MATTEO CADEDDU
Head Bartender and Beverage Manager, Opium Bar Bangkok

Hails from Sardinia, Italy, Matteo found his passion for bartending while attending hospitality school. Originally, he aspired to become a chef but quickly learned that his outgoing, sociable and “people’s person” personality would benefit him more behind the bar. He left the isle of turquoise waters in Sardinia to hone his bartending skills in bustling cities such as Amsterdam, Brisbane and Melbourne before the exotic allure of Asia beckoned him to Singapore and currently Bangkok where he has been calling home for the past three years.

Throughout 15 years as a professional bartender, Matteo’s style has greatly evolved to become more sophisticated, playful and creative with the use of culinary ingredients from herbs, flowers to mushroom and even fish. Polished and eccentric but never overwhelming, his cocktails are loved for their stories told passionately by their creator to delight the customers. For Matteo, the most important job of a bartender is to entertain his guests, not just making drinks.

Cocktail enthusiasts in Bangkok can find him stirring up drinks and cordial conversations at Opium Bar Bangkok in Chinatown. Occasionally, Matteo would take his unique flairs and playful approach to cocktails in a special bartender guest shifts to several top venues in Singapore, Bali, Hanoi and at home in Bangkok.