WSET launches new sake course

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust has announced the launch of a new Level 2 Award in Sake from April 2024.

Monica Berg wins Parabere Care Award

Monica Berg has been awarded with the Parabere Care Award for best practice in business, including fair and ethical conditions, and managing wellness across teams.

UK tax freeze brings short-term relief for wine sector

The UK government has announced a freeze on alcohol duty in the Spring Budget which was declared on Wednesday 6 March.

Cate Blanchett joins Toku Saké as creative director

Actor Cate Blanchett has joined Toku Saké as creative director where she will direct the strategy of the brand, including new product development and innovation.

Pernod Ricard sees sales drop -3% in H1 FY24

Pernod Ricard reported a -3% decline of both organic sales and organic profit from recurring operations for the first half of the financial year 2024.

Berry Bros. & Rudd to open new London retail space

Fine wine and spirits retailer Berry Bros. & Rudd has released plans to open a new spirits shop in London this April.

Brands Report 2024: Sherry

This is a category which has fallen out of favour with consumers but found its place in bartenders’ repertoires.

Brands Report 2024: Pisco

For eight years running one brand has topped the chart, but bars are split over preference for Peruvian or Chilean brands.

Brands Report 2024: Cachaça

Massively popular in its domestic market, this spirit hasn’t so far held the global imagination to the same extent.

Maura and Alex Lawrence Milia form super group with Hanky Panky’s Walter Meyenberg in Mexico

Maura and Alex Lawrence Milia and Walter Meyenburg have announced the formation of a Mexico City-based bar group, MWA. 

Argo takes over London's Amaro bar

Argo at Four Seasons Hong Kong – number 34 in The World’s 50 Best Bars - will take over Amaro bar in London’s South Kensington on 30 January.

Brands Report 2024: Champagne

One company dominates this list, being the owner of ­five of the bestselling brands.

Brands Report 2024: Cocktail Bitters

­The often-hidden ingredient in many cocktails, bitters’ lack of visibility doesn’t mean they don’t hold a meaningful place.

Brands Report 2024: Vermouth

While Italian brands dominate, other countries are producing top-class vermouths to round out the o­ffering for bartenders.

Brands Report 2024: Mezcal

Although a relative newcomer to international bars, mezcal has certainly broadened its reach in this year’s list.

Brands Report 2024: Mixers

Familiar faces continue to dominate although there has been a bit of a reshu­ffle for this category’s rankings.

Porto Cruz puts focus on Portonic RTDs

Porto Cruz has launched Cruz Fresco Pink & Tonic, a ready-to-drink, low-abv drink made with Porto Cruz Pink port and tonic water with natural aromas.

WSET launches beer courses

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust has announced its first beer courses which are set to begin February 2024.

Brands Report 2024: Bartenders’ Choice

Michter’s knocks Tanqueray off the top spot as the favourite brand among those behind the stick.

Brands Report 2024: How We Did It

We’ve been running ­the Brands Report since 2010 – the year after Agile Media launched ­the World’s 50 Best Bars – and, while it has evolved since then, taking in new categories and drawing data from an ever-rotating panel of bars, it still seeks to answer the same question. Which brands do the best bars buy – and why?

Brands Report 2024 launches

The Drinks International Brands Report 2024 has launched, offering the industry insights into the buying habits of the world’s best bars.

Cosmo Pony to open in Jakarta in 2024

Jigger & Pony Group has announced the opening of Cosmo Pony in Jakarta in 2024, the company’s first overseas venture, Drinks International can exclusively reveal.

Chivas Brothers strike action suspended

Chivas Brothers has brought forward a new pay package to suspend strike action threatened by Unite, a 500-member union.

Little Red Door takes strike action

The team at Little Red Door in Paris have announced strike action due to an ongoing legal dispute between co-owner Timothée Prangé and the bar’s majority shareholders.

Malibu launches new anti-spiking campaign

Malibu has partnered with anti-spiking charity Stamp Out Spiking to train 2,000 on-trade staff and consumers about dealing with a dangerous spiking situation.

Dram opens in Soho

The team behind Milroy’s of Soho and Silverleaf have opened a new whisky bar, Dram, on London’s Denmark Street.

Britain’s licensed premises drop below 100,000

New figures from hospitality trade body UKHospitality, in partnership with CGA by NIQ, have revealed that Britain’s number of licensed premises has fallen by nearly a third (31%) in the last two decades.

