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Through the Lens and Glass: Agostino Perrone's Dual Artistry

The Connaught's Director of Mixology brings his artistic vision from the bar to the camera with his debut photography exhibition, Martini Icons, at Maison Assouline.

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Agostino Perrone brings his artistic with his debut exhibition, 'Martini Icons'. Photographed by Olivia Ghalioungui courtesy of Belvedere Vodka.

Agostino Perrone has built a career on the art of the experience. As Director of Mixology at London’s famed Connaught Bar since 2008, he’s elevated the cocktail into a form of emotional storytelling—balancing structure, texture and aroma with the same precision and care as an artist.

Fitting, as before he stationed himself behind one of the world’s most iconic bars, Perrone was perched behind a camera. Photography was his first creative language—an early fascination with capturing fleeting moments and human connection. He tended bar to pay for his photography studies, but quickly discovered a new passion in mixology. What began as a job became a lifelong calling.

Now, for the first time, Perrone brings both passions together. In partnership with Belvedere Vodka, he’s debuting Martini Icons, a photography exhibition hosted at Maison Assouline. The show celebrates the timeless elegance of the Martini through Perrone’s visual lens—a series of images that explore ritual, glamour, and the beauty found in small, shared moments.

Perrone’s approach to photography mirrors his process behind the bar. “I think about structure, balance, texture, aroma—how people will engage with the experience,” he says. Whether composing a drink or composing a shot, it’s about connection.”

Martini Icons captures more than just a cocktail—it’s an invitation to look again. To see the Martini not just as a drink, but as a symbol of elegance, nostalgia and the stories we tell when we come together. “In the end,” says Perrone, “mixology is about capturing emotion and giving people an experience to remember.”

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