> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://jiggerdaily.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # BarNews #03 - URL: https://jiggerdaily.com/barnews-bloody-marys-bartender-competitions-cocktail-trends/ - Published: 2024-04-17T15:00:42.000Z - Updated: 2025-01-27T16:04:52.000Z - Description: Everyday Bloody Marys, bartender competitions, perfectly imperfect glassware, a non-agave agave syrup, briny cocktails, a Monopoly-style menu, cocktail recipe rights, nerfing, and AI mixologists—Jigger Daily covers the latest essential bar news! - Author: Frederic Roginska - Tags: Latest News Welcome to **Jigger Daily**, your newsletter dedicated entirely to bars and bartenders! This edition is brought to you in partnership with the [**Bartender Beach Challenge**](https://distil.link/Bartender-Beach-Challenge?ref=jiggerdaily.com). [![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/04/bartender-beach-challenge-logo.jpg)](https://distil.link/Bartender-Beach-Challenge?ref=jiggerdaily.com) --- Here’s what’s in store for this issue (among other things!): - 🧐 A Monopoly-style menu - 🍅 An everyday Bloody Mary - 🏆 Some competition - 🌵 A non-agave agave syrup - 🥃 Perfectly imperfect glassware - ⚖ The question of cocktail recipe rights - 🤖 AI mixologists - 💡 "Nerfing" - 🌊 Briny drinks - 👐 New openings And much more! 💌 Did someone forward this newsletter to you? If you like the content, feel free to subscribe directly on [jiggerdaily.com](https://jiggerdaily.com/)! --- ## 🏖️ The Bartender Beach Challenge 2024 is on! [![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/size/w2000/2024/04/bartender-beach-challenge-axel-pencole.jpg)](https://distil.link/Bartender-Beach-Challenge?ref=jiggerdaily.com) In collaboration with [****Bartender Beach Challenge**](https://distil.link/bartenderbeachchallenge2024?ref=jiggerdaily.com). Organized in partnership with [**Cozigou**](https://distil.link/cozigou?ref=jiggerdaily.com), the **Bartender Beach Challenge** is returning to the Breton coast for its second edition, promising loads of briny flavors! From now until June 1, all bartenders in France are invited to sign up on Instagram via [@bartenderbeachchallenge](https://distil.link/Bartender-Beach-Challenge?ref=jiggerdaily.com), for a chance to compete in the final on July 1 at [**La Potinière**](https://www.instagram.com/lapotiniere1930/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) (Carnac). The grand prize for the winner is a trip for two to a European capital. Are you ready to follow in the footsteps of [**Axel Pencolé**](https://www.instagram.com/axelair22/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) (pictured), winner of the 2023 edition? [I’ll participate!](https://distil.link/Bartender-Beach-Challenge?ref=jiggerdaily.com) --- ## 🍸 Bar News ### Xplorer Back from India, **Corentin Gaudin**, bar manager at **Danico**, told us about the concept and the creative steps behind his *Xplorer* menus. He also shared his insights on the young Indian cocktail scene and on Japan’s, which inspired the bar’s current menu – [Read more](https://jiggerdaily.com/danico-xplorer-world-tour-flavors-corentin-gaudin/) [![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/size/w2000/2024/04/danico-corentin-gaudin.jpg)](https://jiggerdaily.com/danico-xplorer-world-tour-flavors-corentin-gaudin/) ### A Sense of Taste To mark the [launch of the spring menu at **Les Ambassadeurs**](https://saveur.press/bar-les-ambassadeurs-sense-of-taste-menu-cocktails-harvest/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) (**Hôtel de Crillon**), **Kevin Rigault**, the bar’s director, spoke with **Jigger Daily** about his creative process (inspired by AI, among other things), his career, and his mixed feelings about the Parisian palace bar scene – [Read more](https://jiggerdaily.com/kevin-rigault-bar-les-ambassadeurs-cocktail-menu/) [![](https://distilnews.fr/content/images/2024/04/rwcri_barlesambassadeurs-crisbarnett-4.jpg)](https://jiggerdaily.com/kevin-rigault-bar-les-ambassadeurs-cocktail-menu/) ### Le Syndicat x Arnaud Scotty With 2024 shaping up to be a busy year for **Le Syndicat** (Paris), **Arnaud Scotty**, the venue’s new bar manager, also spoke with **Jigger Daily** to explain the concept behind the bar’s new menu and share his thoughts on various aspects of a cocktail menu, plus his upcoming projects for the months ahead – [Read more](https://jiggerdaily.com/le-syndicat-24-carat-arnaud-scotty-menu-vision/) [![](https://distilnews.fr/content/images/2024/03/le-syndicat-bar-cocktails-arnaud-scotty.jpg)](https://jiggerdaily.com/le-syndicat-24-carat-arnaud-scotty-menu-vision/) ### In Brief - **Bastien Bonnefoy**, former director of **Bisou** in Paris, has opened a