Hamish Smith is invited on a trip to Dubai that turns out to be bartender retreat in the UAE desert. The terrain wasn't the only changing landscape, he says.

Danish whisky Stauning has launched the ‘Stauning Drinks Kollektive’, a global cocktail competition which aims to shine a light on bartenders from Denmark, Germany, France, the UK, US and Australia.

UK-based bartenders can now register for tickets for the Class Bar Awards 2024, the annual celebration of the UK bar industry by Drinks International's sister publication. 

A true pioneer of bartending in India, Minakshi Singh tells Sorrel Moseley-Williams how she managed to make her passion her career - in the face of all the odds.

Sidecar’s Arq – The Essence is the fourth iteration of its annual cocktail menu, which holds two key elements of the bar programme, sustainability and seasonality, at its core. 

Campari Group has launched the Vermouth Society, a new global bartender engagement programme designed around Vermouth Del Professore and 1757 Vermouth di Torino.

Carl Henriksson and Sebastian Sandvik of Oslo bar Himkok won the Nordics leg of The Live Naked Bar Swap in Copenhagen on Monday 19 February.

Double Dutch, producers of mixers and tonics, has launched its Female Bartending Scholarship Programme for the fourth consecutive year, as part of its commitment to foster upcoming female talent in the hospitality industry.

Bartender education platform, The Art of Shaking (TAOS), has announced it will host an exclusive day of learning in the city of Palermo, Sicily, on 26 February 2024. 

Paris-based bar Danico, recently ranked no. 51 in the World’s 50 Best Bars 51-100 list 2023, has launched its third cocktail menu, ‘Japan’.

Hidden Bar in Lima, Peru has introduced a new menu in collaboration with Aaron Diaz, founder of Carnaval Bar, blending kitchen ingredients in cocktail preparation.

Schweppes has announced the launch of its European-wide brand ambassador programme.

Ex-bar director Alex Francis and former head bartender Barney O’Kane have announced their departure from the Parisian bar.

On a mission to share Brazil’s biodiversity, Fabio La Pietra at Sub Astor bar is concentrating on a menu that does that.

For 15 years Sub Astor has been a leading speakeasy in Brazil’s São Paulo. 

Velvet By Salvatore Calabrese, set in the Corinthia London, has announced the launch of its new menu ‘The Quote Book’, Drinks International can exclusively reveal.

Schmuck has announced an eight-week residency at the Back Bar at the Kimpton Hotel Eventi kicking off on 8 February, ahead of the bar’s launch later this year.  

Alquímico, in Cartagena, Colombia, has been forced to close following accusations of non-compliance with fire regulations from the District Mayor’s Office, the bar denies any wrongdoing.

No.3 London Dry Gin has opened entries for its newly renamed 2024 global cocktail competition, Unrivalled Classics. 

Yann Bouvignies is to leave Scarfes at Rosewood London to undertake a new role as director of bars at Rosewood Amsterdam.

Viajante87, the London bar from Pietro Collina and Veronica Di Pietrantonio, has announced the launch of The Culture Exchange, a takeover series that will bring some of Latin America’s best bars and restaurants to West London.

Maura Milia, bar manager of Connaught Bar, will leave her role this March to pursue a new project overseas, after a decade at the Mayfair hotel.

Diego Macedo and his team at Sastrería Martinez have created a menu which incorporates the lesser-known and indigenous ingredients of Peru. 

The Art of Italicus Aperitivo Challenge is returning for its sixth edition, inviting global bartenders to create an original aperitivo cocktail inspired by art, using Italicus Rosolio di Bergamotto.

East London bar, Three Sheets, has announced the launch of a second site opening its doors in London’s Soho district in March 2024.

The team behind Mexico City’s Handshake Speakeasy has announced the launch of a new bar in Amsterdam.

Dubai’s Galaxy Bar has unveiled a new menu alongside the launch of a mobile app and new interiors.

Natasha Bermúdez, bar director of New York’s Llama group, has launched a new venue in Madrid, Bar Llama.

Africa's first bi-annual international cocktail and spirits festival, Ajabu, is set to debut in Johannesburg and Cape Town in 2024.

In October, The American Bar at Gleneagles Hotel won the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award at The World’s 50 Best Bars ceremony in Singapore for its Book of Berries menu. 

Trailer Happiness has been a stalwart of the London bar fixture for 20 years now. Owner Sly Augustin tells Oli Dodd how he grew its success.

Oslo-based bar and distillery, Himkok, has partnered with Norwegian aquavit Linie to launch its limited edition Himkok Linie.

River Wood, head of mixology & Century Bar manager at The Gleneagles Hotel, had anything but a traditional start in hospitality.

Drinks International can exclusively reveal that Baccarat Bar of Harrods, London, has launched the third edition of its cocktail menu, titled ‘Through the Creative Lens’. 

Pavyllon London, the recently opened Mayfair restaurant by chef Yannick Alléno has introduced Bar Antoine, at the Four Seasons Hotel London, Park Lane.

Two bartenders are on a mission to create a modern version of the 1950s Italian bar with Cinquanta – Spirito Italiano. Oli Dodd hears why.

London cocktail bar Tayēr + Elementary has launched a new platform, Tayēr Studios.

Notting Hill bar, Viajante87 has announced a new menu, the first full cocktail list under the leadership of bar director Pietro Collina and brand manager Veronica Di Pietrantonio.

The Pinnacle Guide has opened applications for a new recognition system for the best bars in the world, aiming to be a driving force towards a more inclusive drinks industry.

Drinks at the newly-crowned World's Best Bar aren’t meant to be fussy. There is all the creativity, theatre and deft technique that you’d expect from co-owners Simone Caporale and Marc Álvarez, but minus the pretence. 

Everleaf non-alcoholic aperitif is launching its ‘Everleaf Home’, a pop-up at The Hide Bar, London, to celebrate its fifth birthday this November.

Amsterdam-based bar owner, consultant and author Tess Posthumus, alongside business partner Joeri Salet, have announced the opening of Belly of the Beast, a subterranean cocktail bar launching in December.

Gabriela Wong from La Esquina de Buenos Aires in Costa Rica has been crowned champion at the 2023 Licor 43 Bartenders & Baristas Challenge, after the final in Madrid this week.

Himkok is a legend of The World’s 50 Best Bars and has been a leading figure for around a decade. A few of the bar’s techniques and innovations are demonstrated in the following drinks, which include some of the spirits made on site in the bar’s own distillery. 

The Dead Rabbit has announced 2024 plans for the third location of its Irish pub in Washington DC.

London agaveria Hacha has launched its new menu, Cymatics, showcasing 12 cocktails inspired by music from some of the industry’s most notable names, past and present.

London Cocktail Week kicks off on Thursday 12 October and for 10 days offers cocktail lovers a showcase of more than 100 events across 200 of the capital’s best bars.

Silverleaf bar at Pan Pacific London has launched its new menu, Building Blocks, the first new menu launch for the bar since opening in February 2022. 

This year’s Bar Convent Berlin will see the Campari Academy have its own suite at the Grand Campari Hotel, aiming to be the hub for all things education. 

Bar Convent Berlin 2023 will see the launch of the first BCB Agave Embassy, a partnership between Athens bar Barro Negro and BCB.