If you’re looking to summer in Southern Italy this June, make sure you visit Lecce for its second annual cocktail week.

Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the city is set to, yet again, bring together its best bars and the world’s leading drinks brands to celebrate the incredible Leccese cocktail scene.

Gaining the honour of being awarded the title of ‘Best Event of 2023’ at The Spirits Business Awards, the Lecce Cocktail Week (LCW) saw participation from 33 bars from across the city and over 20 drinks sponsors. Additionally, the event had guest shifts from the likes of KOL Mezcalaria and ALMA (London), Santa Cocktail Club (Firenze), Dr Stravinsky (Barcelona), Niks & Co (Milano) and Bruno Vanzan.

Hong Kong bar Bar Leone has been honoured with the top spot at the 2024 Asia’s Best Bar Awards. A new entry into the list, the bar also clinched the title of Best Bar in Hong Kong and the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award.

Founded by bartender Lorenzo Antinori, Bar Leone embodies the Italian ethos of ‘cocktail popolari’ or ‘cocktails for the people’. It focuses on classic, approachable cocktails inspired by the traditional Roman bars of his home country.

“We are thrilled to be back in Hong Kong celebrating Asia’s vibrant bar community,” said Emma Sleight, Head of Content for Asia’s 50 Best Bars. “The region’s bars continuously redefine exceptional drinking experiences, showcased by the talent and creativity at this year’s winning establishments.

“Huge congratulations to the tour de force that is Lorenzo Antinori and the whole team at Bar Leone for the impressive – and previously unheard of – feat of entering the ranking at No.1. This is undoubtedly a strong testament to the bar’s irreverent and casual approach to cocktails, design, service and hospitality.”

With 15 new entries, the list is bound to entice and excite even seasoned cocktail enthusiasts. At No.2 is the intimate low-waste bar, Zest in Seoul, which has ascended three spots, making it The Best Bar in Korea. A consistent presence in the top five is Jigger & Pony in Singapore at No.3, making it The Best Bar in Singapore for the fifth year running. Last year’s top spot holder, Coa, comes in at No.4, and No.5 is Tokyo’s Bar Benfiddich, which takes the title of The Best Bar in Japan.

Other awards included

• Dry Wave Cocktail Studio, Bangkok (No.73 on the 51-100 list), has won the Campari One To Watch Award
• Bartender, entrepreneur and author Yangdup Lama has been crowned the Roku Industry Icon 2024
• Singapore’s Atlas (No.49), was honoured with the Rémy Martin Legend of the List Award.
• The Savory Project, Hong Kong (No. 19) is awarded the London Essence Best New Opening Award.
• Fura (No.42) in Singapore wins the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award
• The Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu award goes to Nest by Pun in Taipei.
• Virtù in Tokyo, won the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award, and
• Dohyung ‘Demie’ Kim from Seoul, won the Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award.

For a complete list, go to theworlds50best.com

French liqueur brand St-Germain has collaborated with actress Sophie Turner to inspire people with the St-Germain Hugo Spritz and urge them to ‘Spritz Up Your Summer’.

Serving as Turner’s co-star as she searches for her ‘perfect match’ in the South of France, the campaign describes the Hugo Spritz as the perfect cocktail to enjoy when you are after a brighter and lighter taste. 

“I am thrilled to collaborate with the St-Germain team to help inspire people to spritz up their summer,” said Sophie Turner. “St-Germain Hugo Spritz – is certainly my go-to cocktail this season”.

Exploding in popularity over the last few years, the Hugo Spritz is made with St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Prosecco, and Soda Water, then garnished with a mint sprig and lime wedge.

“Sophie was the obvious choice for this campaign, as her refreshing charm and style embodies the sweeter, brighter and lighter taste of the St-Germain Hugo Spritz,” explained Emma Fox, Global Vice President of St-Germain.

“This campaign marks the beginning of a new phase for St-Germain. As the Spritz becomes one of the top 10 most ordered cocktails, we’re excited to see how the new campaign and collaboration with Sophie will inspire even more people to try the sweeter, lighter tasting, and brighter Spritz.”

To inspire even more people to Spritz Up Their Summer, St-Germain is partnering with iconic luxury New York City retailer Bergdorf Goodman to debut the St-Germain Spritz Counter.

Opening its doors to the public July 17–21, the St-Germain Spritz Counter will pop up on the beauty floor of Bergdorf Goodman and serve the St-Germain Hugo Spritz to those stopping by before guests will be invited to head upstairs to the BG restaurant to enjoy the refreshing tasting cocktail, overlooking Central Park.

