The Friendship Test with Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero
Breaking barriers since 2011, Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero are the visionaries behind Speed Rack, the world renowned all-female-identifying bartending competition, putting talented, up-and-coming bartenders on the cocktail map, while also raising over $1 million for breast cancer research charities. At this year’s Tales of the Cocktail, SpeedRack celebrated its tenth edition. Pioneers, colleagues and of course great friends, but will these two bar icons stand the Campari Academy Friendship Test?
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The future is yours to create: Hiroyuki YamadaHiroyuki Yamada is a bartender at Bee’s Knees in Kyoto, whose path into hospitality began quietly during his student years. What started as a part-time job at an izakaya became a long-term commitment to service, shaped by daily human interaction and cultural exchange. As the Campari Red Hands APAC 2025 finalist for Japan, he approaches […]
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The future is yours to create: Nguyễn Chung (Thomas)Nguyễn Chung, known to most as Thomas, is the Lead Bartender at The Haflington in Hanoi. His path into hospitality was unplanned, shaped by curiosity and steady commitment rather than long-held ambition. Today, as the Campari Red Hands APAC 2025 finalist for Vietnam, he approaches his craft with a quiet sense of responsibility, to his […]
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Drink Like a Local: Busan with Jo Minseok (JoJo)Explore Busan with Jo Minseok (JoJo), to discover a city driven by passion and contrast, where ocean air, deeply rooted food culture, and a fast-evolving bar scene come together through the eyes of a local bartender determined to elevate his hometown. Set between mountains and sea, Busan moves at a rhythm unlike anywhere else in […]
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Before the First Sip: The Quiet Power of Touch in CocktailsThe Five Senses of the Bar explores the bar experience through sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. In this chapter, the focus is on touch, often the most overlooked sense guests engage with. Long before a cocktail is judged on flavor or balance, it is felt, through temperature, weight, texture, and the physical signals that […]
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Designed to Be Seen: Visual Intention Behind the CocktailThe Five Senses of the Bar explores the bar experience through sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. In this chapter, the focus is on sight, often the most immediate sense guests engage with. Before a drink is tasted or explained, it is seen, its color, form, and presentation quietly shaping expectation from the moment it […]
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The future is yours to create: Xing Ru "Cris" SongXing Ru “Cris” Song is a bartender at Pony Up in Shanghai, whose path into hospitality began not behind a bar, but on a music stage. Trained as a musician and shaped by years spent in post-punk bands, he approaches bartending with the same discipline, curiosity, and sense of composition that once guided his work […]
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How to Design Your Bar to Be Holistically SustainableDesigning a bar to be holistically sustainable is as creatively satisfying as it is daunting. This feature serves as a thought-starter for prospective bar owners who are interested in building a sustainable bar for the long term. There are expert tips on the most sustainable materials to use when designing a bar, energy-efficient systems and equipment, ergonomic considerations and more.
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The future is yours to create: Wahyu AdityaWahyu Aditya is the Campari Red Hands APAC 2025 finalist for Indonesia, a Bar Captain at Numero Quattro by Project Black Hospitality in Bali whose journey into bartending is deeply rooted in family legacy. Raised within the culture of the bar through his father and siblings, he approaches his craft with a strong sense of […]
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The future is yours to create: Symphony LooTo complete our The Future is Yours to Create: International Women’s Day series is Symphony Loo. The Asia’s Regional On-Premise Customer Marketing Manager of the Campari Group is a powerhouse in the industry and leads by example. Here she shares the biggest influencers in her life and her hopes for the future. A little bit […]
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Cognac, The French Spirit Par ExcellenceCognac is more than a spirit – coming from a refined process of distillation and blending of eaux-de-vie, it’s considered one of the best of its kind. Find out all about this French mixology staple.
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Friendship test: Alex Jump & Lauren Paylor O’BrienThe US-based bartenders who also run hospitality wellbeing project, Focus On Health, take Campari Academy’s friendship test. They talk country songs, pet names and sober bachelorette parties Alex Jump and Lauren Paylor O’Brien have both worn many hats over their illustrious bartending careers, from head bartender and consultant, to R&D chef and writer respectively – […]