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Bartender Harrison Kenney from Sydney’s award-winning bar, Cantina OK, is the global winner of the Patrón Perfectionists competition in Atontonilco, Mexico.

Presenting his vivid green cocktail Teal, which mixes Kiwi slices, Celery Juice, Lime Juice, Simple Syrup, Fino Sherry and a garnish of Vanilla Olive Oil drops, the drink is bright and easily drinkable, while still offering enough complexity to intrigue tequila connoisseurs.

Donning the apron and towel he uses at his home bar, Kenny delivered a marriage of hospitality, showmanship and tantalizing cocktail flavours, to rise to the top in the judge’s eyes, in the first live competition to be held at the Patrón Hacienda since 2020.

“Once again, the Patrón Perfectionist competition is a testament to how a cocktail competition is fun and helps develop each bartender’s skill set beyond the glass,” said Lauren Mote, Global Manager of Programme Excellence for Patrón Tequila.

“New talented bartenders have joined the Familia Patrón – becoming part of a global community whose excellence and passion continue to drive tequila culture worldwide. We are extremely proud of all the Patrón Perfectionists participants, and our warmest congratulations go to the global winner Harrison Kenney from Australia,” Mote continued.

To see our video of Harrison making the drink go to our Teal Video

For more information on Patrón and the Perfectionists, go to patrontequila.com

Scotch Whiskey distillery Aberfeldy joined forces with The Urban Beehive Sydney for an educational lunch for local bartenders to promote the use of responsibly farmed local honey that encourages honeybees and other pollinators.

“Just like honey, Aberfeldy whisky is available across the world. Urban beehives are thriving across Australia, and we are proud to partner with local producers, incorporating delicious tasting honey which is unique to cities into Aberfeldy cocktails,” said Hayley Loveridge, Aberfeldy Brand Manager.

After their bee experience, bartenders returned to the bar with their newfound knowledge and supply of local honey to experiment and get creative. Their task was to spin the Aberfeldy classics – the Hot Toddy and the Golden Dram.

Cocktails will be on offer to consumers during August with Aberfeldy making a donation for each cocktail sold going to the Wheen Bee Foundation, an Australian bee charity that promotes the importance of bees for food security and raises funds for research that addresses the national and global threats to bees.

Award-winning, San Francisco-based Gin distillery, Junipero, in partnership with San Francisco Magazine, has announced the launch of the inaugural San Francisco Martini Week.

Established as a tribute to the city where the Martini is believed to have originated, the week-long celebration from August 1-6, 2022, will not only shine a light on a great classic cocktail but also raise funds for the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a San Francisco-born non-profit and cutting-edge Order of queer and trans nuns devoted to community service and activism.

“We cannot think of a better way to celebrate a cocktail with such rich history than by creating the first ever Martini Week with our San Francisco-born Junipero Gin,” said Brian Radics, CMO of Hotaling & Co.

“We are proud to celebrate this classic cocktail while raising funds for the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. This week brings together our value of Living Life Unfiltered with raising a martini to the Sisters, a great group that also boldly breaks with convention as they devote themselves to local activism and outreach to those on the fringe. We hope you will celebrate with us!”

During San Francisco Martini Week, Junipero Gin hopes to inspire consumers to get creative. With a bit of inspiration and a gin famous for challenging the norms, residents and visitors in San Francisco are encouraged to order a tried-and-true martini or mix it up to find the martini variation that they like best.

In the spirit of giving, Junipero Gin will donate $10,000 to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, whose dedication to human rights, diversity, and spiritual enlightenment has been essential to shaping the San Francisco we know and love. Additionally, $2 from every signature Junipero martini sold during Martini Week at participating bars and restaurants will be donated to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to support their grant programs that fund progressive, grassroots organizations and projects that serve marginalized communities.

Participating bars and restaurants include 15 Romolo, Bar Agricole, Bar Iris, Blondies, For The Record, High Horse, Kona Street Market, Pacific Cocktail Haven, Rye, Sushi Sato, Wilder and Wildhawk.

