Cuban Rum brand Havana Club has unveiled its new groundbreaking global bartending competition: Havana Club Cocktail Maestros.

Inviting teams of two bartenders in Europe, with the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Greece and the Czech Republic being lead countries in addition to three European Wild Cards, as well as Cuba, Brazil and China, the competition celebrates the art of bartending mastery.

With €10,000 and a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Havana up for grabs, a journey into Cuban culture and craftsmanship awaits successful finalists. 

In a competition like no other, Havana Club offers exclusive Maestro Sessions to equip teams with skills for a successful first entry.

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The sessions will feature the following educational films with insights from leading industry voices:

• Liquid: Maestro del Ron Cubano Asbel Morales and Global Brand Ambassador Alfredo Guerra will lead an exploration of Havana Club’s rich cultural heritage, delving into the intricate world of rum production, vibrant island life and the everlasting connection this has with the liquid.
• Flavour: Renowned chef and founder of Bando Belly, Naz Ramadan, will showcase her unique approach to flavours and ingredients through a virtual cooking demonstration. Accompanied by Global Brand Ambassador Liam Holyoak-Rackal, the pair will explore the intricate balancing of food by perfectly pairing it with a neat Havana Club Añejo 7 Años.
• Hustle: Iconic bar duo Emilio Di Salvo and Keïla Urzaiz de Calignon of London’s most reputable cocktail bar, Satan’s Whiskers, will focus on how to hustle within the bar scene. With their exceptional mixology skills and deep knowledge of crafting cocktails, they will share tricks-of-the-trade, creating an atmosphere of genuine hospitality that turns a great drink into a memorable experience.
• Expression: With nearly a decade of experience, legendary photographer Lateef Okunnu will unveil the secrets behind the extraordinary art of drink photography. Specialising in photographing food, drink and people, Lateef’s extensive portfolio in these domains set the stage for a masterful exploration of the art of visually showcasing beverages.

Entries open for the first challenge, Liquid Harmony, from November 20th to January 2nd and will be judged by an esteemed panel of industry representatives, including brand ambassadors and long-standing friends of Havana Club. Inspired by the Maestro Sessions, teams need to:

• Create a bespoke cocktail using Havana Club rum alongside two homemade ingredients
• Capture a stunning image of their creation accompanied by an equally remarkable team photo
• Enter their submission via the Havana Club Cocktail Maestros landing page

Successful Liquid Harmony applicants will advance to national and regional finals with eight teams of finalists invited to the global final (15^th-18^th April 2024) in Havana, Cuba, where they will be fully immersed in the vibrant heart of the city to embrace island life and explore the local bartending scene. 

The final challenges will include The Cocktail Mastery challenge and The Great Havana Hustle, where teams will host a bar shift to highlight real-life hospitality mastery and celebrate the collective energy.

“Bartenders across the globe have always been at the heart of our story, which is exactly why we’re committed to supporting and collaborating with them.,” explains Havana Club’s International Brand Director, Ludmilla Stephkov

“This year, we are delighted to unveil Havana Club Cocktail Maestros, a competition rooted in a team mindset, brand education, cocktail expertise and cultural immersion. This isn’t just about mixing the best drinks; it’s about celebrating a unique blend of cocktail mastery and hospitality skills within the bartending community.”

For more information and to enter, go to havana-club.com

It’s not very often that a book about alcohol makes the Amazon Top 100.

But Fawn Weaver’s Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest not only made it in, but with its pre-order announcement, the book soared to No. 17.

So, obviously, the book needed an equally ground-breaking book tour, which Weaving is providing with her, Love & Whiskey: Unfiltered Tour.

Set to provide ‘unique whiskey tastings, book signings, and engaging, truly unfiltered conversations’, the nationwide tour will feature weaver as well as Uncle Nearest distiller Victoria Eady Butler, who is four-time Master Blender of the Year.

“Here, the audience leads—every question is unfiltered, straight from our guests,” Weaver continued. “In between discussions, guests will have the ability to savour exquisite whiskeys under the guidance of one of the industry’s most respected Master Blenders.”

After holding the awards ceremony in Singapore last year, The World’s 50 Best Bars returns to Spain for its 16th edition.

