Partnerships set to transform your future drinks experiences revealed at Diageo World Class Bartender of the Year Finals 2019
In Glasgow’s West End, fifty-three of the world’s best bartenders are joined by drinks-making royalty and movers and shakers from the industry at an interactive innovation zone dedicated to showcasing the future of cocktail culture.
A key partnership on show includes a pioneering initiative between Diageo’s Futures team and Spotify, the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service. To drive innovation within the drinking occasion, Diageo utilised social data to collate information and keywords related to specific Diageo Reserve brand cocktails. From there, these insights were provided to Spotify who created a unique method to identify key tracks and music that best encapsulated the mood and spirit of the cocktail.
This partnership resulted in six data-driven playlists curated for Diageo Reserve brand’s signature cocktails, including Johnnie Walker, that bring to life the mood of each drink. Innovation is at the heart of this collaboration, as each playlist is created to enhance the drinking occasion by allowing consumers on-site and around the world to both taste and hear their favourite cocktails.
Also on show was a headset linked to a sensory experiment that could be the answer for gin lovers unsure what to mix their Tanqueray No. Ten with The Head vs Heart activation recommended personalised perfect serves based on the results from the EEG sensors.
And flavour enthusiasts were able to hear from Stu Bale, Director of London’s experimental creative bartending hub ‘Crucible’. It saw the drinks maverick demonstrate the use of ‘weird machines’ like rotavaps, centrifuges, and ultrasonics to express different aspects of flavour and texture. Stu and his team used these cutting-edge techniques to create three incredible drinks experiences using some of the world’s greatest spirits brands including Zacapa Rum, Talisker and Don Julio.
Since its launch in 2009, Diageo World Class has played a significant role in transforming fine drinking cocktail culture around the world. Over 300,000 bartenders across the globe have been supported, trained and inspired by World Class since its inception.