new venue in Lyon (6th arrondissement), called **You**. The menu (24 cocktails, some clarified, such as a *Pornstar Martini* served transparent) is inspired by the world of perfumery and is presented like a **Vogue**\-style magazine. Additionally, the establishment promises relaxed high-end service, summed up as *“5-star in a tracksuit”* 👌 – [Source](https://tribunedelyon.fr/restaurants-gastronomie/lyon-6e-you-le-bar-ou-les-cocktails-ont-des-noms-de-parfums/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) - Meanwhile, **Colin Lach**, former bar manager at **Monsieur Moutarde** in Dijon, will soon open his own place called **Nuage**. He plans a menu focused on 100% French spirits and ingredients – [Source](https://www.forgeorges.fr/colin-lach-ouvre-son-bar-a-cocktails-a-dijon-nuage/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) - And **Guillaume Drouot** (ex-**Danico**) should soon unveil a new address in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris: **Nature** – [Source](https://www.instagram.com/bar%5Fnature?ref=jiggerdaily.com) - **L'Heure du Singe** in Toulouse permanently closed its doors on March 9 after 8 years. Its co-managers **Nicolas Blanchard** and **Morgane Peyrot-Blanchard** plan to reopen the bar in a more central spot in the city, with a terrace this time. Stay tuned! – [Source](https://actu.fr/occitanie/toulouse%5F31555/toulouse-ferme-en-catimini-ce-bar-a-cocktail-veut-rebondir-ailleurs-en-ville%5F60895572.html?ref=jiggerdaily.com) - Across the Atlantic, the **Experimental Group** will reopen this summer in Soho (New York) with a new bar split into two concepts: a wine bar upstairs (i.e. **Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels**) and a cocktail bar downstairs (i.e. **Experimental Cocktail Club**), with the drinks program directed by **Nico de Soto**. The first New York **ECC** closed in 2016 – [Source](https://www.experimentalcocktailclub.com/new-york?ref=jiggerdaily.com) ![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/04/experimental-cocktail-club-new-york-2024.jpg) - Finally, **Tao Zrafi**, finalist in the first season of [***Drink Masters***](https://distilnews.fr/drink-masters-netflix/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) on **Netflix**, will open a new cocktail bar called **No School Tomorrow** this Thursday, April 18, on the campus of the **Itasca Country Club** in Illinois. Notably, it will only be open Thursday through Saturday, 5pm to midnight (because *“nothing good happens after midnight”*). The menu, *“inspired by school activities like science class or recess”*, will be served in steel lunch boxes – [Source](https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2024/03/tao-zrafi-cocktail-bar-no-school-tomorrow-to-open-in-chicago/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) ![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/04/no-school-tomorrow-bar-tao.jpg) --- ## 🗺 International Menus ### The Grand Maybe Sammy Hotel **Maybe Sammy** (Sydney) has unveiled a new cocktail menu. After [*Mirage*](https://barnews.fr/mirage-menu-maybe-sammy-intelligence-artificielle/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) and its [AI-generated illustrations](https://distilnews.fr/cocktails-illustres-par-lintelligence-artificielle-le-nouveau-menu-du-maybe-sammy/?ref=jiggerdaily.com), now comes *The Grand Maybe Sammy Hotel*, a menu inspired by **Wes Anderson**’s film *The Grand Budapest Hotel*. Designed to be more interactive and playful than the previous one, it’s presented as a board game reminiscent of **Monopoly** – [Source](https://www.boothby.com.au/grand-maybe-sammy-hotel-menu/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) / [Video](https://www.instagram.com/p/C5PYfywvfrz/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) ![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/04/grand-maybe-sammy-hotel-cocktail-menu.jpg) ### Preservation of Fire The Singaporean bar **Atlas** has revealed its new cocktail menu, *Preservation of Fire*. Divided into 4 chapters, each representing a modern technique (*Carbonation*, *Temperature*, *Washing*, and *Infusion*), it offers reinvented versions of 4 classic cocktails (*Martini*, *Champagne Cocktail*, *Sour*, and *Old Fashioned*), all illustrated by **Adrien Pack** in the style of vintage spirits advertising posters – [Source](https://www.barsclubs.com.au/news/atlas-launches-preservation-of-fire-cocktail-menu/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) ![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/04/atlas-bar-sg-preservation-of-fire-1.jpg) --- ## 🕺 Bar People ### Ducasse Paris **Alain Ducasse** announced the arrival of **Margot Lecarpentier** (**Combat**) to the **Ducasse