China’s cocktail moment with Lucas Bols
As one of the world’s leading cocktail companies, Lucas Bols is building a new chapter across China’s booming on-trade by deploying Bols, Passoã, Galliano and Tequila Partida through a disciplined and scalable strategy.
China’s cocktail scene is currently one of the most exciting in the world. In cities like Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen, a new generation of drinkers is discovering the pleasure of well-crafted cocktails.
At the same time, bartenders serving the cocktails are eager for knowledge, brands, and creative tools to meet the growing demand. For a company with the right portfolio, cocktail expertise, and a commitment to investing in relationships, the opportunities are significant.
Founded in Amsterdam in 1575, Lucas Bols is one of the world’s most established cocktail companies. It has been successfully expanding its presence in China’s on-trade market.
In recent years, its China team has developed a market-focused approach that few large global spirits conglomerates offer: genuine, hands-on partnerships. Instead of paying substantial upfront listing fees to secure a place on national supplier rosters, Lucas Bols has focused on building real commercial programmes. These initiatives include co-created cocktail menus, structured bartender training, seasonal activations, and consistent relationship management to equip venues with the assets they need to succeed.
This model was successfully developed through the Bols x JW Marriott partnership, which is built on three key pillars: structured bartender training, coordinated activation planning, and consistent relationship management. These practices ensure a unified guest experience and strong commercial performance. The programme sets targets for menu penetration of eight to 12 cocktails per property, along with clearly defined goals for double-digit depletion improvements on key SKUs, giving it a commercial rigour that extends far beyond brand visibility.
“We strategically partnered with individual locations to offer tailored training, activation and service,” says Alex Chen, Lucas Bols’ commercial manager for China. “That’s what drove cocktail sales.”
Portfolio behind the strategy
What gives the model its range is the breadth of brands behind it. Bols liqueurs, with more than 40 flavours, provide essential building blocks for any serious bar programme. Passoã, the world’s number one passion fruit liqueur, speaks directly to a Chinese audience that is gravitating towards flavour-forward, visually appealing cocktails. Galliano adds Italian herbal complexity to the top-tier menu, while Tequila Partida, recognised as the original additive-free and highest-rated global luxury Tequila, aligns perfectly with the growing premium spirits trend.
The Bols x JW Marriott programme has expanded to include various Marriott luxury brand hotels, with the Ritz-Carlton hotels set to launch in May 2026. The goal is to promote the development of cocktail culture across additional hotel groups and on-trade partners in China. Each new partnership will include a co-created signature cocktail menu of six to eight SKUs from the portfolio, rotated twice a year. Group-wide seasonal campaigns, digital and social media collaboration, and a commercial framework centred on portfolio-wide listings and volume-based incentives form a model intended for systematic rollout across key regions in China.
As a result of the active strategic partnership, more than 250 signature cocktails were introduced, and JW Marriott achieved an average 28% increase in cocktail sales, driven by the Lucas Bols activation programmes across mainland China.
This strategy is patient and deliberate. In a market where cocktail culture is still being developed, sustainable volume growth stems not from merely being listed but from bartenders who are passionate about the brands they pour. Lucas Bols is committed to this approach by investing in skilled teams, and as a result, volume is on the rise.
In a country where cocktail culture is being written in real time, Lucas Bols is making sure it has a pen in hand.
Related news
Lucas Bols names new US distributors
