Italy

Some restaurants are just a cut above. Maybe it’s the satisfaction of eating a smooth entrée that makes the taste buds unite in total harmony. Or perhaps it’s the unique sensation of flavours that should, in theory, clash, but combine to create something delicious. Every foodie likes something different about dining, but one thing everyone agrees on is that Michelin star restaurants are the epitome of fine cuisine. 

But what does it take to be one of the world’s top Michelin star restaurants? Aficionados may discuss it over glasses of rare wine and tantalizing tasting menus, and among the world’s top chefs, how to get a Michelin star is a hot topic: the recipe for success, however, is secret. 

Tantalize your taste buds: Exceptional Dining with Luxury Gold

The Michelin inspectors could arrive anytime

Chef and owner Vincent Guimera prepares a dish at Michelin-starred L’Antic Moli in Spain, where you dine on Spain & Portugal in Style. Photo credit: @lanticmoli on Instagram

Michelin has produced its restaurant guides since 1900. As the brand’s reputation grew, the process of its prestigious awards was refined. In a nutshell, anonymous inspectors will book, dine and pay at an establishment that’s caught their eye – where the ingredients are said to be top-notch, or the chef is believed to be particularly excellent.

There are currently around 80 Michelin inspectors, all of whom are highly trained food professionals, sworn to total secrecy.  The inspectors are told to pay no attention to the restaurants decor, service, or any other distractions. They simply focus on the meal in front of them. 

Essential reading to get ready to dine: What to Expect When Dining at a Michelin-star Restaurant

Experience Michelin-starred dining at L’Antic Moli on Spain & Portugal in Style

Graded according to five criteria

Delicata pumpkin, Exmoor caviar and pecan served at Michelin-starred Olive Tree Restaurant in Bath, England. Dine here on British Royale. Photo credit: @olivetreebath on Instagram

Michelin officially lists five criteria chefs should be striving for; the quality of the ingredients (i.e. only the freshest produce and most succulent meats), mastery of culinary techniques, an injection of the chef’s personality into each and every dish, value for money, and the consistency of the food.

The inspectors report back to Michelin with their findings and the company holds regular meetings to decide which eateries make the cut. However, being a top Michelin star restaurant isn’t easy; inspectors will visit, at any time, to make sure the food stays up to scratch. And, if a chef leaves, they don’t take the Michelin star with them: they have to earn it in their next kitchen.

You may also be interested to read: A Journey of Flavour: The Mastery of India’s Michelin-star Chefs

Savor exquisite dishes at Michelin-starred Olive Tree Restaurant on British Royale

A revered three-star system

A sensational dish is served at Michelin-starred Borkonyha Winekitchen in Budapest. Dine here on Harmony of Central Europe. Photo credit: @borkonyha on Instagram.

One hard-earned Michelin star is enough to put any restaurant on the map, but since 1931, restaurants can earn up to three of these floreal accolades. The early editions of the Michelin Guide said that an eatery with one star was “very good in its category”, two meant it had “excellent cooking, worth a detour” and a third meant it offered “exceptional cuisine, worth a special trip”. Currently, France has the most Michelin star restaurants – with Japan hot on its heels.  

If a restaurant is thought to warrant an upgrade to a two-star, four inspectors need to visit to verify the quality of the food. Should that restaurant be lucky enough to be considered for a third Michelin star, ten different inspectors need to sample its delicious dishes.

As the Michelin listings are updated every year, there are plenty of opportunities to gain a star. Currently, there are 139 three-star restaurants: France and Monaco have 29 of them. 

Read about the best of Japanese cuisine: Explore the Top 8 Michelin Star Restaurants in Tokyo

Experience fine dining plus an extensive wine cellar at Borkonyha Winekitchen on: Harmony of Central Europe

A Michelin star is not for life

Divine dishes and stunning vistas await at Michelin-starred Mamma restaurant in Capri, where you dine on Ultimate Italy. Photo credit: @lemonzurestaurant on Instagram

In the tough world of restaurant accolades, all chefs know what is given can easily be taken away. In fact it’s not uncommon for restaurants to lose a Michelin star. This could be a result of standards in the kitchen slipping, the downgrading of ingredients, or even head chefs leaving for greener pastures. 

