ABOUT
“Listening, learning, and being inspired by the charismatic mentors I had the luck to
collaborate through time, have significantly shaped my professional figure for the better.
With Shōshin Art Club I would like to offer the same possibility to anyone.”
About Shōshin
Shōshin was born as a visionary project from the creative mind of its founder, Valentino Longo.
Currently based in Miami, Florida, Valentino is an award-winning Italian mixologist and a compulsive day-dreamer with the passion for photography. He created Shōshin Art Club while participating Bombay Sapphire’s Most Imaginative Bartender 2020, a cocktail competition that requires the finalists to showcase three original cocktail recipes and an innovative business project that incorporates the mixologist’s passion outside of bartending. Shōshin Art Club was presented in the final round of the competition, and won Valentino the title of Most Imaginative Bartender 2020 and a creative grant allowing him to bring the project to life.
Shōshin Art Club’s ultimate goal is to offer to everyone what Valentino believes has shaped him professionally — the knowledge shared with him by the mentors he has had the opportunity to work alongside throughout his career.
Shōshin in Japanese means “Beginner’s Mind”, the mindset of the true beginner is free of preconceptions or any expectations, and instead filled with curiosity and open to unlimited possibilities. This is an homage to Valentino’s love of Japan. A culture that he was able to experience and that he largely credits for helping to expand his mind. Japanese culture is the only one in the world to have a word that specifically describes this concept.
By choosing this name, Valentino hopes to evoke the idea that learning is constantly in process. In fact, Shōshin is not a reminder but a blessing!
> GET INSPIRED
> BROADEN YOURSELF
> CLAIM YOUR ART
About Valentino Longo
Born and raised in Rome, Italy, Valentino grew up longing to follow his grandmother and sister, who were both chefs, into the restaurant business. As a child, he dreamt of one day opening his own coffee shop — a dream that was quickly reconsidered as he wasn’t a fan of mornings!
In 2010, Valentino started his career in the hospitality industry and worked his way through restaurants and high end hotels where he honed his skills and fell more and more in love with the art of being behind the bar and those he had the opportunity to meet and work with through these experiences. After spending time in both London and Rome, Valentino relocated to Miami in 2017 where he accepted the position of Head Bartender at Four Seasons at The Surf Club.
In January 2020, Valentino Longo was crowned Bombay Sapphire’s Most Imaginative Bartender as he won the cocktail competition sponsored by Bombay Sapphire and Tales of The Cocktail. He competed against more than 180 of the best mixologists in the United States with his original cocktail recipe The Decisive Moment and his business project Shōshin Art Club.
