The Torres Brandy Zero Challenge, the first international sustainable cocktail bar project competition, now has a finalist to represent Spain: Giacomo Giannotti, manager of Barcelona’s Paradiso Cocktail Bar, ranked the world’s third best bar by the prestigious World’s 50 Best Bars list. The project presented by Giannotti has emerged victorious in the national final, held recently in Barcelona, thanks to its comprehensive and ambitious approach in the reuse of organic material and the management of the waste generated by the establishment.

Giannotti could not hide his excitement at having successfully made it through the first phase to become one of the eight finalists who will compete in the grand finale in Barcelona on 31 March. For him, “it’s a dream to be able to make our cocktail bar sustainable and waste-free and to do our bit for the community and our environment”. He added that this award “serves as motivation to keep putting the focus on sustainability, which is very important to us”.

Paradiso had gone up against three competitors in the first round: Francisco Javier Luna from Hotel Fariones in Lanzarote; Alejandro Garín from Café Caleta in Ibiza; and Dany Morales from The Duplex Club in Mallorca. Each of the Spanish contestants, who had been pre-selected from among 20-odd candidates, presented their sustainable bar project and prepared their innovative eco-cocktail before an expert jury.

The aspects of the sustainable bar proposals valued most highly by the jury were low environmental impact, use of renewable energy sources, waste management, environmentally friendly design, innovation, and social responsibility. For the eco-cocktail, the use of local ingredients and seasonal products was taken into account, as well as waste management, flavour, creativity, and the technique used.

The Torres Brandy Zero Challenge is the first competition that challenges bar managers or bartenders from around the world to present sustainable bar projects to drive a change in mentality in mixology that will put commitment to the environment at the fore. A total of eight countries are taking part in this first edition: Spain, Italy, the UK, Finland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Canada, and Mexico.

The winners of the national finals, currently taking place, will present their respective projects at the international grand finale that will be held in Barcelona on 31 March. The competition winner will receive a monetary prize of 25,000 euros to implement the project at their bar, in addition to 5,000 euros for personal use.

The competition is promoted by Torres Brandy, the brand of brandies created in Barcelona in 1928 and preferred by bartenders around the world according to the 2021 brand report from the magazine Drinks International. The aim is to promote low-environmental-impact alternatives in the cocktail world to contribute to reducing CO2 emissions and waste.