Dubai (United Arab Emirates) – El Sur, contemporary Spanish restaurant and bar located at

The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi, has appointed a new bar manager, Emilio Valencia, to

spearhead the beverage section and raise the bar with innovation and creativity.

The Mexican national comes from a family of restaurateurs and got a taste for hospitality

from his early years. After completing high school, he moved to London in 2006 to get hands

on experience in the bar and nightlife industry. He has worked across a number of high

profile venues across England, like Ronnie’s Scott and Azteca, many of which were

frequented by nobility of England, followed by Devomshire Terrace as the head bartender.

His next stop, after London, was Los Angeles, where he worked at the century old El

Carmen Restaurant.

Most recently, Emilio was working at Asia de Cuba in Abu Dhabi, before joining El Sur.

Commenting on his appointment, he said: “I am excited to be working with our chef, Juan-

Carlos Gonzales, and raising the bar for beverages to be at par with the food. I will introduce

new techniques and flavours, and we will make our ingredients, like jams and purees, in

house. The idea is to reinvent the way cocktails are made. Also, we will be introducing a new

Gin and Tonic bar, along with a new cocktail menu.”

Emilio was one of the two finalists from Abu Dhabi for Worldclass Championship, and is now

also contesting in Bacardi Legacy cocktail competition with his bespoke creation ‘Perfume

de Violetas’.

El Sur is open daily from 6:00pm to 12:00am; Friday and Saturday from 12:30pm to 1:00am.

It is located at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina. For more information

please visit https://www.facebook.com/elsurdubai. For reservations, call 043997700.