Imbibe Live 2020 has been cancelled due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and a new date has been set for the 2021 edition.

Tails Cocktails, Europe’s largest batched cocktail brand, has collaborated with bartender Ryan Chetiyawardana to create the Victory Fizz cocktail in celebration of the 75th anniversary of VE Day.

Thailand’s beer, wine and spirits industry has implored the government to lift a ban on alcohol sales during the national state of emergency.

The Covid-19 pandemic has wrought havoc on the global drinks industry presenting business owners with a formidable set of challenges. Yet for winemakers in Lebanon it represents just another obstacle in a long list of trials and tribulations they have overcome in recent times.

Bar Trigona in Malaysia has won the Sustainable Bar Award for the second consecutive year as part of Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2020.

Spanish producer Zamora Company has reported that wine and spirits sales in China have recovered as the country emerges from a sweeping coronavirus lockdown.

A British family from the Isles of Scilly has created a new rum called Daymark 1683 Original.

Campari UK has created the Shaken Not Broken Fund to provide support to front-line workers in the hospitality industry during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pernod Ricard has revealed a 15% organic decline in sales for the three months to March 31.

Highball Brands, a luxury drinks distribution company, has launched a not-for-profit cocktail delivery service called The Drinks Drop in partnership with some of the UK’s top bars.

Premium mixer brand Fever-Tree has announced a 10% revenue increase to 31 December 2019 year-on-year to more than £260m.

Heineken has reported a 14% drop in volume sales during March as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Milk & Honey owner Jonathan Downey has called for a non-government funded nine-month National Time Out on rent and debt payments to save the UK hospitality industry.

Bar Convent Brooklyn 2020 has been postponed to August 11-12 due to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

AB Inbev has slashed its proposed dividend in half due to the uncertainty, volatility and continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Engagement with alcoholic drinks brands on social media has increased by more than 300% during the coronavirus lockdown, according to social analytics agency ListenFirst.

Diageo has suspended share buybacks for the rest of the year as a result of financial uncertainty sparked by the coronavirus outbreak.

Drinks International is pleased to announce the winners of our Wine Design Awards and Drinks Marketing Challenge 2020. 

South African producers have received permission to export their wine around the world after intensive lobbying efforts over the past week.

Bacardi has launched a multi-point plan called #RaiseYourSpirits to help bars and bartenders in the UK & Ireland combat the coronavirus crisis.

Amber Beverage Group has appointed Beverage Partners Finland (BPF), part of the Hans Just Group, as its distributor in Finland.

Pernod Ricard has pledged Rs 15 crore ($2 million) to boost healthcare facilities across India as it prepares to battle the coronavirus outbreak.

Members of the British drinks trade that have lost their income due to the coronavirus outbreak can apply for a one-off grant worth £250 this week.

Damien Guichard, bar manager at the Truffle Pig since 2019, has been named Bar Convent Berlin’s first brand ambassador.

Remy Cointreau expects to report a 9% decrease in revenue for the 2019/20 fiscal year due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

A new initiative promises to transform shuttered British bars into click and collect food stores during the coronavirus crisis.

Alcoholic beverage sales in the US increased 55% year-on-year during the week to March 21 as shoppers stocked up ahead of a long coronavirus lockdown.

The Drinks Trust has fundraised more than £400,000 to support members of the drinks industry who have been left in financial crisis as a result of COVID-19.

Bars and nightclubs will be the last businesses to reopen when Italy’s coronavirus lockdown ends, a leading virologist has warned.

Sales of beer, wine and spirits grew by a remarkable 67% in the UK off-trade during the week to March 21.

Digital happy hours, online mixology sessions and virtual tip jars are helping bartenders make ends meet amid the coronavirus lockdown. 

Asia’s 50 Best Bars has decided to replace its on-site awards ceremony, originally due to take place in Singapore on 14 May, with a digital countdown.

Britain’s pub, bar and restaurant group sales plummeted 71% in the week that the  UK government ordered all licensed premises to close down because of the COVID-19 virus.

South African wineries are now permitted to finish the 2020 harvest after the government added them to the list of essential businesses during the coronavirus lockdown.

Iconic Californian producer Daou Vineyards is ramping up its focus on exports in a bid to put Paso Robles on the international wine map.

The first round of results for the International Spirits Challenge 2020 have been released for baijiu, soju, shochu, liqueurs & specialities, tequila, mezcal and other agave spirits.

Denomination strategy director Mariella Menato believes looking after members of the on-trade is an important step for brands to take during the Coronavirus crisis.

The US off-trade has seen soaring sales of wine, spirits and beer as shoppers stocked up ahead of a lengthy coronavirus lockdown, according to Nielsen stats.

Bacardi has set up a $3m fund to help bar owners and bartenders make ends meet during the global coronavirus lockdown.

Liquor stores will be permitted to remain open in New York, New Jersey and California during the coronavirus pandemic after they were declared “essential businesses”.

The London Wine Fair is the latest high profile-event to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic that has swept the world.

Zamora Company has implemented a series of measures to alleviate the effects that COVID-19 is having on social life and business in Spain.

Leading online wine retailer Laithwaite’s has assured customers that it will continue to keep them well stocked after demand shot up amid the coronavirus lockdown.

The Wine Institute of California has argued that wineries are an “essential business” and should be allowed to maintain operations during a lockdown.

An award-winning start-up that produces net carbon negative vodka in New York City has redirected its entire production capacity towards making hand sanitizer.

Guinness producer Diageo has launched a £1m St Patrick’s Day fund to help bars pay their staff during these difficult times.

AB Inbev has drawn down the entirety of a $9bn loan facility from global banks as it bids to ride out the coronavirus outbreak.

As a precaution due to COVID-19 Bacardí has postponed the 12th annual Bacadrí Legacy Cocktail Competition until further notice.

The British pub and bar industry will be lost within days if the government does not take swift action to prop it up, leading operators have warned.

Spiritseurope has written to the Luxembourg Ministry for Health and Economic Affairs to caution against prospective plans to raise the legal purchasing age for spirits, but not for beer or wine.