Meet the finalists for the #DonJulioStarBack 2023!
After six stops around the country we have found our finalists for the #DonJulioStarBack2023! The competition took place in Miami, Las Vegas, NYC, Austin, LA and Chicago, each competing in three rounds to find our winner.
The first round was a speed round where each competitor had to create three drinks…a Don Julio Blanco Margarita, Don Julio Reposado Paloma, and a Don Julio Anejo Old-Fashioned. For the second round, each competitor had to make their best and most creative margarita and then for the final round, they were allowed to make their most creative drink! The scores were tallied up, and a winner was announced. Each winner received a custom StarBack jacket and a custom cocktail kit!
The finalists are now on their way to NYC for the finals where they will wow the judges with their best Paloma, an original cocktail, and an Oscar Worth Cocktail!
We are looking forward to crowning a winner but in the meantime, come meet our finalists!
Miami Winner: Gustavo Rodriguez (@megustamixology)Las Vegas Winner: Joe Arakawa (@thatguyjoe808)NYC Winner: James DeFoor (@JustAnotherBartender)ATX Winner: Veronica Flores (@artichokemedaqui)LA Winner: Crystal Mendoza (@cocktailswcrystal) Chicago Winner: Tia Barrett (@tee.bee25) Meet our winners!
The Don Julio StarBack finals are set to take place at Sweetbriar at the Park South Hotel, Monday 2/13, from 11:30 am – 3:00 pm!!
To find out who our winner is and going to assist Charles Joly in LA….Stay tuned to our Instagram for the live announcement and posts!
Now available on the front page of bartender.com, BARTENDER® 2021 Calendar! Featuring cocktail recipes from a wide cross-section of spirits, including Highclere Castle Gin EU, Ron Colon Salvadoreno Rum, The Busker Irish Whiskey, DISARONNO, KAH Skull Tequila, Coco Lopez® Real Cream of Coconut, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Ole Smoky Chile Moonshine, Hatozaki Whisky, Licor 43, The Perfect Puree of Napa Valley and Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye. To view the 2021 BARTENDER® Calendar free of charge, simply visit bartender.com, give email to unlock content.
Diageo, makers of Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and Guinness, has today announced that it has created the world’s first ever 100% plastic free paper-based spirits bottle, made entirely from sustainably sourced wood. The bottle will debut with Johnnie Walker, the world’s number one Scotch Whisky, in early 2021.
It comes as Diageo announces that it has launched a new partnership with Pilot Lite, a venture management company, to launch Pulpex Limited, a new world-leading sustainable packaging technology company. To ensure that the technology can be used in every area of life, Pulpex Limited has established a partner consortium of world leading FMCG companies in non-competing categories including Unilever, and PepsiCo, with further partners expected to be announced later in the year. The consortium partners are each expecting to launch their own branded paper bottles, based on Pulpex Limited’s design and technology, in 2021.
Pulpex Limited has developed a ‘first-of-its-kind’ scalable paper-based bottle designed and developed to be 100% plastic free and expected to be fully recyclable. The bottle is made from sustainably sourced pulp to meet food-safe standards and will be fully recyclable in standard waste streams. The technology will allow brands to rethink their packaging designs, or move existing designs into paper, whilst not compromising on the existing quality of the product.
Ewan Andrew, Chief Sustainability Officer, Diageo PLC, said: “We’re proud to have created this world first. We are constantly striving to push the boundaries within sustainable packaging and this bottle has the potential to be truly ground-breaking. It feels fitting that we should launch it with Johnnie Walker, a brand that has often led the way in innovation throughout its 200 years existence.”
Pulpex Limited’s technology allows it to produce a variety of plastic-free, single mould bottles that can be used across a range of consumer goods. The packaging has been designed to contain a variety of liquid products and will form part of Diageo’s commitment towards Goal 12 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’.
Richard Slater, Chief R&D Officer, Unilever, said: “We believe in tackling plastic waste through innovation and collaboration. We are going to halve our use of virgin plastic at Unilever, reducing our use of plastic packaging by more than 100,000 tonnes in the next five years. Joining forces to develop and test paper bottles is an incredibly exciting step forward, and we’re delighted to be working together to tackle one of the biggest environmental challenges of our time.”
Simon Lowden, Chief Sustainability Officer, PepsiCo, said: “Innovative solutions and partnerships are critical to driving meaningful progress toward a circular economy. The Pulpex consortium is well positioned to deliver sustainable packaging at scale and across industries, having impact beyond what any organization could achieve alone. We’re proud to be a part of it.”
Sandy Westwater, Director, Pilot Lite said, “We’re thrilled to be working with global brand leaders in this consortium. By working together, we can use the collective power of the brands to help minimise the environmental footprint of packaging by changing manufacturing and consumer behaviours.”
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Mix it up with Russell Davis to partner Veterans and service dogs! Auction benefits paws4vets. Visitpaws4people.org for more information on the organization.
Where it began… Ray Foley behind the stick at The Manor in West Orange, NJ with owners Wade and Kurt Knowles on the occasion of Mrs. Knowles’ birthday!
BARTENDER Merch Giveaway! Follow our company page on LinkedIn and like or comment on giveaway post for a chance to win. Includes one BARTENDER embroidered beach towel, and one bartender.com t-shirt featuring 10 best reasons for being a bartender on back.
Contest ends August 19. Winner will be selected randomly.
BACARDÍ rum, the world’s most awarded rum, announced today the latest addition to the iconic brand’s flavored rum family, BACARDÍ Tangerine. Now available nationwide and with a new bottle design, BACARDÍ Tangerine, is infused with rich tangerine flavors to create a tangy and fresh taste, inspired by the brand’s Caribbean heritage.
Use #BACARDITangerine to share your summer concoctions!
It’s National Piña Colada Day! And tomorrow is National Mojito Day & Ray Foley the founder of BARTENDER® Magazine’s birthday!
Celebrate with these classic recipes from our friends at Bacardi:
BACARDÍ Piña Colada
Ingredients:
2 parts BACARDÍ Superior rum
1 1/2 parts fresh coconut water
1 part fresh pineapple juice
3-4 chunks of fresh pineapple
2 tsp caster sugar
Slice of pineapple and pineapple leaf
Place the pineapple chunks into a cocktail shaker, crush lightly with muddler or bar spoon. Pour in the pineapple juice & coconut water, stir to dissolve sugar before pouring BACARDÍ Superior rum. Fill shaker with ice, shake until frosted. Pour into a tall glass over crushed ice. Garnish with a pineapple slice & leaf.
BACARDÍ Superior Mojito
Ingredients:
2 parts BACARDÍ Superior rum
4 lime wedges
12 fresh mint leaves
2 heaped tsp caster sugar
1 part soda water/club soda
Sprig fresh mint to garnish
Gently press together limes & sugar. Bruise mint leaves by clapping between palms, rub on rim of glass and drop in. Half fill glass with crushed ice, add BACARDÍ Superior rum & stir. Top up with crushed ice, splash of soda and sprig of mint.
BARTENDER® 