Schweppes taps Simone Caporale for advocacy platform
Simone Caporale, Millie Tang, Iain McPherson and Vasilis Kyritsis have joined the newly created Schweppes Pioneers programme.
The advocacy platform reinforces the mixer brand’s ‘dedication to amplifying its position at the very top of the global hospitality industry’.
The four bartenders will educate and inspire the next generation of young mixologists, as Jacob Schweppe did with his method of carbonation in 1783.
The programme will involve a series of summits at key on-trade events around the globe, tapping into each bartender’s expertise.
McPherson, of Edinburgh bar Panda & Sons, will focus on freezing techniques and temperature. Meanwhile, Caporale, who is set to open Montana in Hong Kong later this year, will educate on menu creation, as well as glassware and vessels.
Tang, who is a multi-hyphenate creative alongside her current role at Paris’ De Vie bar, will offer tips on photography and Highball garnishes.
Finally, Kyritsis, co-founder of The Clumsies and Line in Athens, will concentrate on balance and Highball techniques.
These modules will form the foundation of Schweppes bartender training, which its brand ambassadors will deliver to bartenders across the world.
The topics will also underpin the Schweppes Pioneers bartender competition. The contest’s European final will take place in Athens in November, with a full market rollout scheduled for 2026.
Caporale said: “Schweppes Pioneers has my admiration, respect and support. It is important to me to share what I have developed and mastered over the years with those who want to learn. To see a brand like Schweppes decide to break the mould and pioneer this initiative is inspiring and I am honoured to be part of it.”
The four programme leaders are all represented by Global Bartending, which has created and will manage the Pioneers programme.
Nicola Barrett, vice-president of global brand strategy at The Coca-Cola Company, which owns Schweppes, said: “We are dedicated to creating something groundbreaking with the Schweppes Pioneers advocacy programme. We chose these four individuals based on their pioneering spirit and their capacity to defy convention.
“This new programme is something we’re committed to for the long run, and we’re looking forward to seeing how many thousands of young bartenders we can inspire.”
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