Raf Agapito

The Climb

Bar With No Name, Kelly’s Hotel in Dublin, Ireland was an early proving ground for the pace and discipline that shape bartending under pressure. Working there as bartender, Raf Agapito learned what a polished room asks of the person behind it: efficient movement, close reading of service, and a composed style that keeps the bar steady without flattening the room. The Dublin years gave Agapito a working base built on detail, control, and hospitality that carries beyond the pour. Today, the scope of Raf Agapito’s work runs through bartending, direction, ownership, and spirit advocacy. As bartender / bar director, founder of FUBA Cachaça, and owner of Copa Lisboa, the roles point to a career built by addition rather than reinvention, with each position extending the same core focus on clear service and a defined identity. The work connects room, spirit, and place without separating them into different disciplines.

Today

At Copa Lisboa, Raf Agapito works as bartender and owner, staying close to the room and the pace of service. That same direct involvement carries into the bartender / bar director role, where creative direction and operational control sit in the same hands. As a Cachaça Ambassador, Agapito puts the spirit into the conversation with a clear professional purpose, giving that category a visible place in the broader work. The result is a profile with range, but no drift: bar service, venue leadership, and cachaça advocacy all pull in the same direction.

Career - Bartender / bar director - Founder, FUBA Cachaça - Owner, Copa Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal - Bartender, Bar With No Name, Kelly’s Hotel, Dublin, Ireland

Signature

Raf's signature cocktails include The Grey Titan, The Raspberry Ciroc, and Lavender Ketelini. The names suggest a bartender working with drinks that carry a clear point of view, rather than formulas that disappear into the menu. In that sense, they sit as evidence of style: specific, recognizable, and tied to the way Agapito approaches the bar.

Recognition

Raf's honors include Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year Competition, first Irish heat winner (2011) and Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year Competition, Irish final place (2011). Those 2011 results place Agapito in competition on measured terms, where bartending is tested against timing, consistency, and execution.

FAQ What is Raf Agapito's current role? Raf Agapito is Bartender and Owner. Where did Raf Agapito work before? Raf Agapito's earlier career included Bar With No Name, Kelly’s Hotel. What recognition has Raf Agapito received? Diageo Reserve World Class Bartender of the Year Competition, first Irish heat winner (2011).