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Top 10
The week in pictures
Italian amaro brand Fernet-Branca this week announced the return of its Barback Games competition.
Teams of bartenders are invited to enter the contest, which tests the skills and endurance of competitors with a series of physical challenges.
The UK final of the Barback Games will take place in London in September, with the winning team travelling to Berlin for the final at this year’s Bar Convent trade show.
Tequila Cazadores has once again partnered with the Bartender Boxing Organization to launch this year’s programme.
Bartender Boxing will involve a three-month training regime for competing bartenders, with professional trainers and a nutrition plan to ensure they are in the best physical condition.
The programme will recruit bartenders from across the US and Canada. To find out more and apply visit bartenderboxing.com.
The new Macallan distillery in Speyside has been nominated for this year’s RIBA Stirling Prize, which is awarded to new buildings that are thought to have contributed to British architecture.
Designed by Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the Macallan distillery opened its doors in June 2018. SB visited the site earlier this year.
The winner of this year’s prize will be announced in October. The shortlist for the award also includes London Bridge Station, Nevill Holt Opera House, Goldsmith Street Housing and The Weston gallery.
Cognac brand Camus hosted the Paris final of its Shanghai Shake cocktail competition this week.
The contest saw Valério Artelli, Wenceslas Garnier, Pierrick Baudry, Hugo Paris, Aitor Kevin Eteo Mba, Mathieu Le Feuvrier and Yann Lautredou create cocktails using expressions from the Camus range.
One bartender from the Paris final will fly to Shanghai to participate in the world finals on 9 September 2019.
A team from The Spirits Business and the drinks business competed in the annual Diageo Pub Quiz this week, taking on teams from some of the world’s biggest news outlets.
Hosted by TV presenter Clare Balding, the quiz covered general knowledge, current affairs, entertainment and music. Despite a valiant effort from the team, they weren’t able to recreate last year’s second place finish – but at least did better than the team from ITV.
New Orleans cocktail festival Tales of the Cocktail kicked off this week.
The 17th annual event began on 16 July, hosting a number of seminars, parties and special events across the city.
The week of festivities will culminate in the annual Spirited Awards, where the world’s finest bartenders, bars, teams, products, publications and writers will be celebrated.
Spirits supplier Speciality Drinks has launched its 2019 Whisky Cocktail Classic competition, which calls upon bartenders to create an original cocktail recipe using single malt Scotch whisky at its core.
The winner of this year’s contest will be given the chance to travel to Scotland to develop their own whisky bottling, which will be launched by Speciality Drinks in 2020.
To enter, bartenders should submit a cocktail recipe with method and a photograph to cocktail@specialitydrinks.com by 11 August.
Sheffield bar FirePit Rocks has unveiled an exhibition of rock’n’roll photography to celebrate its first anniversary.
The gallery, which features local legends Arctic Monkeys and Reverend and the Makers, was previously housed at the city’s arena.
The shots, taken by music photographer Glenn Ashley, will hang alongside the bar’s collection of music and sports memorabilia.
Diageo hosted an exclusive event to celebrate the launch of its Villa Ascenti Gin brand in the UK earlier this week.
Taking place at Fuime in London’s Battersea Power Station, the event was hosted by Diageo Reserve ambassador Jack Sotti, who hosted a tasting of the new gin.
Guests at the event also sampled Villa Ascenti signature cocktails.
SB was invited to the latest instalment in Santa Teresa Rum’s Club 1796 dinner series earlier this week.
Taking place at Coya in Mayfair, the dinner was a chance to find out more about the Venezuelan rum brand and meet with some of the brightest and best from the UK’s on-trade.
Highlights from the sharing dinner included sea bass croquettes, tuna sashimi, a delicious rum spritz and a Santa Teresa twist on the Old Fashioned.