Bacardi doing its thing to help bars

Bacardi-Martini Australia is doing what it can to help drive the revival of Australia’s bar scene, by both taking friends and family ‘Back to the Bar’ and with its Bacardi Daiquiri Speed Competition.

Round one of the competition has already taken place with a record number of entries this year taking part in an online quiz. The winners of that are demonstrating their creativity in round two, by showing how they ‘Do What Moves You’ on Bacardi’s social channels.

The winners from there will then take part in a live speed challenge, taking place at Cry Baby in Adelaide, Smoke & Oak in Darwin, The Lobo in Sydney and Beneath Driver Lane on 19 July.

The Top Eight bartenders will compete head-to-head in an elimination style round-robin competition over three rounds. Testing their skills of speed and accuracy to a panel of judges, the competition will be live streamed on Facebook in place of a usual hospitality celebration due to COVID restrictions.

The top four will win some of the first bottles of Bacardi Spiced in Australia, while the overall winner in each state will go on to secure a bottle from the prized Facundo Range.

The Facundo range is an exclusive set of Luxury rums created on the 150th anniversary of the foundation of the company crafted with some of the finest and rarest rums from the private family library.

You can watch the live streams here:

• Bacardi Daiquiri Day Speed Competition VIC
• Bacardi Daiquiri Day Speed Competition NSW
• Bacardi Daiquiri Day Speed Competition NT
• Bacardi Daiquiri Day Speed Competition SA

In addition to the competition, Bacardi-Martini Australia has cemented its ongoing support for the country’s on-premise venues, with employees taking friends and family ‘Back to the Bar’.

The Back to the Bar activity is an annual event for Bacardi, traditionally held in February and sees teams across the world celebrate the day the company was founded nearly 160 years ago. Everyone at Bacardi calls on local bars to show their support, but also to do barstool research and speak to bartenders and cocktail lovers about the latest trends.

Mauricio Vergara , Managing Director of family-owned Bacardi-Martini Australia, said: “The Back to the Bar tradition is a time when everyone across the company, regardless of day job, becomes an ambassador by going back to where our business is made – the local bars and restaurants. Now it is our turn to show them our love.”

This is just the latest initiative from Bacardi in supporting on-premise venues hit hard by the COIVD-19 pandemic and lockdown.

Bacardi Australia has offered bartender financial advice sessions to clarify government support initiatives along with ‘Back to Work’ sessions highlighting CV preparation, advice for accurate costing of drinks menus and tax return guidance.

In addition the local team has also lobbied for more hospitality support from the government and providing venue vouchers for Bacardi staff and trade customers.

Globally the company also launched its #RaiseYourSpirits initiative in March with a $4m investment to support bars and restaurant owners and bartenders through the coronavirus crisis. Bacardi-owned manufacturing sites across the United States, Mexico, France, England, Italy and Scotland have also produced 1.1 million litres of hand sanitiser.