Paris** group as *Cheffe Cocktail* – [Source](https://www.instagram.com/p/C5XyRD4objw/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) > Margot will bring her creative and unique mixological signature to the menus of my venues. We share a common taste for original liquid combinations, and of course our commitment to sustainable and responsible gastronomy. ![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/04/alain-ducasse-margot-lecarpentier.jpg) ### En Place **Alex Francis** and **Barney O’Kane** (now [**De Vie**](https://www.instagram.com/devie.bar?ref=jiggerdaily.com)) have been busy since leaving **Little Red Door**: - They contributed to creating the new menu at **Bar 8** in the **Mandarin Oriental** (Paris) – [Source](https://barnews.fr/bar-8-mandarin-oriental-paris-saison-season/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) - They also released the first episode of their new web series *“Mise en Place”*, explaining the steps of building a bar from scratch – [Watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YI0Sge%5F2RmI&ref=jiggerdaily.com) ### Nomad' Spirits **Nathalie Hobe** (ex-**The Bootleggers**, **LRD**, **PWP**, and **Ferrandi**) has founded **Nomad' Spirits**, a new event communication agency specializing in Wines and Spirits. Its aim: *“to produce responsible events that not only delight the senses but also contribute to the well-being of our planet and our collaborators”* – [Source](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/agence-nomad-spirits%5Fnomadspirits-aezvaeznementsresponsables-communicationaezvaeznementielle-activity-7184138041400139777-CyO5/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) ![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/04/nomads-spirits.jpg) ### Sweet&Chilli The global drinks agency **Sweet&Chilli** announced it has hired **Mido Yahi** to lead its Strategy & Trade Advocacy projects in France – [Source](https://www.instagram.com/p/C45N4E9MGYn/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) ![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/04/mido-yahi-sweet-chilli.jpg) ### Schofield's **Joe** and **Daniel Schofield**, owners of **Schofield's Bar** in Manchester, have increased their minority share in the **Seven Tails** Brandy brand, founded by former Singapore bar operator **Joel Fraser** and **Banks Rum** founder **Arnaud de Trabuc** – [Source](http://classbarmag.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/1370/Schofields%5Fincrease%5Fshare%5Fin%5FSeven%5FTails%5Fbrandy.html?ref=jiggerdaily.com) At the same time, **Joe Schofield** has also been appointed ambassador for the mixer brand **Fentimans** – [Source](https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2024/03/joe-schofield-becomes-first-fentimans-ambassador/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) --- ## 🌱 Sustainability ### Wabi-sabi Every detail counts! **Double Chicken Please** (New York) explained in an Instagram post that the bar doesn’t automatically discard or replace chipped glassware but rather opts for repair to extend its life and reduce waste. And the result is particularly striking – [Source](https://www.instagram.com/p/C5eDfjmP7k1/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) ![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/04/double-chicken-please-reparation-verrerie.jpg) ### Agave straws? The latest episode of **Agave Road Trip** explored with **Natasha Tucker** from **Mind Your Plastic** whether agave straws are truly more eco-friendly than plastic ones, which isn’t as obvious due to certain chemical additives they contain. The episode therefore encourages bar owners to consider other alternatives, such as reusable metal straws – [Listen](https://agave-road-trip.simplecast.com/episodes/are-agave-straws-really-better-than-plastic-pGSgy%5FDF?ref=jiggerdaily.com) --- ## 🧪 Mixology ### All Day Bloody Mary If monosodium glutamate and citric acid don’t scare you, **Jeffrey Morgenthaler** shared his recipe for the *Bloody Mary* (and for the homemade mix to make it) on his blog, with a methodology aimed at making daily prep in bars more cost- and time-efficient – [Cocktail](https://jeffreymorgenthaler.com/the-all-day-bloody-mary/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) / [Mix](https://jeffreymorgenthaler.com/all-day-bloody-mary-mix/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) ![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/04/suckerpunch-gourmet-dazqgcs0zg8-unsplash2.jpg) ### Nogave On a creative note, at the **Mírate** bar in Los Angeles, bartender **Max Reis** came up with a homemade syrup called *“Nogave”*, serving as an eco-friendly alternative to agave syrup. It’s made with Demerara sugar and orange