Gordon Ramsay’s NYC restaurant, The London, notoriously lost two of its stars in 2013 – the Hell’s Kitchen star himself was reduced to tears. Despite this Ramsey holds 17 Michelin stars, making him the third highest chef for these esteemed accolades. Frenchman Joël Robuchon is top with 31.

However, inspectors at Michelin are aware of the impact losing a star could have on a chef’s career – be they young or established – and endeavour to be as fair as possible in their judgment.

Perhaps the greatest thing about the top Michelin star restaurants is that the guide is always growing, evolving, and open to innovative ideas – so, when exploring our wonderful world, the flavour-loving traveller will always find somewhere phenomenal to satisfy their culinary cravings. 

Bookmark for later: The Luxury Gold Guide to the Finest Michelin star Restaurants in Edinburgh

Enjoy exceptional dining and sensational views at Michelin-starred Mamma Restaurant in Capri on Ultimate Italy

Exceptional Dining – a hallmark of Luxury Gold

From in room breakfasts to culinary masterclasses, VIP wine tours to Michelin star dining, gastronomy is at the heart of every Luxury Gold journey. You’ll experience sensational surroundings from private estates to bustling street markets, and sample the menus of acclaimed chefs worldwide. Delectably delicious and thoroughly enjoyable, each plate and Exceptional Dining experience brings you closer to your destination.

Tantalize your taste buds with our worldwide collection of small group journeys.

No journey to Italy is complete without walking sun drenched vineyards and sipping limited edition vintages. For a taste of Tuscany to savor forever you’re invited to the charming Guardastelle Estate in San Gimignino to join the owners for a personal and private wine tasting tour.

We had the privilege to speak with Fausto, owner and wine producer of the Guardastelle Estate to learn what goes into producing a certified wine, harvest predictions and how to perfect the art of wine tasting.

Discover this on: Ultimate Italy

Exclusive wine, with a personal touch

“Guardastelle Estate is considered one of the smallest establishments in the area,” Fausto explains. “We have 12 acres of vineyards plus five acres of olive trees from which we also produce extra virgin olive oil.

“We produce five wines in small quantities so, we are very exclusive. For two of our vintages, we produce about 6000 bottles each, and only 3000 for the other three types. And they are only available here – you won’t find our wines in stores, restaurants or the nearest town.

“At Guardastelle, as a boutique winery we’ve always been focused on people coming to our farm, to see firsthand the vineyards and try the wines. Each bears the DOCG certification, a sign of excellence and the most important certification of Italian wines.”

For travel inspiration read our Italy destination guide

DOCG – the elite classification

DOCG or Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita is the is the highest classification Italian wines can be awarded. The classification means that there are controlled production methods (controllata) and guaranteed wine quality (garantita) with each bottle.

This includes regulations such as no irrigation, maximum vineyard elevation, and regulations on ageing and maximum alcohol levels.

A private tour

As a guest of Luxury Gold, you’ll enjoy a private tour of the vineyards and the wine cellar. You’ll hear all about the production process and enjoy a taste of Tuscany. “We’ll explain what kind of varieties we have, and why we have these varieties relating to the certification to the DOCG and part of the production.

“For the tasting we present three wines from the current the vintage. These are usually the three DOCGs – the vernaccia white wine which is the local specialty, and the chiantis.”

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A boutique family business

“This is a family business, so we are involved in all the processes since from the winemaking to the tasting,” says Fausto. “This also dictates how to make the wines. We are a very small farm, so it is not possible to harvest the grapes with the machine for example, so we do it by hand.”

“We’ve no official record but architects say that the farmhouse is probably from the middle of the 1400’s. This is because that the walls were made with a specific technique which is the same used to build the famous towers of San Gimignano town.