The Global Bar Edition featuring The World's 50 Best Bars guide launches

Drinks International's Global Bar Edition featuring the official guide to The World's 50 Best Bars has launched in digital form. 

Barcelona's Sips takes top spot as The World's 50 Best Bars are named

Sips from Barcelona has taken top spot at The World’s 50 Best Bars sponsored by Perrier – announced in Singapore tonight - with Double Chicken Please from New York and Handshake Speakeasy in Mexico City completing the top three of the annual bar ranking. 

Moe Aljaff and Juliette Larrouy to open Schmuck

Moe Aljaff and Juliette Larrouy, formerly of Two Schmucks in Barcelona, are set to open a New York bar next year, after signing the contracts on a new site in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Little Red Door drops conceptual menus

Little Red Door in Paris, which made its name through highly creative cocktail menus – from Remy Savage’s Evocative Menu in 2016 to the more recent Farm to Glass trilogy (2021-23) – has announced it will no longer launch thematic menus, instead focusing on seasonal serves.

Owners of the Dead Rabbit launch The Irish Exit

The team behind The Dead Rabbit has launched The Irish Exit at Moynihan Train Hall opposite Manhattan’s Penn Station.

Holly Graham to open Tokyo Confidential

Holly Graham is to open Tokyo Confidential in the Japanese capital’s Azabujuban neighbourhood tomorrow (Oct 11th).

Mezcal’s governing body accused of anticompetitive conduct

Mexico’s chief competition regulatory agency, Cofece, has accused the mezcal governing body, CRM, of previous monopolistic practices.

Jacob Martin wins Diageo World Class 2023

Jacob Martin of Canada was named Diageo World Class Global Bartender of the Year 2023 at the global finals in Sao Paolo on Thursday, 28 September.

Mr Lyan to host multi-venue takeover for 10th anniversary

Mr Lyan is hosting a takeover of Sea Containers in London to celebrate 10 years since the opening of the company’s first venue.

Glenfiddich and Aperol take top honours at the Drinks International Travel Retail Awards 2023

Glenfiddich Perpetual Collection has been crowned Supreme Champion Product at the Drinks International Travel Retail Awards 2023, the most authoritative, respected and premier drinks award for the Global Travel Retail sector.

The Fernet-Branca Barback Games returns to London

The Barback Games, Fernet-Branca’s annual obstacle course bartending competition has announced its return to London for a fifth year.

Suntory Oceania forms as region's fourth largest beverage group

Beam Suntory and Frucor Suntory have joined to form Suntory Oceania, a new AU$3bn partnership across the premium spirits and non-alcohol segments in both Australia and New Zealand.

Altamura launches in the US and UK

Altamura Distilleries has announced the UK and US arrival of its flagship vodka, a product believed to be the first wholly made from Italy’s protected Altamura durum wheat.

UK government introduces new tax system on alcoholic beverages

New government regulations have been introduced in the UK from August 1 which will see alcoholic beverages now taxed on strength.

Sips named World’s Best Bar at the 2023 Spirited Awards

Sips, the Barcelona bar founded by Simone Caporale and Marc Alvarez, was named World’s Best Bar at the 17th annual Spirited Awards at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans.

Coa named Asia’s best bar for third year running

Coa from Hong Kong has been named the best bar in Asia for the third year in a row at the eighth edition of Asia’s 50 Best Bars in a live ceremony held in Hong Kong.

Asia's 50 Best Bars reveals the extended 51-100 list for 2023

Asia’s 50 Best Bars has released a third edition of the 51-100 list, one week ahead of the live awards ceremony in Hong Kong.

Agile Media acquires rights to Sommelier Wine Awards

Agile Media, owner of Drinks International, has agreed an exclusive deal with Imbibe Live to bring back The Sommelier Wine Awards for 2024.

Jinro launches series of UK activations

Korean soju brand Jinro has launched the first of three activations in Europe planned for 2023 after breaking 100m 9-litre cases.

Bar World 100: How it works

Bar World 100 in association with Perrier is a list of the industry's most influential, but how is the list assembled? Hamish Smith talks us through the methodology. 

Monica Berg tops Bar World 100 2023

Monica Berg has been named the most influential person in the bar industry, according to Bar World 100 2023 in association with Perrier.

Sago House wins Michter's Art of Hospitality for Asia's 50 Best Best

Singapore’s Sago House has been named the winner of the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award as part of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2023.

Global spirits volume sees 5% growth for 2022

The IWSR Drinks Market Analysis reported that the global spirits category grew 5% in volume in 2022, driven by whisky, rum and brandy.