Be sure to follow both @StGermainDrinks, @SophieT and @Bergdorfs on Instagram

Global Vodka brand Grey Goose has collaborated with Idris Elba and his latest track, the summer anthem ‘Pushing On’, to celebrate the launch of the brand’s Altius expression.  

The epic release follows the exclusive Grey Goose Altius launch party in Ibiza earlier this summer, which saw Elba DJ to a star-studded array of attendees in a private villa on one of the island’s highest peaks. The track now forms the soundtrack to parties across Europe this summer alongside Grey Goose Altius.

“Vibrations, rhythm, music, melody… all of these things are an emotion for me.  I have to imagine what I want the song to do, and I get inspired by things that sound like that.  Everyone speaks different languages, are different ages, different generations, but as soon as you play music, it’s just one frequency,” explained Elba

Inspired by the rare natural luxuries of the French Alps, Grey Goose has said that Altius is crafted to toast life’s personal milestones, professional triumphs, and the simple pleasure of gathering with friends.

‘Pushing On’ is available on Spotify now, and you can experience the taste of Grey Goose Altius at select clubs and bars worldwide.

For more information, go to greygoose.com

The Spy Bar at Raffles London has launched an exclusive tasting experience, allowing Bond Enthusiasts to sample The Macallan James Bond 60th Anniversary Release in the very rooms and corridors where MI5 and MI6 were founded.

The Macallan James Bond 60^th Anniversary Release is a unique single malt created by The Macallan Master Whisky Maker Kirsteen Campbell to capture the character of Bond – a single malt with extreme grace balanced by remarkable strength and depth. The expression is presented in six individual packaging designs – one for each decade of the film franchise.

Bar Manager Sotirios Konomi and his team at The Spy Bar have artfully reimagined the collection, creating a menu of bespoke cocktails and canapes, each inspired by innovations of the past six decades.

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The Spy Bar is the only bar in the UK to display the entire Macallan James Bond 60th Anniversary Release collection, presented in the limited-edition Globe-Trotter case.

The six limited-edition bottles feature original illustrations from the film archives to showcase the creative process behind some of Bond’s most iconic moments throughout the six decades.

The perfect rendezvous location for any dedicated Bond fan, the Spy Bar is a reservation-only bar located in a hidden subterranean location within The Old War Office (OWO).

To reach the bar, visitors venture through underground corridors featuring structural reinforcement beams added during WW2 and past the rooms which were once used for debriefing spies.

Originally numbered 006 and 007, the rooms where The Spy Bar is now located formerly functioned as high-security storage vaults for falsified identity papers and mission reports of MI5 and MI6 agents.

Guests are transported through time, greeted by vintage furnishings and antique telephones reminiscent of its past life, before emerging into the plush, Bordeaux-red interiors illuminated by subtle, atmospheric lighting.

For more information, go to raffles.com

The French aperitif brand Lillet has collaborated with Netflix to release two limited-edition bottle designs to mark the release of the fourth season of the romantic comedy-drama series Emily In Paris.

Inspired by a love for France and fashion, the labels of the Blanc and Rosé expressions incorporate whimsical illustrations inspired by the golden era of French couture in looks that evoke the très chic nature of the Lillet woman.

The Lillet Blanc displays the chic style of ‘Emily by day’, while the Lillet Rose embodies a feminine ‘Emily by night’ aura.

“At Maison Lillet, we were struck by how much our lifestyle brand had in common with the show’s main character, from a shared love of style and culture to a joyful, glamorous outlook on life.

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“Emily’s self-expression, authenticity, and joie de vivre resonates with our community: like every Lillet woman, she knows that ‘chic’ comes from self-confidence, playfulness, spontaneity”.

Embracing the confident, elegant spirit of the Lillet woman, the limited editions will be available in 11 markets: the US, Germany, Austria, Denmark, the UK, Switzerland, Belgium, The Netherlands, China, South Korea, and Brazil.

The apéritif has also created two recipes for its signature Spritz serve, named the Emily Lillet Royale Blanc.

For Rosé:

• Ice cubes
• 1 part Lillet Rosé
• 2 parts rosé Champagne
• 1/2 part strawberry purée
• Garnish: strawberry and mint

For Blanc:

• Ice cubes
• 1 part Lillet Blanc
• 2 parts Champagne
• 1/2 part peach purée
• Garnish: strawberry and mint

For more information, go to lillet.com