Zero Impact School, a sustainability project led by Asturian bartender Alberto Díaz from the rural cocktail bar El Patio de Butacas in Pola de Siero (Asturias), has been named winner of the Spanish final of the fourth Torres Brandy Zero Challenge.
The proposal envisions a hospitality school that positions sustainability as a competitive advantage and combines online training, in-person practical sessions and a “Re-bar” laboratory to drive circular management, optimise by-products and create cocktails using resources that are traditionally discarded.
The local final took place yesterday, 24 February, at Foco cocktail bar in Barcelona’s Gràcia district, coinciding with World Bartender Day, at an event where bar professionals were recognised as key agents of change towards a more responsible and environmentally respectful model.
Alongside Zero Impact School, the following proposals were presented: Alejandro Ramia (Especiarium – Proyecto Boquería), Tomás Ortín (Palma – Green Hope project) and Alessandro Pasquinucci (Bloody Mary Cocktail Bar – Farm to Glass project). Their projects focused on reducing food waste, improving waste management efficiency, saving energy and producing local, “km 0” ingredients.
The judging panel – made up of sustainability expert Mar Güell, hospitality and applied sustainability entrepreneur Guillem Chumilla, and sustainable hospitality specialist Isabel Cordech – highlighted the overall quality of the projects and the enthusiasm of their creators, stressing that sustainability can be the driving force behind major transformations in the sector. In the case of Zero Impact School, they particularly commended its quality, feasibility and scalability.
Acting as master of ceremonies, Cristóbal Cofré, Global Brand Ambassador for Juan Torres Master Distillers, hosted the final and presented the prize to the winner, noting that “the real revolution in cocktails begins when behind every drink there is a conscious decision about how we produce, consume and care for the planet”.
Next stop: 17 and 18 April
The Zero Impact School project will represent Spain in the global final, to be held in Barcelona on 17 and 18 April, for the first time as part of the Barcelona Cocktail Fest. There it will compete against the winners from 11 other countries for the title of most sustainable hospitality project of 2026 and a prize of €30,000 to bring the proposal to life.
In mid-March, the finalists from the 12 participating countries in the fourth edition of the Torres Brandy Zero Challenge (Spain, China, Italy, Germany, Mexico, Chile, Canada, the United States, Finland, the United Kingdom, Colombia and Norway) will be announced. They will vie to position their project as a global benchmark in applied sustainability within the hospitality industry.
The Torres Brandy Zero Challenge was created to boost environmental commitment in the restaurant and bar sector and to raise awareness of the need to act against climate change, in line with the work that Familia Torres has been carrying out in the wine industry for more than 15 years.
Driven by Torres Brandy, this internationally recognised competition seeks to showcase the most innovative and sustainable initiatives in the global hospitality sector, championing creativity, environmental responsibility and forward-looking solutions.
