The week in pictures

This week, Bacardi-owned Tequila brand Patrón celebrated the world’s outstanding athletes at the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Patrón Tequila was the exclusive spirits after-party sponsor, hosting drinks at the prestigious Jimmy’z nightclub in Monaco following the ceremony – which was hosted by X-Men actor James Marsden and sports broadcaster Amanda Davies.

Stars including tennis players Boris Becker and Novak Djokovic were welcomed with the Hot Mexican cocktail, which is a warming Patrón Añejo cocktail served in silver mugs.

American bartender Chanel Godwin-McMaken of Little Rituals in Phoenix, Arizona, triumphed at this year’s Last Slinger Standing cocktail competition.

Hosted during Arizona Cocktail Weekend, Godwin-McMaken defeated 15 other competitors after impressing a judging panel that included John Gukuru, director of sales and marketing at Sweet & Chili USA; Ivar de Lang, global bartender and educator at Lucas Bols; and Jaymee Mandeville, portfolio ambassador at Bacardi USA.

Godwin-McMaken impressed with her final cocktail, which was a twist on the Pornstar Martini, made by whipping up Passoã in a blender and topping it with a splash of Champagne.

Carnival Cruise Line bartender Sanja Cvijetic has been crowned the winner of the 2019 Bacardi Legacy Cruise Competition in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Cvijetic, a 31-year-old from Bosnia who is currently aboard Carnival Conquest, took home the title for her cocktail Purple Sunset, which is made with Bacardí Superior, lavender syrup, lemonade, fresh lime juice, Martini Prosecco and fresh rosemary.

In addition to a US$4,000 cash award and a trophy, Cvijetic has now earned a spot in Bacardí’s global finals in May in Amsterdam where she will compete against 38 domestic market winners.

This week, Bacardi Brown-Forman Brands (BBFB) unveiled a list of six ‘diverse’ cocktails as part of its latest initiative to promote inclusivity in the on-trade.

To create the cocktails, BBFB partnered with Artesian bartender Giulia Cuccurullo, Andrea Montague and Hannah Naughton from Blacklock, Margaux Picard of Happiness Forgets, Zoë Van Der Griten of Fam, London Cocktail Club bartender Cressida Lawlor and Nicole Sykes from Satan’s Whiskers.

Cocktails include the Rosie Rivington, made with Dewar’s 12-year-old whisky, creme de framboise, Martini Bitter and bay leaf syrup, and the Emilie Jolie, made with Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select, mezcal, Cherry Heering, absinthe, rose water and orange zest discard.

This week, Martin Macdonald, the longest-serving member of the team at Balblair’s Edderton distillery, toasted 40 years in the Scotch whisky industry.

Macdonald, a distillery operator at Balblair, started his career in 1979 aged just 17 when James Callaghan was prime minister and Blondie’s single Heart of Glass was number one in the UK chart.

In the 40 years that followed, he has seen production at Balblair go from strength to strength. He has also volunteered in the local community and gave 16 years of service to his local fire service.

Rum brand Ron Zacapa hosted the opening event for The World Restaurant Awards 2019.

The World Restaurant Awards has been created to celebrate the excellence, integrity, diversity and rich culture of the restaurant world, and was created by IMG in partnership with restaurant journalist Joe Warwick and broadcaster Andrea Petrini.

Guests at the Zacapa rum welcome event in Malro restaurant in Paris, were served Zacapa Old Fashioned cocktails and small plates curated by Malro head chef, Denny Imbroisi.

Sky-high cocktail bar Social 24 at Michelin-starred City Social launched its colour-coded cocktail menu this week, with different shades representing the flavours of each drink.

The menu features splashes of colour to represent a range of flavours – including salty, sweet, fruity, floral, sour and bitter.

The cocktails have been inspired by the “golden age of cocktails”, and includes the Sunset 24, which is made with Grey Goose vodka, Meloncello, citrus, melon, egg white and melon meringue. On the menu, the drink is illustrated with dashes of yellow to highlight the sour notes, orange to represent fruity flavours and blue for sweetness.

Earlier this week, the Fabulous Fund Fair came to London’s Roundhouse to raise funds for the Naked Heart Foundation, supporting children with special needs and their families.

Hosted by Natalia Vodianova, the theme for the evening was Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, with the decor emulating the ambience of the film.

During the event, guests were able to try their luck at classic fairground games, while they enjoyed an Italy-inspired cocktail menu created by the winner of the Beluga Signature competition, Alessandro Venturi.

British gin brand Warner Edwards has unveiled plans for its first show garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2019.

Created in partnership with garden designer Helen Elks-Smith, the show garden has been inspired by the natural springs at Falls Farm in Northamptonshire – the home of the Warner Edwards Distillery.

The garden features blue-tinted glass panels inspired by the distillation process, a number of plants used in gin production and an enclosure inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater house.