Spirits giant Bacardi has launched #RaiseYourSpirits, a multi-point plan to help bars and bartenders in the UK and Ireland combat the coronavirus crisis.
Backed by an initial £1.5 million investment by Bacardi, the initiative focuses on smaller, independent bars who have no corporate back-up but do have a “fighting spirit”, providing these venues, and the wider bartending community, with the support that is urgently needed.
One of the plan’s key activations kicks off on April 16 in London and Manchester, as Bacardi launches the #RaiseYourSpirits virtual bar, in partnership with Deliveroo Editions, giving over 120 bars a platform to sell their cocktails to customers.
As well as ramping up the UK production of hand sanitiser, Bacardi is hiring bartenders to host training events or to serve cocktails at events and pay their fees in advance.
As an example, bartenders are being commissioned to film themselves making their favourite Bacardi cocktails and share them on social media so people at home can learn how to do it too.
Amanda Almond, managing director for Bacardi, UK & Ireland, said: “Our strong relationships with bars and bartenders in the UK is incredibly important to us, and as we face the current challenges together, we’re doing all we can to provide the support they need.
“We have 158 years’ experience of overcoming crises and coming out fighting, and through our #RaiseYourSpirits initiative, we intend to do exactly that for our on-trade partners.”
Steve Young, on-trade sales director for Bacardi, UK & Ireland, added: “In the first week of the crisis we made over 100,000 calls across Western Europe to lend our advice and support for our friends in the on-trade. We’ve crafted our #RaiseYourSpirits initiative in response to everything we heard.
“We’re proud to be taking positive action to help, but this is just day one. Our support for bars and our bartender community will continue right until the day they can reopen their doors, and then beyond. We’re in this together.”