In 2022, the awards were held in Barcelona. The 2024 awards will see Spain’s largest city and central capital, Madrid, play host.

The list of The World’s 50 Best Bars will be unveiled at a grand ceremony on Tuesday, 22nd October.

With its mission to showcase the planet’s finest cocktail cities, 50 Best will unite the global bar community in Madrid to recognise the achievements of the best bars in the world.

“We are delighted to bring The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024 to the vibrant streets of Madrid, a city long renowned for its outstanding hospitality,” explained Emma Sleight, Head of Content for The World’s 50 Best Bars.

“We look forward to gathering this incredible community together once more to honour the innovation, creativity, and unparalleled achievements of the world’s most exceptional mixology and to ignite the curiosity of cocktail lovers around the globe.”

As usual, the list of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2024 will be anonymously voted for by a gender-balanced Academy of more than 700 bartenders, consultants, writers, and cocktail specialists from around the world. Deloitte will independently adjudicate the results.

The Bartenders’ Feast, hosted the evening before the ceremony for those talented individuals whose bars feature in this year’s ranking, will again return. As well as special awards such as Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award and Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award.

Additionally, over the next few months, bars and bartenders from around the world, whether they feature in the list of The World’s 50 Best Bars or not, will also be invited to nominate themselves for the 50 Best Bars Roku Scholarship 2024, the Bareksten Best Bar Design Award and/or Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award.

For more information, go to theworlds50best.com or connect with the awards via Facebook or YouTube.

Italian aperitivo brand Italicus has announced Esmerelda Castrogivanni from Sips Drinkery in Spain as the global championship winner of the 2024 Art of Italicus Aperitivo Challenge.

Castrogivanni’s award-winning concoction, ’Alloway’, inspired by the English pop art pioneer Lawrence Reginald Alloway, captivated judges with its blend of Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto, white bitter and apple soda. The drink was uniquely garnished with an edible napkin made of apple jam and caramel.

“With ‘Alloway’, I wanted to provocatively make people reflect on the concept of art and what it represents for each of us,” Castrogivanni explained.

“To do so, I was inspired by what pop art represented in the 1950s, an artistic movement that revolutionised the world of art, making it accessible to ordinary people and no longer just to a few”.

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Esmerelda Castrogivanni’s ’Alloway’

Esmerelda has earned herself the prestigious title and an exclusive mentorship at Cafe La Trova with Julio Cabrera in Miami. “Having won this prestigious title represents a very important achievement for me, which will help me grow further on both a professional and personal level,” she continued.

Second place was awarded to Jan Križaj from Kavarna Moderna in Slovenia, with his cocktail ‘Congelato’ which consisted of Italicus, dry vermouth, pesto and tomato cordial, garnished with Grana Padano with tomato powder.

Stephanie Wullschleger from Herz Bar in Switzerland was awarded third place, creating ‘Lucha Libre’ a cocktail made with Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto, kiwi-jalapeno cordial and soda, garnished with a Red Kiwi.

The competing bartenders presented a creatively curated cocktail to a panel of esteemed judges including Giuseppe Gallo, Founder and CEO of Italicus, Paloma Difford, Managing Director of Difford’s Guide, and Julio Cabrera, Maestro Cantinero and owner of Cafe La Trova, Miami, who scored each candidate using their expertise to ensure a fair and insightful evaluation process.

“The Art of Italicus Aperitivo Challenge is a program designed to discover and showcase emerging talents in our industry year after year,” explained Giuseppe Gallo, Founder and CEO of Italicus.

“This competition serves as a creative platform, allowing bartenders to express their artistic sensitivity and imagination without any barriers or limits. This year, we had the honour of witnessing a competition featuring young bartenders of the highest calibre in both technique and style,” Gallo continued.

The Rolling Stones’ Rum brand, Crossfire Hurricane, is set to unveil a special limited-edition bottle gift set to coincide with the band’s highly anticipated Hackney Diamonds U.S. Tour.

Set to kick off on April 28 at NRG Stadium in Houston, the has been designed to embody the spirit of rock and roll while paying homage to the band’s iconic journey.