“My wife’s family purchased it in the middle of the 1980’s. From the young age of 21, she restarted the vineyard and wine production with three classic DOCG wines that she has now produced for almost 30 years. The estate has also produced extra virgin olive oil from the start.

“In 2017 we started to work on a couple of new wines which were born in 2021. So now we have the five typologies of wines.”

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True Chianti and Vernaccia

“San Gimignano is in the chianti wine region, a wine which has been produced in Italy for about five centuries,” says Fausto. “To preserve the original characteristics of Italian winemaking and its wines, the government introduced regulations to keep a high standard quality product. This is the DOCG and is the certification that allows us to call our wine chianti.”

“Chianti must be made with a minimum of 75% of Sangiovese (a grape), and then there are few other varieties that we are allowed to use to blend. Even though it is possible to make a chianti from 100% Sangiovese, usually they are made with a blend of grapes.”

All the wines produced by Tenuta Guardastelle bear this important DOCG certification. Some 78 red wines across Italy (including chianti) are on the list. There is however only one white wine included, the Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano is a native grape variety with ancient historical origins. Renowned for its remarkable ageing capacity, it makes an excellent aperitif, pairs well with legumes and is exquisite with white meats.

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Manual harvest

“The DOCG regulations do not dictate how to harvest, whether by hand or machinery, or how to press the grapes. So, these methods depend entirely on the size of the farm,” Fausto explains.

“As we are small, we do a manual harvest, which is also better anyway for the grape’s quality. This helps to produce a natural, rather high sugar content in the berries, so that the DOCG standards are easily met.”

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It’s all in the timing

“The DOGC does regulate the days that you can harvest, although the time frame is very large. The time to harvest is dependent on the varieties and it depends a lot on the weather,” Fausto says. “We know by the experience that the harvest time is around the beginning of September for the white grapes and middle third week of September for the red varieties.

“So, a few days before the planned harvest we start to control the grapes. We go in the vineyards and pick a few from all over the field. The grapes are then mixed together, because different parts of the vineyards can have slightly different maturation, before making an average of the sugar content.”

“We also taste them – with experience you know from their softness if they’re ready. Then we look at the weather forecast to see that maybe these grapes need a week but if the weather is going to be bad, then we may need to harvest them in a couple of days.

“This, a taste of Tuscany, is probably one of the best parts. Because it’s almost ready. It’s such a great feeling – every year is a new project with a new vintage.”

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Time to mature – a unique minerality

“Some of these wines take up to three years to be ready,” Fausto explains. “So, we will harvest the year’s vintages around the start of October, and the white will start to serve as a wine tasting in almost two years. And the Chianti about four years.

“This is our personal choice because of the composition of the soil. Here the soil has a high minerality that gives a very high freshness to the wine, so it needs longer to mature.

“So, for example, not all the vernacchio’s of the area are the same, and we usually don’t have the youngest of the vernacchio possible to taste. Because the other Tuscan wineries and vineyards don’t have such a high minerality, the life of their vernaccio is much shorter.”

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Tasting tips

“We always guide guests through the tasting, a taste of Tuscany” says Fausto. “We explain the three types of analysis. First is the visual, to check the color if the wine is clear or cloudy, and we show you how to do it with the white napkin on the back of the glass.

“Then comes smell. Here we don’t say everything because we could stay a full day talking about it! We do tell you the categories that you can smell in a wine, depending on the variety. For example, vegetables or fruit. Then lastly, we have taste and we help you get deeper into the analysis. Every wine actually had different characteristics, or even if similar there are always some slight differences.

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Practice makes perfect

“Wine tasting is like learning a new language,” Fausto concludes. “You need to train and to try many different wines to try to understand the different flavors and tastes that different varieties can produce. The characteristics of, for example, a Chardonnay grape, when grown in Tuscany or other parts of Italy or the world are not the same. So keep practicing!”

