GUEST SHIFT: SONIA CASTELLANI, Hamlet & Ghost
Sonia Castellani, bar director of Hamlet & Ghost in Saratoga, talks about growing up in France, the importance of culinary flavors + the women who inspired her career.
Interview: Susie Davidson Powell
Photos: Victoria Sedefian/The Dishing
Location: Hamlet & Ghost, Saratoga Springs N.Y.
Read about Sonia’s featured cocktail here.
Tastemaker: Sonia Castellani | IG: @ french_toast111
Business: Hamlet & Ghost | IG: @hamletandghost
Hometown: Le Vigan, France
Current city: Saratoga, NY
Personal style: Relaxed and effortless, a mix of tomboy and feminine. I prefer comfort and authenticity over labels.
Listening to: My taste in music is definitely mood driven + nostalgic! I’ve been listening to a mix of rap, r&b, folk + some genres of metal. Nikka Costa “Everybody got they’re something” is my fav right now. Also, “Happy” by Ashanti; Blink 182 “All the small things,” Evanescence “Bring me to life,” Alice Cooper “I never cry,” Lauryn hill “Doo Wop (That thing)” Linkin Park “Faint,” Mary J Blige “Family Affair,” A$AP Rocky “F’kin problems” feat. Drake, 2Chainz + Kendrick, + The Weeknd “Reminder.”
Favorite spirit/non-alc: Japanese whisky and Nikolai elderflower N/A. I also love the Giffard non-alcoholic line.
Favorite classic cocktail/non-alc drink: I love margaritas + martinis. The N/A White Negroni from St. Agrestis and non-alcoholic passion fruit pina coladas.
Coffee or tea and what’s your order: Iced cold brew with coconut water or hot green tea. I love iced matcha with strawberries in the summer.
Biggest industry influence/inspiration: The last couple years I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from Juliette Laroui at Schmuck in NYC. I love her stories of inspiration behind her drinks + how she makes the most unexpected flavor combinations work.
Drinks industry trend that should end: Anything sweet and artificial, and anything that emphasizes style over substance. I enjoy drinks that let the spirit shine. Balance is key.
“Welcome to The Dishing’s Quick Serve interviews where we talk with tastemakers in the hospitality industry and trailblazers at the intersection of food, culture and art. Today we’re talking with Sonia Castellani, bar director of Hamlet & Ghost in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. about growing up in France, the culinary side of cocktails + bartending as a career.
Hey, Sonia. Thanks for talking to The Dishing! You recently had a cocktail featured in Imbibe magazine, a James Beard award-winning publication focused on liquid culture + the beverage industry. That’s awesome! How did it come about ?
Thank you for having me! This was a huge milestone that felt very surreal. It came about by the Editor of Imbibe reaching out after searching for winter cocktail recipes on Instagram. They choose the Biggest Asset cocktail that I created for our winter menu.
Unlike a lot of bartenders who found their way into the industry in college years, you had a really early introduction to the art of bartending. Can you connect the dots of how you first started out?
After moving back to the States, my family lived in Cambridge, NY for a couple years before settling in Saratoga. By 13, I was volunteering on weekends at Caffè Lena, which was such a special place to grow up around. I was immersed in this rich musical and historical environment jazz, bluegrass, folk and it profoundly shaped how I think about culture and gathering. It was honestly one of the best experiences I had growing up.
At 14, I started working at Mrs. London’s. Around the same time, Max London’s was being built, and I asked to be trained there. Once I got in, I was surrounded by incredibly talented women behind the bar and on the floor. I remember watching them and thinking, I need to do that. The way they carried themselves creative, confident, totally in control and completely composed I’m very grateful to these professionals who helped mentor and develop me.
When I turned 18, I told management I wanted to barback. That summer I went to France, and when I came back I went right into training. We had some turnover that fall, which pushed me into bartending pretty quickly. The first couple of months were a challenge. I was discouraged more than once. Early on a bartender in town told me to give it six months and that eventually it would feel like second nature. He was right and everything flowed after that.
I was there for 7 years: Bartending for 3 years, and expediting and food running for 4.
You were born and grew up in the south of France where your mom moved in the late eighties and met your father, a baker. What brought you to the Saratoga area?
My mom moved to France in the late ‘80s to live on a goat farm and learn how to make goat cheese. She met my father who was a bread baker in the north of France in a small town named Garchy . She immediately fell in love with the art of bread baking and worked for an amazing bakery named Boulangerie Gauthier. My brother and I were born in Montpelier, France, and lived throughout the south. Later we moved to Cambridge N.Y., where my mom grew up, and our house was built next to my grandparents’ right on the Battenkill River. We lived there for a few years and later moved to Saratoga, so my brother and I could attend the Waldorf School.
How amazing that your parents owned a French bakery. Do you think your childhood in France shaped your interest in flavor and food?
Yes, they owned three different bakeries throughout the south of France. Being surrounded by food culture in France really shaped me. It’s nurture, medicine, and love. That’s what I remember most. When you sit down for a meal, you sit and talk and enjoy nothing rushed. From an early age, I had such a rich experience of what food really meant. My mom always said there was nothing I wouldn’t eat. My grandparents would host these Sunday lunches that lasted hours. Everyone sat together and enjoyed the food my grandparents prepared.
