From Europe’s finest hotels to Bucharest, meet the bartender redefining Heritage Bar

Step into Heritage Bar at Corinthia Bucharest, and you’ll instantly sense it: the glamour of a bygone era and the charisma of the man who orchestrates it all. Konstantinos “Kostas” Mourloukos, our Restaurant & Bar Manager, is not only a talented mixologist but also one of Europe’s rising stars in luxury hospitality. With award-winning bartending credentials, a background in some of the continent’s most prestigious hotels and a psychology degree in progress (yes, really), Kostas brings both skill and soul to every cocktail.

A spark that started with an Aperol Spritz

Every story has a beginning and Kostas’ starts with a colourful mistake. Early in his career, full of energy and enthusiasm, he served an Aperol Spritz that looked like art but tasted… less so. “The guest’s first sip was pure Aperol,” he recalls with a grin. “We both laughed and I learned a lesson I’ll never forget: bartending is a craft you never stop perfecting.” That blend of humility, humour and drive has defined his approach ever since.

From Europe’s finest bars to the city of Bucharest

Kostas’ career has taken him from the sunlit shores of Greece to the refined hotels of Ireland and Amsterdam, where he worked in acclaimed bars like The Tailor (awarded Best Classic Cocktail Bar in the Netherlands). Along the way, he collected accolades, mentored teams and developed a reputation for fusing creativity with precision.

So why Bucharest?

 “When I heard about Corinthia’s pre-opening project here, it felt like the perfect opportunity,” he says. “I wanted to build something extraordinary from the ground up - not just a bar, but an experience people would talk about long after they’d left.”

A menu written in history

Heritage Bar is not just a place to enjoy a drink - it’s a living narrative. Kostas designed a cocktail menu inspired by the hotel’s storied past. “I wanted every cocktail to feel like a chapter in a book,” he explains. “When guests read the menu, they’re not just choosing a drink, they’re connecting with history.”

Take Grain of Royalty, a whisky-forward cocktail inspired by Jacques Herdan, the jeweller who laid the first foundations of the hotel. Or Victoria, a milk punch honouring Queen Victoria’s anniversary in 1884.

More than flair, bartending with Soul

For Kostas, bartending is both performance and poetry. “Flair catches the eye,” he says, “but soul is what makes people return. It’s about how you make them feel, the warmth of the welcome, the story behind the drink, the little details that linger in memory.”

His secret ingredient? Connection. “Guests might come for the drinks, but they return because they feel seen, heard and valued.”

If Queen Victoria walked in tonight…

Without hesitation, Kostas knows what he’d serve: “The Victoria. A milk punch with brandy, pisco, apricot liqueur and black tea - because no British queen could live without it! I’d say, “Your Majesty, welcome to Heritage Bar. Tonight, I offer you a cocktail dedicated to your legacy, crowned with diamond-clear ice as elegant as you.”

Quick fire with Kostas

· Signature drink if your life were a cocktail? Old Fashioned - timeless and classic.

· Bar soundtrack? Anything goes: one night it’s reggaeton, the next it’s blues.

· If your shaker could talk? “Please, no more shaking!”

· Hidden gem in the hotel? Our whisky cabinet - including a 40-year-old Balvenie.

A journey worth tasting

Guided by Kostas’s craft and charisma, Heritage Bar invites you into a world of historically inspired cocktails. Every visit is an experience to savour, lingering long after that perfect first sip.