To delight in a taste of Tuscany for yourself in this stunning chianti wine region, take a look at our Ultimate Italy small group journey

Crafted with love, skill and precision, classic cocktails have stood the test of time. Their allure lies in their balanced flavors and the artistry of mixology, and each has a story to tell. As you put the glass to your lips, you’re instantly transported to a bygone era of glamour and refinement. And to sip classic cocktails in some of the world’s most magnificent hotels just further elevates the experience.

To tantalize your palate and stir your wanderlust, we’ve selected some of our favorite classic cocktails, and paired them with some truly exquisite hotels.

Old Fashioned

The Old Fashioned is one of the oldest cocktails, dating back to the early 1800s. Exuding sophistication and simplicity, it embodies the essence of classic mixology with its straightforward, time-tested recipe.

The recipe typically calls for bourbon or rye whiskey, muddled sugar, aromatic bitters and a twist of citrus rind. Served over ice in a rocks glass, the Old Fashioned offers a perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness, accentuated by the whiskey’s rich flavors.

There’s no better place to sit back and enjoy an Old fashioned than in the Southern United States, the birthplace of bourbon. And there’s no hotel quite like the Ritz Carlton in New Orleans.

Nestled in the heart of the French Quarter, the Ritz Carlton epitomizes Southern elegance and charm. And the hotel’s bars feature skilled mixologists whose attention to detail and the use of high-quality ingredients ensures that each cocktail is a work of art.

While you enjoy your Old Fashioned, bartenders will share stories about the history of classic cocktails and the role of New Orleans in their evolution. So sit back, enjoy and see why this iconic drink has stood the test of time.

Sip an Old Fashioned at the Ritz Carlton on: Southern Grace

Read more: Why New Orleans’ Ritz Carlton Hotel is a cut above the rest

Negroni

Originating in Florence, Italy, the Negroni is closely linked to the Italian aperitivo culture. Legend has it that the cocktail was invented in the early 20th century when Count Camillo Negroni asked a bartender to strengthen his Americano by adding gin.

Brandishing a brilliant red hue and bittersweet flavor profile, the Negroni offers a combination of herbal, citrusy and aromatic notes. Its simple yet bold composition, traditionally equal parts gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, creates a perfectly balanced aperitif.

To enjoy your Negroni in the perfect setting, head to the Hotel Montebello Splendid. Centrally located in the heart of Florence, this elegant five-star hotel occupies a charming 19th-century villa that exudes glamour and grandeur.

The hotel’s rooftop pool bar offers a breathtaking panoramic view of Florence’s skyline. Enjoy your Negroni while basking in the sun against a stunning backdrop of Florence’s iconic landmarks, such as the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio and the surrounding Tuscan hills.

Savor a Negroni at the Hotel Montebello Splendid on: Ultimate Italy

You might also be interested to read: Making it personal: How Travel Concierge Anna elevates your Italy experience

Sidecar

@saintjamesparis

While the exact origins of the Sidecar are somewhat disputed, the prevailing narrative credits its creation to Harry MacElhone, an American bartender who worked at Harry’s New York Bar in Paris.

According to the story, the Sidecar was allegedly invented around the end of World War I when a patron arrived at the bar in a motorcycle sidecar. The drink was then named after the vehicle. MacElhone is said to have refined the recipe, using Cognac or brandy, Cointreau, and lemon juice in equal parts, creating the classic Sidecar we know today.

A stunning Parisian setting to enjoy your Side Car, and other classic cocktails, is the St James. Paris’ only chateau hotel, this is an architectural jewel tucked away in the city’s most exclusive district, the 16th. Its bar is sumptuous, filled with greenery, wood paneling, cozy velvets and worn leathers. Renowned for its mixology, this is one of the ultimate meeting places in the city, for both Parisians and those from far flung places.

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Caipirinha

Refreshing and vibrant, the Caipirinha hails from Brazil and has become a very popular cocktail. It’s the national drink of Brazil and is deeply rooted in the country’s culture and traditions. Not only invigorating, it is hailed as one of the best classic cocktails for celebrating warm, sunny days.