I think that’s a big part of what shaped me in hospitality. Food isn’t just about eating to be full, it's about love, connection, and nurture. That’s what people want to feel when they go out, they want to feel taken care of
You have been at Hamlet & Ghost since they opened in 2016 –so you’re now in your tenth year. The Gin Gin Fizz cocktail has been a staple on the menu since opening. Where you involved in the early conceptualizing of the bar program? And what do you attribute to the lasting popularity of the Gin Gin Fizz?
Yes, I have been at Hamlet & Ghost since they opened. I wasn’t heavily involved in the creating of the menu in the beginning, but after a little while it became a team effort and everyone collaborated. I think the Gin Gin Fizz will continue to be a staple because it’s balanced and elevated. It appeals to a wide range of guests. They see the foam on top and immediately ask about it. Its aesthetic is intriguing and draws people in to ask questions.
The Hamlet cocktail menu embraces classics, original creations. What goes into the cocktail program?
At Hamlet and Ghost it’s a collaborative effort between myself, (owner) Brendan, Tim, and Julio. A lot goes into a menu launch, weeks of planning and meeting. There’s a lot of freedom with each menu in terms of ingredients and concepts. One of my favorite parts of this process is seeing what everyone’s been inspired by or experimenting with. We change the menu with every season, but we don’t stay tied to that. Sometimes we’ll add a guava spirit in the winter or bring in a touch of pumpkin in the summer. It really depends on what we’re inspired by. Our approach is to strike the right balance of creativity and consistency. We want the menu to feel approachable and elevated, without being intimidating.
You have a close working relationship with the kitchen at Hamlet and there is a strong culinary throughline in the cocktails. Can you talk about that?
The relationship between the bar and the kitchen is really important. There’s definitely an underlying culinary theme in a lot of our cocktails. Some of the strongest bartenders I’ve worked with have been chefs first and really understand technique, multitasking, and flavor. In terms of the menu, we often see what the kitchen brings in and sometimes we will use the same shrub, sauce or even a pickled Ingredient in our cocktail menu. I love being aligned with the kitchen in that aspect, and in turn it translates to a cohesive experience for the guests.
At one point you took classes at Hudson Valley Community College where you had an interest in potentially pursuing psychology. What brought you back to bartending as a career?
Yes, I took some classes at Hudson Valley Community College — I went because I was curious. Nothing really aligned with me except my psychology class which I loved. Funny enough, before I even started, I took a career aptitude test and my top result came back as bartender. I kind of laughed at the time but looking back, it makes a lot of sense. You know what they say: Bartenders are sometimes therapists! [Laughs]
We always ask chefs and bartenders about burnout. There’s been a lot of change since the pandemic and people talk more about mental health and wellness in the industry. How do you manage your work/life balance with full-time, late night bartending. What do you do to relax?
Burnout is so real in this industry. There’s no compromise when it comes to prioritizing my physical and mental health. I balance my life out with meditation, painting, hot yoga, snowboarding, hiking, some running, and some vacationing. When I’m not working I really need to recharge often alone. If I don’t prioritize myself I can’t show up fully for anyone else.
You’ve been in the industry for a long time. Restaurants and bars are still reporting less foot traffic and less of a drinking crowd since 2020. What do you see as the future direction for the industry?
The industry has definitely shifted since 2020. I think people are much more intentional with how they spend their time and money. People are choosing quality over quantity, which isn’t a bad thing. The future feels more about culture, community and story telling. I think places that create this environment are the places that will thrive.
Where are 3 of your favorite spots for breakfast, lunch or dinner anywhere in the Hudson Valley or Capital Region?
I’m obsessed with Asian food. I also love a Dave’s double meal from Wendy’s with extra cheese, extra mayo fries, and a Sprite. I love Korean bbq and will go to Mosu (Albany) for dinner, for lunch Taiwan Noodle (Albany) and Mama’s Pho House (Malta.) I usually don’t eat breakfast but if I’m feeling hungry I will eat durian fruit or go to Four Seasons Natural Foods Store (Saratoga Springs) and get a celery juice and something from their prepared food section.
Imagine an ideal day or night out. If you could go anywhere in the world with no limits on costs or reservations, where would you go and how would the day or night unfold?
If I could go anywhere, I would go to Japan. I would start the day off snowboarding, then go to a spa or onsen. I’d eat everything: sushi, izakaya, street food, go to a 7 Eleven. After eating, I would find a a small bar to enjoy sake and beer then go back to the spa.
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? Do you see yourself staying in Saratoga? Would you ever consider opening your own bar? Would you go back to the South of France?
In the next five years, I see myself traveling more, and exploring more of my passions. There is so much I want to learn and accomplish. I’m in a very motivated phase in life. I see Saratoga being my home base but definitely exploring outside of it. Would I ever own a bar? Maybe something really small with a lot of Asian influence. I will absolutely go back to France, maybe even open a bar there someday.
Sonia, thanks so much for talking with The Dishing! We can’t wait to try more of your craft creations at Hamlet & Ghost.
