Bacardi has rallied a team of top bartenders to produce their latest video in their “Sound of rum” campaign.
Created by Abbott Mead Vickers BDDO, the 60-second spot celebrates the brand’s Caribbean heritage by inserting the bustling sounds of cocktail-making into a song. The spirit label teamed up with producer and rapper Swizz Beatz on the track to “shine a spotlight on local bartending talent.”
Fabio Ruffet, regional brand director at Bacardi Europe, told Campaign: “Music and rhythm have always been at the heart of Bacardi – it’s that Caribbean heartbeat that has kept us moving for seven generations.
“With ‘Sound of Rum’, we wanted to showcase not only the incredibly skilled bartenders we work with, but also blend in our 156-year Caribbean heritage to create a track. From bottles clinking to ice crushing, fruit chopping and cocktail shaking, the result is a multilayered sound experience which we created by capturing all live sounds on set.”
This is part of Bacardi’s wider “Do what moves you” platform – a music-based campaign that has included dance classes, live events and a collaboration with Major Lazer and Anitta on music track Make it Hot.
Bartenders
Starring in the video are top bartenders Lawrence Gregory (UK); Julia Rahn (Germany); Raysa Straal (Netherlands); Adrian Nino (France); and Nicole Fas (Puerto Rico), who have come together to create their fresh take on the ‘Sound of Rum’. Hip hop artist and long-standing friend of BACARDÍ Swizz Beatz is the Executive Producer of the track.
The Caribbean-inspired video sees a bartender working behind the scenes of a bar as she carries a crate of BACARDÍ down a neon-lit alley.
PIN ITFive of the top bartenders from around the world; from left to right; Lawrence Gregory (UK), Adrian Nino (France), Nicole Fas (Puerto Rico), Raysa Straal (Netherlands), Julia Rahn (Germany).
The sound of the bottles clinking launches the track as the shot cuts to the colourful bar and energetic crowd, all dancing to the newly created beat-from-the-bar. Bottle caps are popped as pineapples, and lime fruits are rhythmically chopped, while the track fills with a crescendo of sounds and builds to a silent stop. An ice-filled cocktail shaker resumes creating a beat before a refreshing cocktail is poured.
UK bartender Lawrence Gregory, also known as the Rum Boss, commented: “Being a part of the Sound of Rum has been really inspiring, what I’ve created is a good fierce cocktail with floral notes and a smooth finish – a light calypso dance on the palate!”
Directed by Tucker Bliss and created and produced by AMV BBDO, the video was shot in a traditional courtyard that was transformed into a fully stocked, vibrant Caribbean-inspired bar and dancefloor for two whole days. The video was shot at pace with precision across every detail, with tangible energy portrayed in each moment.
“Bringing together this group of bartenders highlighted the pure energy and skill that goes into cocktail-making,” said Ruffet. “From the moment they met on set, the connection between them was instant –there was palpable electricity as they hit it off and started discussing plans for local bar takeovers in each other’s cities.
“No one drinks rum sitting down – and now even the making of our cocktails has its own uplifting beat.”
ASMR
The video, which turns “cocktail noises” into an ASMR-inspired soundtrack. Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR), is an experience characterised by a static-like or tingling sensation on the skin that typically begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine, which is triggered by hearing rustling, tapping or whispering.
ASMR is incredibly popular on Youtube, with videos frequently getting millions of views and their creators gaining huge subscriber numbers.
Director Tucker Bliss commented: “We took inspiration from the ASMR world, focusing on the instantly recognisable and familiar sounds of the bar – honing in on what rum might sound like. We had such an amazing time breaking down each mixed drink to its core sonic components, to their most simple form, and then building the vibe back up into a new track.”
To celebrate the launch of the new campaign, each of the bartenders has crafted an innovative cocktail embodying the Sound of Rum:
- UK bartender Lawrence Gregory brings his extensive knowledge and love of rum to create the Flamingo Domingo, which will be listed at the Curtain hotel bar in London’s Shoreditch
- Julia Rahn from Germany has channelled her passion for art into creating her salty and zesty cocktail Match The Beat, which will be available at Bar Convent Berlin in October and at her new bar ‘Contemporary’ later this year
- Raysa Straal from The Netherlands has brought her dancing background to the cocktail world with her creation Mi Mundo, which cocktail lovers will be able to enjoy at Tales & Spirits bar in Amsterdam where it’s available upon request throughout September
- French bartender Adrian Nino, who works daily with over 400 types of rum, has created the Toronto Tropico which will be on the menu at 1802 Bar throughout September and beyond
- Nicole Fas brings Puerto Rican vibrancy from her winery-bar in San Juan to create the ‘Ritmo Tropical’ which is listed at Bottega
