Bartenders from around the world came together in London for the start of a new initiative run for Bombay Sapphire gin to “push the boundaries of modern cocktail creativity”.
The Glasshouse Project launched with a three-day workshop at Carousel in central London last week, featuring interactive presentations from leading innovators from a range of creative industries including cuisine, design and technology. It was designed to support the 12 bartenders’ creativity, helping them to think of new ideas that will excite, inspire and delight cocktail aficionados around the world.
Bartenders who attended the workshop will now take what they learned and apply it through activations in their home countries. In the coming months, an exhibition showcasing the results of The Glasshouse Project will be installed at Laverstoke Mill, the home of Bombay Sapphire in Hampshire.
The Glasshouse Project was developed in partnership with leading bartender Marcis Dzelzainis from Sager + Wilde in London, who was on hand to guide bartenders through the interactive workshops in London.
The selected participants included two from the UK: Richard Woods from Duck & Waffle in London and Dan Berger from Ace Hotel Shoreditch in London plus 10 others from around the world: Narendra Young from Café Dante in New York City, Jesus de los Mozos from 1862 Dry in Madrid, Cristiano Beretta from The Rook in Sydney, Robin Kaufman from Byblos in Toronto, Megan Daniel from White Chapel in San Francisco, Yael Vengroff from Spare Room in Los Angeles, Alex Frezza from L’Antiquario in Naples, Philip Bischoff from Manhattan Bar in Singapore, Ann-Sophie Brune-Bau from The Parlour in Frankfurt, and Justin Lavenue from Roosevelt Room in Austin, Texas.
Julian Davies, global marketing manager for Bombay Sapphire, explained: “Bombay Sapphire’s creativity has long been known around the world, and as a gin category leader we are also strongly focused on supporting the global bar community.
“That’s what the Glasshouse Project is all about: we want to inspire bartenders to push boundaries to transform the drinking experience for consumers, infusing contemporary drinking with ideas and inspiration from a huge range of diverse fields.
“We’re delighted to have finally launched The Glasshouse Project – a lot of work and dedication has been required from the whole Bombay Sapphire team across the world to bring this to life.
“The fact that we have launched this ambitious and pioneering initiative is testament to the passion we, as a team, have for this industry, and our commitment to its longevity and we’re beyond excited to see what ideas the initiative sparks amongst the bartenders who took part.”