blossom honey, allowing it to emulate agave’s taste but with a smaller environmental impact – [Source](https://punchdrink.com/articles/nogave-agave-nectar-margarita-cocktail/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) ### Recipe rights? In its latest episode, the **VinePair Podcast** questions whether bartenders should have rights to the cocktails they create. While it seems legally impossible to protect a recipe, what if a brand decided to bottle, for example, a *Cosmopolitan* (**Toby Cecchini**), a *Naked and Famous* (**Joaquín Simó**), a *Paper Plane*, or a *Penicillin* (**Sam Ross**)? Could they receive royalties? Or at least be mentioned? – [Listen](https://vinepair.com/articles/vp-podcast-who-owns-cocktails/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) --- ## 🏆 Competitions ### Nc'nean Creations The eco-friendly Scottish distillery **Nc'nean** has launched the 2024 edition of its ***Nc'nean Creations*** bartender competition, and there’s something new this year: France can participate! The prize: a trip to Scotland and the chance to select – and sign your name on – one of the distillery’s casks that will then be bottled! Registration deadline: April 30 – [Source](https://distil.link/ncnean-creations?ref=jiggerdaily.com) [![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/04/nc-nean-creations.jpg)](https://distil.link/ncnean-creations?ref=jiggerdaily.com) ### In Brief - The Danish whisky distillery **Stauning** has launched its own cocktail competition, ***Stauning Drinks Kollektive***. Bartenders (including those from France) have until May 4 to register. Finalists from each country will have a chance to win a fully paid trip to Denmark to visit the distillery – [Source](https://www.stauningdrinkskollektive.com/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) - **The Bartenders Society** announced the theme of its 9th edition: *The Future*! Applications are open until June 10 – [Source](https://barnews.fr/the-bartenders-society-2024-theme-futur/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) - **Jameson** launched the 3rd edition of its *Jameson Black Barrel Bartender Series*. Registrations started on April 1 – [Source](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/irish-distillers%5Fjamesonbartenderseries2024-activity-7175551575380135936-gGOo?ref=jiggerdaily.com) - As for results, the French final of the **Cointreau Margarita Challenge** 2024 took place on April 8\. **Thomas Trefcon** (**Le Verre à Mélange**) won, ahead of **Benoît Bouillard** (**Monsieur Moutarde**) and **Julien Le Charpentier** (**Bar 300**) – [Source](https://www.instagram.com/cecile%5Fgardet/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) - **Italicus** held the French final of its ***Aperitivo Challenge 2024*** this Monday. **Maureen Cadet** (**Chateau de la Gaude**, Aix-en-Provence) took first place, ahead of **Régis Célabe** (**Jules & Jim**, Paris) and **Pierre Dieusaert** (**Bar 300**, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin) – [Source](https://www.instagram.com/kitop%5Fitalicus/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) --- [![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/03/loragro-banniere-2.jpg)](https://distil.link/loragro?ref=jiggerdaily.com) --- ## 👔 Bar Business ### Nerfing In **Class**, **Kevin Armstrong** from London’s **Satan's Whiskers** warned about *“nerfing”*, a practice where some brands quietly tweak their product recipes at the risk of lowering quality. Examples mentioned include tequilas that changed repeatedly from 100% agave to mixto, then back to 100% agave, a bourbon that lowered its ABV (i.e. [**Maker's Mark**](https://www.forbes.com/sites/katelee/2013/02/17/makers-mark-sincerely-apologizes-for-almost-diluting-its-bourbon/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) presumably), or a gin whose ABV dropped from 43.1% to 41.3% recently (i.e. [**Tanqueray**](https://distilnews.fr/machete-dont-drink/?ref=jiggerdaily.com), though [**Beefeater**](https://distilnews.fr/marques-preferees-meilleurs-bars-cocktails/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) did so as well) – [Source](http://classbarmag.com/news/fullstory.php/aid/1383/Are%5Fyour%5Fproducts%5Fbeing%5FNerfed%5F.html?ref=jiggerdaily.com) ### Quarterly Sales Tracker According to the latest **Quarterly Sales Tracker** by **CGA**, the total value of cocktails in the US rose by +5% in the last quarter of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022\. On average, venues sold 1,192 cocktails on 778 checks, a +6% increase, at an average price of $13 (+$1 vs Q4 2022). The *Margarita* remains the most popular cocktail (1/5 of sales), followed by the *Martini* and the *Moscow Mule*. Tequila-based