The 16th annual Tales of the Cocktail (TOTC) Spirited Awards has named Ryan (Mr Lyan) Chetiyawardana’s Lyaness at Sea Containers London as the World’s Best Bar

The Awards were held at the New Orleans Ritz Carlton Hotel and turned out to be a Steller night for Chetiyawardana who also saw Lyaness named as best International Hotel Bar, as well as his Washington DC-based Silver Lyan at the Riggs named as Best US Hotel Bar.

In total, London-based establishments collected five out of the eight international awards as Alex Kratena and Monica Berg’s Tayēr + Elementary won Best International Cocktail Bar, Sexy Fish was crowned Best International Restaurant Bar, and A Bar with Shapes for a Name picked up Best New International Cocktail Bar, with its founder Remy Savage being named International Bartender of the Year.

Sydney’s Maybe Sammy won Best International Bar Team, the only bar not based in London to win an award in the international bar categories.

For more information, go to talesofthecocktail.org

What would you go for if you had the choice – a near valueless NFT or a 4-pack of Kraken rum premix?

This is the question that Kraken (Australia) is asking with the launch of its dark and satirical NFT collection. In other words, which is more valuable, an intangible NFT in an online world or a Kraken in hand?

Yes, NFTs are alluring. Like beautiful sirens calling sailors onto razor-sharp rocks to be devoured by The Kraken. Will you take the risk and mint it? Or, will you give it up and choose the real taste of The Kraken Premix? As the brand says, the choice is yours – it’s all a matter of good taste.

Now we’ve all heard the stories of NFTs quadrupling in value, but as Kraken points out, most NFTs never see that return. The average value of an NFT is just $7.50, with only 1% of them selling for over $1,500.

So Kraken thought they would demonstrate that a tangible and delicious option will always have a higher value than unpredictable digital art. But this is a game of ‘choose your own adventure’, so let’s see what’s behind door no. 1…

The NFT collection merges the art and the digital world with a nautical twist and a splash of murderous history and satire. Aimed to show that the real value of digital artworks are really in the eyes of the beholder, the choices include –

But, if you opt for door no. 2, you can claim a 4-pk of two equally delicious flavours: The Kraken & Dry Premix or The Kraken & Cola Premix.

The Kraken ’s Non-Fungible Treasures will be available to the public from today. Just head over to the website via the Mint page for a taste of The Kraken or be lead through to the decentralised marketplace, OpenSea .

Cuban rum brand Havana Club is proud to pursue its commitment to support artists and celebrate the voices of their generation with this new collaboration with Burna Boy, the “African Giant”.

In the forefront of crossover sounds that blend Afrobeats, dancehall, reggae, rap and R&B, and empowering lyrics, Burna Boy won the Best World Music Album award at last year’s Grammy’s.

The collaboration, and subsequent limited-edition bottle, is Burna Boy’s personal ode to the beauty of culture, the strength of community values and the joy of defending his roots. Honouring your roots, whether in Nigeria or Cuba, is something the artist and Havana Club have in common. Burna Boy wanted to ensure the limited edition bottle reflected this pride in one’s origins.

This vibrant Havana Club 7 limited edition bottle is inspired by the traditional cultural headgear found in southern Nigeria, with tassels illustrated on the front label and a multicoloured “Aso Oke” background – a hand-woven cloth created by the Yoruba People of West Africa often adorning gowns and hats worn for celebratory ceremonies such as weddings.

Sitting front and centre of the bottle is “Burna Boy” handwritten by the artist himself, while a palm leaf crown wraps the Havana Club logo – an ode to the African Union emblem, and the bottom part of the label integrates the Rivers State region of Nigeria, where Burna Boy was born. 

A short film celebrates the intimately interwoven story between Burna Boy and Havana Club;  a voice-over by Burna Boy himself takes this movie to the next level, making the collaboration come to life as a connection of family and friendships via the Havana Club bottle and supporting a spirited message of love from Burna Boy himself:

“It takes a great person to overcome daily trials and tribulations and an even greater person to intentionally decide that life is for living,” he says. “As we share in the beauty of culture, community and heritage, let’s celebrate in united liberations. Please remember that you are a GIANT, today and always.”

A toast to hope and togetherness that Havana Club is proud to be supporting.

The Havana Club x Burna Boy limited edition bottle will be available throughout the summer in a dozen countries including Cuba, Germany, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, Ireland and the UK.