Introducing Nightclub & Bar's 2014 Bartender of the Year
This year’s Nightclub & Bar Bartender of the Year, Sean Kenyon, believes in the purity of good, warm service, great ingredients and honesty behind every drink, plate and conversation with every customer who has the good fortune to sit at his bar. “You have to be the hardest working and most passionate person in the building,” he says. “I believe it is important to maintain your own voice and opinions while respecting the views of others.” MORE>>
The Mixing Star Will Evolve into the Mixing Star Lab
The Mixing Star, the Disaronno’s global cocktail competition dedicated to the bartenders, which last year put talented Dutch barwoman Tess Posthumus in the spotlight with her “Killer Cocktail” – is now intensifying. The exclusive professional growth program that Disaronno is devoting to bartenders from across the globe, will become a biannual event, also evolving into THE MIXING STAR LAB. MORE>>
Brockmans Gin Brings Home Double Gold at WSWA Convention
Brockmans Gin, an ultra-premium, new style gin, is already making waves in the industry. At the 71st Annual Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) Convention and Exposition Brockmans Gin was awarded Double Gold during the Spirits Tasting Competition. The Double Gold award is one of the highest honors bestowed upon competitors, with only four gins earning the title this year, and Brockmans being the only new-style gin to don the medal. MORE>>
Miami Rum Renaissance Festival - April 25th-27th, 2014
The organizers of the Miami Rum Festival today announced plans for greatly expanding their annual gathering of rum producers, professionals and enthusiasts. Returning to the Doubletree Hotel Miami Airport Convention Center for three days of rum tastings and programs, the world’s largest rum festival is set for April 25-27, 2014 with more than 50,000 square feet of exhibits. MORE>>
Ask a Bartender: What's in Your Well?
The term "well," behind a bar, refers to a bartender's station: the area that's their home base, with a rack of often-used spirits sitting right in front of them, as opposed to the bottles arranged on the bar behind. So well spirits are, in a way, the bar's default: when you ask for a vodka-soda or rum and Coke, it's the well vodka or well rum that usually ends up in your drink. MORE>>
Glassware Designed for Space Travel
This week a company Cosmic Lifestyle Corporation announced work on a new space program to make cocktails in space a reality. The idea isn't to cater to astronauts, but rather for the much delayed space tourism industry expected to launch this year. We're not talking about sipping a drink Capri Sun style (prepackaged cocktails in a bag), but a stemmed drinking vessel that looks like a cocktail glass. Designed with grooves that hold the drink simply through surface tension rather than a physical barrier to keep it in the glass. MORE>>
The New York International Spirits Competition October 19th, 2014
The New York International Spirits Competition is the first major international spirits competition with TRADE ONLY judges from top to bottom that consist of people who are buyers from the top retail stores, restaurant owners, sommeliers, hotel beverage directors, distributors and importers. Unlike other competitions, these judges have purchasing power and the ability to make a direct impact on brand sales. MORE>>
Savory Flavors See Growth on Adult Beverage Menus
Consumers keen on exploring new flavors in adult beverages aren’t limiting their flavor trial to drinks dominated by tropical fruits or other sweet tastes such as honey. Savory—even salty—flavors are coming to the fore in beer- and spirits-based beverages. Mexican micheladas (beer cocktails made with lime juice, salt and/or spices, and usually tomato juice or Clamato) are making inroads in the U.S. at the bar and at retail. MORE>>
Your Guide to Cinco De Mayo Drinks
While we like drinking mezcal and tequila all year round, Cinco de Mayo is the perfect excuse to mix up a round of Margaritas and Palomas! So celebrate Cinco de Mayo by reading these articles and fixing these agave spirits-based cocktail recipes, and then invite some friends over for a party. MORE>>
Stoli Group USA Embarks On Ambitious Bartender Education Program
As the newly formed Stoli Group USA seeks to refocus its core Stolichnaya vodka brand in an effort to return it to growth, the company has unveiled a far-reaching program designed to reconnect with bartenders and reassert Stoli’s status as a classic vodka. The “Start With Stoli” initiative, launched in recent weeks, emphasizes bartender support and excellence within the cocktail culture. MORE>>