Tourism

This October, Barcelona will become the world capital of cocktail making. The Catalan capital is hosting ‘The World’s 50 Best Bars’ awards, the most important international contest of its kind. The event is moving outside London for the first time, since its inception in 2002. The event is expected to attract over 1,000 internationally renowned guests, as well as the best cocktail bartenders in the world.

The official announcement was made at a ceremony attended by Jaume Collboni, Barcelona City Council’s First Deputy Mayor; Francesc Escolà, the CEO of Comercial Escolà SL; Tim Brooke-Webb, Managing Director of ‘The World’s 50 Best Bars’; and Xavier Marcé, Councillor for Tourism and Creative Industries. The presentation was held at Magatzem Escolà, the showroom for Comercial Escolà, the company bringing the event to Barcelona.

“We have been in the wines and spirits business for 50 years. Our ambition is to develop the hospitality sector as a tool to create value in society. Bringing ‘The World’s 50 Best Bars’ to Barcelona is a magnificent opportunity to showcase the world of bartending and, above all, to acknowledge Barcelona’s position as one of the main world capitals for culinary leisure”, explained Francesc Escolà.

Jaume Collboni stressed that this event “helps to reinforce Barcelona’s position as one of the great world capitals for culinary leisure, as well as showcasing our excellent bars, hotels and restaurants, which are one of the best examples of the vitality and attractiveness that characterise our city”. Collboni also listed the opportunities that ‘The World’s Best Bars’ will bring to the city: “that such a prestigious event has chosen Barcelona is an opportunity to provide greater visibility for two of our essential sectors, catering and leisure, which have suffered so much during the pandemic and which continue to have all the City Council’s support”.

In regard to the selection of Barcelona, Tim Brooke-Webb explained that “the aim is to provide support for the growth and the renown of the Barcelona brand as a leading destination in the world of cocktail making and culinary leisure. Last year’s edition attracted the presence of 30 media outlets from 19 different countries, which means we are talking about an internationally renowned event”.

‘Barcelona Cocktail Experience’ and ‘Spirit Essence’

In parallel with the celebration of ‘The World’s 50 Best Bars’, Barcelona will also be hosting two more events: the ‘Barcelona Cocktail Experience’ and the ‘Spirit Essence’ competition.

The conjunction of these three events in a single week will prove very attractive for cocktail enthusiasts from all over the world, a sector with a growing number of followers.

The ‘Barcelona Cocktail Experience’ is being held from 1 to 9 October, and it will include initiatives aimed at all city residents, such as cocktail and food pairings, guest bartenders, master classes and talks, which will take place in city hotels, restaurants and cocktail bars.

The event, which expects to attract over 75,000 people, will have its own app, where you can consult the complete programme, as well as the agenda, the calendar and the venues.

Meanwhile, the ‘Spirit Essence’ competition – with the final being held on 5 October – is the only team cocktail championship. Its goal is not only to discover new talents in cocktail making, but to do so within a framework of training, to turn a job into a trade. A total of 280 professionals have registered for this year’s edition, and €70,000 will be awarded to participants in the form of training grants, along with over €36,000 in prizes.

Barcelona, a benchmark for cocktails

Internationally, cocktail making has experienced exponential growth in recent years, and especially in Barcelona. The city has become one of the leading cities in the sector and has aroused the curiosity of many city residents, attracted by the creativity and art behind cocktail making.

In this regard, in addition to having a large number of bars, Barcelona has a thriving community of restaurateurs and bartenders. Something that was reflected in last year’s edition of ‘The World’s 50 Best Bars’, where 3 of the 50 best bars in the world were located in Barcelona: Paradiso (3), Two Schmucks (11) and Sips (37).