There are people who don’t just make cocktails — they build bridges between flavor, memory, and identity. Alex Puiu is one of them.
More than a talented mixologist, he is a true ambassador of Romanian ingredients, someone who contributes to shaping a local terroir and promoting a unique sense of place through taste.
And did I mention that he is living in the medieval city of Sighisoara, in Transylvania? I truly believe that Puiu is making Sighisoara more valuable through his passion and creativity.
While planning your trip, don’t forget to put Puiu’s Cocktail Mixology Experience on your list.
After meeting him, you leave changed: more curious, more inspired, and with a deeper appreciation for Romanian flavors. He’s the kind of person who makes you see the world — and your palate — differently.
Read below an interview with Puiu to enhance your curious mind:
1. Alex Puiu – Signature Quote or Mixology Philosophy in 3 Words
Story through ingredients
2. The Story Behind
My fascination with mixology started as a result of the frustration from not finding classical cocktails like Old Fashioned or Manhattan in my hometown, which was also one of the largest in Romania, Brașov, in the middle of the country.
As I like to say, I was making cocktails before you could find limes in supermarkets. Because of that reason, I decided to make those cocktails at home, I managed to buy bottles from abroad, even basic ones like Angostura Bitters, and also books in English.
Because of those, my entire thought process when creating cocktails is in liquid ounces (oz), although 100% of Romanians think in milliliters or grams. It took more than a decade of creating ”by the book” cocktails to develop a style of my own anchored in Romanian flavors, but also childhood memories.
I always hope to deliver to my guests a story, sometimes an extrasensory experiences, but most importantly, tasty cocktails.
3. Your Creative Identity
How would you describe yourself as a mixologist?
Ingredient storyteller
4. Your Favorite Ingredient — and Why
This ingredient changed and evolved over the years, especially with my personal evolution of avoiding sugar or lowering it as much as I can, without losing balance in recipes.
A decade ago, it would`ve been St. Germain, an artisanal elderflower liqueur that, although it is very sweet, it`s extremely authentic in flavor.
Five years ago, it would`ve been Ancho Reyes, a spicy liqueur from Mexico that, when tasted, turns from heat to chocolate or coffee, depending on your personal preferences and experiences.
At the moment, a bottle of good or very good mezcal seems to me that it tells a wonderful story in many mixes, in both small and large quantities, especially if you enjoy savory cocktails.
That smoke might remind you of barbecue, but you can certainly create an Elderflower Mezcalita, and it works wonders.
5. The Cocktail That Represents You
Lovage or leuștean in Romanian is the ingredient that`s the closest to my heart and also the base for my somewhat famous cocktail.
It is a leafy green, like a mix between parsley, celery, and mint. That`s also the reason why I think it goes great in Mojito or Margarita, but also Gin & Tonic.
It`s also very important to me because it started my journey through local flavors and ingredients many years back.
You can also find it on Netflix, in Flavors of Romania Season 2, episode 10, when I did my Lovage Daiquiri, a wonderful mix of white rum, ginger syrup, fresh lime juice and lovage mashed at the bottom of a shaker.
This particular recipe I would consider my signature cocktail, and one that I usually make for people who haven`t tasted my cocktails before.
6. A Cocktail Memory That Stays With You
The moment that stays with me the most is the night of the 6th of December 2018, my first night in a professional bar/restaurant at the invitation of Alex Petricean, one of the best chefs in Romania.
It was a huge show of confidence in my abilities, especially because at that time, that particular restaurant was considered the best in the country by the Gault & Millau Guide.
Although I was insanely nervous, it gave me a huge boost mentally that I could do this in a professional context, for paying customers.
7. If You Could Recommend 3 Places to Taste the World of Drinks…
- NOUA B.A.R. in Bucharest – because they make a huge effort to integrate Romanian ingredients, folklore, alongside a wonderful presentation in their original cocktails.
- Himkok in Oslo – considered by many the most sustainable bar in the world, they distill their own gin, vodka, and aquavit, and they have the perfect mix of prebatch cocktails and signature drinks with a lot of work behind them
- Oficiul 1 in Bucharest – because you should definitely experience great drinks in a speakeasy environment, and this bar is hidden in an old post office in the city center
8. A Chef or Partner You Love to Collaborate With
The chefs closest to my heart in Romania are Alex Petricean and Andrei Chelaru; they both mean the world to me because of their passion and involvement in bringing Romanian Gastronomy in the 21st century.
We had a few events together that bring back wonderful memories, but even more importantly, they inspire me to always evolve, research, and experiment.
9. One Ingredient You’d Never Use — and Why
I enjoy most, if not all, ingredients, but I would never mix an insanely expensive bottle of rum or whisky. In my opinion, that`s an offense to the decades that liquid spent in a barrel.
You could do it, you could even charge a high price for a cocktail with it, but you shouldn`t, because the story that comes with one very particular bottle should be appreciated on it`s own, neat, with a few drops of water, even a large ice cube, but not with something else.
Garlic is also very difficult to integrate into a cocktail, but I did something with it a couple of years back, and I think I would do it again.
10. Favorite Book / Movie That Inspires Your Craft
The Savoy Cocktail book from the 1930`s should be the book that isn`t missing from any bar in the world. Although it includes exclusively classic cocktails, go through those in your own pace and you`ll gather the necessary knowledge not only of balancing cocktails, but of understanding discipline, proportions, quantities, and garnishes.
This is the book for someone who is starting in mixology, but also for someone who wants to go back to basics to move forward.
11. What Does ‘Flavor’ Mean to You?
Flavor, in my opinion, is a story, a memory, a feeling.
After you research and analyze different bottles and ingredients, the most fascinating conclusion is that the actual flavor in those bottles is influenced tremendously by our own life experiences.
The words we choose, our enthusiasm or lack thereof, depend on your diet as a child, on your travels as an adult, and on your interactions with different cultures.
Flavors should trigger memories to make an immediate impact, and that`s how I think about them.
Alex isn’t just a brilliant mixologist — he’s someone who builds Romania’s flavor story with intention and heart. Through every ingredient, he celebrates place, heritage, and emotion.
He’s part of the new wave of creatives shaping how the world tastes and understands Romania, one cocktail at a time.
Whether you’re planning your next trip or dreaming of discovering a new cuisine, I’m here to help you explore the world through flavor — one story, one experience, one unforgettable bite at a time.
Drop me a message at contact@rootstoflavors.com so we can eat, travel, and connect!
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