A Year of Bar Artemisia: Cocktails Painted After Artemisia Gentileschi

Four signature cocktails inspired by the painting techniques, pigments, and iconographic references of the great seventeenth-century artist Artemisia Gentileschi create a journey in which each drink tells a stage of the creative process. In parallel, the venue also debuts its first dedicated Instagram page, exclusively for the bar inside the Rocco Forte Hotel Savoy in Florence — a sign of a project increasingly set on building its own identity and standing on its own two feet. For FUL Magazine we talked about it with bar manager Federico Galli.

Federico, let’s start with the news of Bar Artemisia’s Instagram page, which will finally have an identity all its own. How much has the project grown since the restyling?

“Launching a dedicated Instagram page is an important step, because it lets us tell the story of Bar Artemisia in a more authentic and direct way, showcasing all of our team’s work and our guests’ experiences. Since the launch in April 2025, we’ve moved past the initial curiosity phase and built an increasingly loyal community. Today we see many guests return, choosing Bar Artemisia as their go-to spot for an aperitivo or a nightcap in the city. Despite the intimate size of the space, we often host small events that help reinforce our bar’s identity in Florence and in the imagination of mixology lovers.”

Tell us about the new drinks and the concept behind them.

“The new cocktail list is born from a dialogue between Artemisia Gentileschi’s artistic journey and some of the painting techniques that shaped art history. Each drink interprets an element of the creative process, turning it into a full-fledged sensory experience.

Among the new arrivals, Red Layer stands out — inspired by the technique used to intensify colors and translated into a contemporary Negroni with bitter notes, made with cactus, grappa, and rhubarb.

Mid Tone, on the other hand, recalls painting’s in-between shades and contrasts, with vodka, raspberry, jasmine eau-de-vie, and grapefruit.

Realgar takes its name from the mineral used to obtain shades between yellow and orange, and becomes a tiki-inspired cocktail with falernum and yerba mate.

Closing the selection is Mythos, a tribute to the Greek myths so often depicted by Artemisia and Caravaggio, reinterpreting the 1884 Adonis in a contemporary key through a refined blend of vermouth and Acqua Bianca liqueur.”

And how would you sum up the special cocktail list of the past months, dedicated to Rothko and his show at Palazzo Strozzi?

“The cocktail list dedicated to Rothko got an extremely positive response. Beyond the artistic aspect, what struck me most was the guests’ reaction: through the cocktails they sensed the research, the balance, and the layering behind every creation, just as you do in front of a work of art. It confirmed that mixology can bring people closer to art in a spontaneous yet deeply engaging way.”

Finally, an inevitable little focus on food pairings: how does your kitchen dialogue with the mixology?

“The food offering signed by Fulvio Pierangelini dialogues naturally with our philosophy of mixing. Both share the same attention to the quality of the raw ingredients, to seasonality, and to the pursuit of balanced taste. The dishes served at Bar Artemisia are a synthesis of the restaurant’s culinary approach, and the cocktails are designed to accompany these flavors without overpowering them, creating a harmonious, coherent experience from start to finish.”