cocktails now account for 34.1% of sales value (+1.8 points), ahead of vodka-based ones at 28.2% (-1.3 pts) – [Source](https://cgastrategy.com/us-consumers-continue-to-shift-towards-tequila-based-and-wine-based-cocktails/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) ### Aperitivo According to a study by **CGA by NielsenIQ**, 56% of French consumers say they enjoy aperitifs on almost every visit to bars, pubs, and restaurants. Meanwhile, more than a quarter of them favor cocktails – [Source](https://cgastrategy.com/unlocking-the-aperitivo-occasion-opportunities-across-the-european-on-premise/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) ### Heredity A **General Social Survey** study spanning over 20 years in the US found that bartending is a line of work often passed from parent to child. Indeed, children of bartenders are 36 times more likely to become bartenders themselves (significantly higher than in other professions) – [Source](https://vinepair.com/booze-news/bartending-runs-in-family-survey/?ref=jiggerdaily.com) ### Pub closures According to accounting firm **Price Bailey**, 769 pubs went bankrupt in the UK in 2023 (vs 518 in 2022), an average of 2.1 closures per day (vs 1.4 in 2022), the highest figure in a decade. Factors behind this trend include rising energy, labor, and raw material costs, along with declining consumer purchasing power. The total number of pubs dropped from 41,015 in 2013 to 38,175 at the end of 2023 – [Source](http://www.harpers.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/32543/Pub%5Fclosures%5Fhighest%5Ffor%5Fa%5Fdecade%5Fin%5F2023.html?ref=jiggerdaily.com) --- [![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/03/studio-boam-banniere-distilnews.jpg)](https://distil.link/studio-boam?ref=jiggerdaily.com) --- ## 📚 To watch, read, or listen ### AI vs Humans Who comes up with better cocktails: artificial intelligence or real bartenders? That’s the question tackled in the latest **Bottlefield Show**! We analyzed (among other things) the case of **Axelrad** in Houston and its bold *“Humans vs Machines”* menu where customers were invited to taste cocktails created by **ChatGPT** and by the bar team, as well as [the concept of the **Drinking with Robots** podcast](https://jiggerdaily.com/barnews-cool-bartenders-mixology-robots-cocktail-competitions/), in which each episode pits a bartender against an AI to craft a cocktail from the same prompt – [Watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=%5FZMaEWOE87g&ref=jiggerdaily.com) [![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/04/bottlefield-cocktails-ia-vs-humains.jpg)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=%5FZMaEWOE87g&ref=jiggerdaily.com) ### How To Drink x ChatGPT In a similar vein, **How To Drink**’s new video features **ChatGPT** inside an old computer, turning it into a vintage interface for creating pop-culture-inspired cocktail recipes, which he then tests. Overall, the results look pretty decent, though some proposed creations seem a bit questionable. Entertaining, to say the least! – [Watch](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EV7PMrx6r30&ref=jiggerdaily.com) ### In Brief - **Christophe Davoine** (MOF, House of Suntory Brand Ambassador, and Vice President of the **ABF**) was featured in the latest episode of **Derrière les Bouteilles** – [Listen](https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/derrierelesbouteilles/episodes/Christophe-Davoine-Brand-Ambassadeur-Suntory--Vice-prsident-ABF--M-O-F-e2i8vma?ref=jiggerdaily.com) - The spring issue of **BARTENDER Magazine** (USA) is now live and available for free online. There’s even a double page on clear ice—perfect for those who appreciate a pristine cube! – [View](https://issuu.com/bartendermagazine/docs/bartender%5Fmagazine%5Fspring%5F2024?ref=jiggerdaily.com) ![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/04/bartender-magazine-sprint-2024-ice.jpg) --- ## 💌 That's all folks! And that’s it for today! 😅 If you enjoyed this edition—or didn’t—please let us know by clicking the 👍 / 👎 at the end of this email, and most importantly **share it with your colleagues, friends, and so on**! And in any case, don’t forget to sign up for the [**Bartender Beach Challenge**](https://distil.link/Bartender-Beach-Challenge?ref=jiggerdaily.com)! [![](https://barnews.fr/content/images/2024/04/bartender-beach-challenge-logo.jpg)](https://distil.link/Bartender-Beach-Challenge?ref=jiggerdaily.com) We’ll catch up this summer to share the results! On that note, have a good shift! --- 📣 Got a message to amplify? Jigger Daily offers several sponsored announcement options. Find all the details in our [Media Kit](https://jiggerdaily.com/mediakit/)!