The primary ingredient of a Caipirinha is cachaça, a Brazilian spirit made from sugarcane juice. Blended with lime and sugar, it is typically served over crushed ice. To prepare a Caipirinha, lime wedges are muddled with sugar in a glass, and then cachaça and ice are added. The result is a delightful balance of sweet, tart and boozy flavors. You can also enjoy numerous variations, with passion fruit or strawberries often used to mix it up.

@belmondcopacabanapalace

Where better to enjoy a glass that the Belmond Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Situated on the world-famous Copacabana Beach, the hotel has been an emblem of elegance and sophistication since its opening in 1923.

Its architecture reflects a blend of classical European style with touches of Brazilian charm, set behind an impressive façade. The interiors are adorned with exquisite furnishings and artwork. Relax, enjoy the sunshine and a Caipirinha, as numerous celebrities, politicians and dignitaries have done over the years.

Enjoy a Caipirinha at the Belmond Copacabana Palace on: Classic South America

 You may also like to read: 7 Luxury Gold hotels that have hosted royals, celebrities and more

Manhattan

While it has become a global icon, the Manhattan has strong associations with the bustling borough of New York City. And for the most iconic setting to enjoy this classic cocktail head to the Park Lane New York hotel, and its Darling rooftop lounge. Located on the 47th floor, the Darling offers a stunning backdrop of the Manhattan skyline and an elevated cocktail menu.

It is said that the key to a perfect Manhattan lies in finding the right balance between the whiskey’s richness and the sweetness of the vermouth. The traditional recipe adds a few dashes of aromatic bitters, and its usually garnished with a maraschino cherry or a twist of orange peel. Over the years, variations of the Manhattan have emerged, with some people preferring bourbon instead of rye whiskey, or opting for dry vermouth to create a drier version.

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Martini

The Martini is one of the most iconic and enduring cocktails in the world of mixology. Made with gin and dry vermouth, stirred with ice, you’ll find it served in a chilled cocktail glass, garnished with a green olive or a twist of lemon peel.

A cocktail of strength and clarity, the exact origins of the Martini are somewhat debated. But historians believe that it evolved from a late 19th-century mix of gin and vermouth. Over the years, the Martini has inspired various interpretations and modifications. This has led to the creation of famous variations like the Vodka Martini, the Dirty Martini and the Gibson.

Literature, film, and popular culture have also celebrated the Martini. Most notably by James Bond, who famously ordered his martinis “shaken, not stirred.” More than worthy of a Bond moment, the Grand Hotel Quisisana on Italy’s Isle of Capri is an exquisite hotel in which to enjoy a sip of this classic cocktail.

5-star luxury in the heart of Capri town, the Quisisana is just a short walk from the famous Piazzetta. Surrounded by lush gardens and offering breathtaking views of the Mediterranean Sea, it’s an enchanting retreat for the discerning traveler seeking elegance and relaxation.

Enjoy a Martini at the Quisisana Hotel on: Ultimate Italy

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Singapore Sling

@raffleshotelsingapore

The origins of the Singapore Sling are associated with the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. The cocktail was created by bartender Ngiam Tong Boon in the early 1900s, and quickly became a favorite among patrons. Today, the Singapore Sling remains a symbol of tropical indulgence and is enjoyed by cocktail enthusiasts around the world.

This elegant cocktail is made a gin base spirit, along with pineapple juice, lime juice, cointreau and cherry liqueur. Some versions also include Bénédictine, grenadine, and Angostura bitters. Reddish-pink, it is typically served over ice in a tall glass and garnished with a slice of pineapple and a maraschino cherry.

The Raffles Hotel Singapore is still one of the most iconic luxury hotels in Asia. And the Long Bar is still in service. Meaning you can still enjoy this historic cocktail in old-world grandeur, dreaming of days gone past.

To savor classic cocktails around the world, we invite you to take a look at our exquisite collection of small group luxury journeys.