridge Heath Road, E2, satanswhiskers.com). It's a neighbourhood bar with a great atmosphere and a great team, consistently delivering brilliant classic cocktails thanks to the highest standards of ingredients, techniques, and execution. Everything feels heightened while retaining that unassuming local feel.
What’s your most memorable meal in London and why?
I still keep a wonderful memory of a meal with my husband at Perilla (1-3 Green Lanes, N16, perilladining.co.uk) , in Newington Green, Stoke Newington. Perilla is the type of restaurant that I love for many reasons. Having had the most imaginative and delicious take on a carbonara there is definitely one of those. The venue feels warm and elegant, beautifully decorated without being lavish. In fact, it is the opposite. Raw materials, appeasing colours, and big windows bring brightness and a convivial, neighbourhood character. I felt super welcome in that environment, and the top-notch food and service elevated this feeling even more. It is fine dining with no fuss.
Where is your favourite place to go for a nightcap, and what do you typically order?
Equal Parts (245 Hackney Road, E2, equalpartslondon.com), on Hackney Road, for a Flor — one of their signature cocktails with olive oil vodka, Fino Sherry and tomato liqueur. It’s a Martini style cocktail served on the rocks, as simple as beautiful, like everything else in this bar. I like the fact that at Equal Parts you feel enveloped by a sense of cosiness and homey feeling.
Where do you go to cure a hangover?
At home, where my by-marriage Scottish soul expresses itself by cooking a morning roll with bacon, eggs, and ketchup. My go-to hangover food used to be tea and cookies, but my husband converted me to this comfort dish. Alternatives are bread, butter and Marmite, or a quick trip down to Corner Cafe (218 Queenstown Road, SW8, 020 7720 4495).
What is London’s best bar crawl?
There are so many great bars in London that one bar crawl wouldn’t pay justice to the variety and calibre of our cocktail scene. I would have to pick at least two. One in east, where there are two favourite bars, as previously mentioned, but also Seed Library (100 Shoreditch High Street, E1, seedlibraryshoreditch.com), Happiness Forgets (8-9 Hoxton Square, N1, happinessforgets.com) and TayÄr + Elementary (152 Old Street, EC1, tayer-elementary.com). This is a great itinerary to dive into the most innovative concepts and best local bars of the capital. When in central and west, a bar crawl across the bars of our Maybourne family, from The Connaught (16 Carlos Place, W1, the-connaught.co.uk), to the Painter's Room at Claridge's (Brook Street, W1, claridges.co.uk) and the Blue Bar at The Berkeley (Wilton Place, SW1, the-berkeley.co.uk), is a must for top-notch hospitality.
Another favourite itinerary includes Dukes (35 St James's Place, SW1, dukeshotel.com) and Kwãnt (52 Stratton Street, W1, @kwantmayfair), for elegant deliciousness served across a traditional and a contemporary venue, followed by a stroll towards Kensington and Notting Hill with Amaro Bar (15 Kensington High Street, W8, amarobar.co.uk) and Viajante87 (87 Notting Hill Gate, W11, viajantebar.com). These are places that continue to prove why London boasts one of the world’s most enviable cocktail scenes.
What is your guilty pleasure cocktail and why do you love it?
A spritz, simply because it reminds me of Italy, aperitivo and summer moments.
Which London bar doesn't get nearly as much love as it should?
Little Mercies (20 Broadway Parade, N8, littlemercies.co.uk) in Crouch End is one of those bars that do not get enough spotlight for the simple reason of being outside the usual cocktail destination areas of London, I think. Their standard of cocktails, food and service is simply excellent, the venue is incredibly accessible and the team lovely.