“This commemorative box set of Crossfire Hurricane Rum is not just a celebration of our US tour, but a toast to the incredible journey we’ve shared with our fans,” said The Rolling Stones.

The limited-edition collection features a deluxe box set including the Hackney Diamonds bottle—a sleek black gloss glass container with a striking gold top—adorned with the iconic Rolling Stones tongue logo, and a flagship bottle of Crossfire Hurricane Rum, all encased in a keepsake box.

Crossfire Hurricane Rum invites fans to ‘take your tongue for a ride’ as they host concert post-show parties in select cities. The brand is also offering rock and roll fans a chance to win two VIP tickets to see The Rolling Stones at the tour’s show in Santa Clara, California, on July 17, 2024.

The sweepstakes is now open and runs through June 15, 2024. For official rules, how to enter, and prize descriptions, visit www.crossfirehurricane.com/tour-rules.

The gift set will be available at select retailers across the US, with its release aligning with The Rolling Stones’ tour schedule. Additionally, concertgoers can purchase the gift set via in-stadium digital billboards and have it delivered directly to their homes via ReserveBar.

For more information about Crossfire Hurricane Rum, please visit crossfirehurricane.com or follow @CrossfireRum

The iconic Italian red bitter brand Campari is launching its ‘We Are Cinema’ campaign, coinciding with its partnership with the Festival de Canne.

Celebrating its third year as an official partner at Canne,  Campari has been inspired by its role as a curator of aperitivo occasions to explore human stories to inspire some of the world’s greatest cinema.

Celebrating real-life moments that can become remarkable stories, viewers of the new campaign can expect a melody of cinematic moments artistically brought to life and told through the vivid red lens of Campari’s creativity.

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As both the festival and campaign unfurl, Campari will again host and promote a series of events from the Campari Lounge in the Palais de Festival, overlooking the famous red carpet.

“We are delighted to return to Festival de Cannes, this year bringing our passion for cinema and stories through our global We Are Cinema campaign to the iconic Festival setting,” said Julka Villa, Campari Group Head of Marketing.

“With a strong and enduring legacy in the cinema world, creativity and passion remain at the heart of everything we do. This year, we look forward to continuing to bring this to our audience through a program of remarkable moments throughout the Festival.“

This year, the brand also introduces Hyde Beach by Campari, a new iconic space on Boulevard de Croisette, where stars and guests will be welcomed, and events hosted throughout the festival.

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Amongst their exciting program, Campari is honoured to announce both new and returning collaborations:

• Cole Walliser will be based in the Campari Lounge, interviewing guests and celebrities. The director and celebrity host, famous for the behind-the-scenes GlamBOT clips, will eagerly tune into his entertaining dispatches covering the red-carpet action from the lounge.
• Campari is also rejoining forces with The Hollywood Reporter, recording a special festival edition of the Awards Chatter podcast with Kevin Costner, director, writer, producer, and star of Horizon: An American Saga. Costner will join THR’s Executive Editor of Awards, Scott Feinberg, live to talk about his return to the big screen Western, premiering at this year’s Festival de Cannes.
• One of the most anticipated events is the Official Cannes After Party for Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. During the festival, Campari will host this star-studded event at Hyde Beach by Campari to celebrate the latest instalment of this epic franchise.
• Campari will also partner for the third year with Breaking Through The Lens, a non-profit organisation which empowers women in film by facilitating access to vital funding. Together, they will host the ‘Crossing Borders’ gala to celebrate women transcending cultural borders. The evening will include a panel discussion with renowned actress Diane Kruger, who will be joined by other industry figures – including Campari Group Head of Marketing Julka Villa – to share their unique experiences.

More than an aperitif, Campari’s unmistakable characteristics, the brand has long been a source of passionate inspiration. Since its birth, Campari has always been at the forefront of cocktail culture, inspiring passion in bartenders worldwide.

With Camparino in Galleria, master mixologists serving up their famed cocktails – including Negroni and Campari Spritz – the Campari Lounge and Hyde Beach by Campari are the perfect places to raise a toast to inspiring stories and the talent behind them.

Please follow Campari’s social media channels for further information @campariofficial @CampariUSA.