The show took place from 23-24 September 2019 at the Palazzo Dei Congressi in southern Rome and hosted some of the most influential brands and figure heads of the drinks industry.

“I think it’s fantastic for Italy to finally have its own show dedicated to bartenders. Particularly in London there are so many fabulous bartenders and it’s great to showcase this talent,” said Beefeater master distiller Desmond Payne, who was a guest speaker at the show.

This was the inaugural Roma Bar Show which was founded by internationally recognised bartender Giuseppe Gallo and the two-day convention attracted a host of industry icons.

As well as Payne, Marian Beke of The Gibson, Simone Caporale, Ian Burrell and Jared Brown are just some of the names of guest speakers, who led seminars on a variety of subject areas.

Beke, who made his name at London’s Nightjar when it was in The World’s 50 Best Bars, said: “For me I love visiting European bar shows because you get a feel for the current shape of country’s bartending scene. Now that Rome has its own space it will be interesting to see how it develops the Italian bar culture.”

Michter’s American whiskey was also present at the show, spreading its exposure across Europe as the Top Trending Brand in Drinks International’s Annual Brands Report 2019.

Michter’s vice president Matt Magliocco, said: “It’s the first ever bar show in Italy, of course we had to be here. There are so many fantastic mixologists not only in Italy, but Italians living in London and New York too,” said Magliocco.

“My family has a strong connection with Italy so it’s always been a market of interest for Michter’s.”