The Team
Rohit Patel
Ro Patel started out his lifelong love affair with classic cocktails, bar culture & booze! under the guidance of Dick Bradsell & Douglas Ackquin from the hay days of the Atlantic Bar & Grill in London circa 1993/94 he later left with the rare title of head bartender at Dick’s Bar to move on as a Consultant to develop high end concepts such as Cobden club members club, Home House 5 star members hotel in London, Enigma in the Bahamas, Grand Pacific Blue room in Sydney to Felix Group in Washington DC before working with Virgin Atlantic’s Airways on their award winning multimillion dollar Flagship Clubhouse project.
Now in sunny Tampa, Ro found a rewarding gig as FL State Mixologist for TYKU sake & spirits educating an estimate 3000 people in one form or another on Sake, Japanese spirits & the mix ability in cocktails via varied programs ranging from brand ambassador training, trade and public events to private client tastings and cocktail master classes.
In 2008 he dusted off a business plan he’d been working on for the past 6 yrs, and as a pulp fiction writers would say ‘masterminded’ a Speakeasy concept in Tampa. Ciro’s Speakeasy became shortly after opening a nucleus of true classic bar culture in Central Florida, wining many awards and accolades both local and nationally.
Elise Ciungan
Elise Ciungan has been in the service industry since age 18, and started her career as a full-time bartender in the heart of downtown Detroit. While she is well versed in many styles of service, her foundation has always been integrity, ethics, and classic training. Most recently, at Ciro’s Speakeasy and Supper Club in Tampa, Elise contributes to their critically acclaimed spirit-driven cocktail list developed by Rohit Patel.
Andres Aleman
Andres Aleman has been polishing his craft of mixing drinks for close 10 years. He has worked and trained under recognized NYC mixologists, such as, Eben Klemm, Michael Waterhouse and Dale DeGroff, who taught him ingredient science, culinary techniques, the history of American bartending and cocktail preparation from a bygone era. He’s had the opportunity to work for some of the best bar/restaurants in NYC and Miami Beach such as Dylan Prime, Ciro’s Speakeasy and The Forge, where he oversaw and created the cocktail program winning the best cocktail menu in Miami Beach (Haute Magazine).
Doug Twinning
Doug has been behind the bar since 2006. He is self-trained in high volume bartending. Working full house concerts and special events taught him to be an extremely fast and methodical bartender. He made a decision two years ago to hone his craft and learn the classics. After a formal training under Ro Patel at Ciro,s for a year, he was adding his own handcrafted cocktails to the renowned drink list. His most recent accolade is winning the Infinium Spirits competition in the Tampa Bay Area. Doug is a native Floridian with a background in finance.
