World Bartender Day is a very recent addition to calendars, having started only a few years ago. In reality, February 24^th was first formally referred to as World Bartender Day in 2018. World Bartender Day, which differs from National Bartender Day, an American holiday observed on December 3^rd, was established following the success of The Perfect Blend, a cocktail competition sponsored by the Australian and New Zealand hospitality industries. The occasion developed as a result of their planning efforts to gather bartender-mixologists from both areas to compete in their creative and artistic profession.
Understandably, such a strong network gave rise to the idea of establishing an official worldwide day to honor bartenders all around the world.

So, what is World Bartender Day?

World Bartender Day is a day of remembrance created to honor and celebrate the ongoing heritage of this noble profession as well as to support and promote your favourite bartenders where they work.

How old is the profession of bartending?

Bartending as a notion is fundamentally timeless. Drinks were ultimately served by someone, regardless of when or where the term originated, as soon as humanity discovered fermentation and, subsequently, distillation.
We haven’t got specific documents about the origins of fermented beverages or when they started being served locally around the world, but we know that the beginning of controlled fermentation is dating back a few centuries. In fact, the emergence of spirits around the globe developed thanks to advanced technology adopted from Arabic science’s art of distillation into the late 1600’s.
The beginnings of the bartending profession are more closely related to the growth of spirits' popularity in the 1800’s, when hotel and bar owners began to provide more options than just beers, wines, and punches. Jerry Thomas, often regarded as the world's first bartender or the “Father of Bartending”, rose to prominence in the early to mid-1800s and finally wrote history's first bartending guide, "How to Mix Drinks: a Bon-Vivant’s Companion” in 1862.
Hence, for the purpose of current jargon, the term bartending became popularized in America with the emergence of these new sorts of bartenders who added more professionalism to the job and produced more sophisticated mixed beverages such as cocktails.
Even though the prohibition brought an end to the profession at the beginning of the 20^th century, the appeal for cocktails made the popularity of bartending hit the roof in the 1950’s and has never died since. It would indeed be hard to imagine nowadays any serious establishment without its barman/barmaid and its unique signature cocktail.

The roots and beginnings of World Bartender Day

World Bartender Day may be described as a viral response to an extremely successful cocktail competition called The Perfect Blend which took place in Australia and New Zealand for the first time in 2018.
Cocktail contests are more and more popular and are a fantastic method for the community to interact with peers and mentors as well as to learn more about their art. They're also a lot of fun, and some of them have recently added the option for home bartenders to participate too!

Why is World Bartender Day held on the 24^th of February?

Cocktail contests always have a climax, and this one is no exception. Recipes must be submitted within a certain time range, generally a few weeks. As the days pass, the number of finalists is reduced, and the winner or winners is/are usually proclaimed on the last day.
So, when was the first World Bartender Day celebrated? On February 24th, 2018, The Perfect Blend revealed its inaugural champion, and the day has since become known as World Bartender Day.

Finally, how can you celebrate the day?

Here are some simple ways to celebrate the day:

• Pay a visit to your favourite bar and let the barman/barmaid surprise you with his/her latest creation and introduce you to new flavours.
• Ask the bartender if you can try something new or something they're enthusiastic about.
• Get the word out. Post something on social media using the hashtag #WorldBartenderDay so you can thank your favourite bartender or bar.

Or why not invite a few friends around and follow our Cocktail Bible to cocktail-making in the comfort of your own house?

Here are some of our favourite and easy cocktail recipes:

1) La Vie en Rose

• 50ml of Bloom London Dry
• 30ml of lime juice
• 30ml of Elderflower Liqueur
• Rosé Champagne

• In a cocktail shaker, combine the Bloom Gin, the Elderflower Liqueur, and the lime juice
• Add ice and shake for 10 seconds
• Strain into a glass and top with Rosé Champagne

And to make things easier, you can even use our Bloom Cocktail Making Set to mix and shake in style!

2) Chocolate Orange Espresso Gin Martini

• 50ml of Greenall's London Dry Gin Paper Bottle
• 25ml of orange liqueur
• 35ml of chocolate Irish cream liqueur
• 1 shot of freshly brewed espresso
• Chocolate spread/caramel sauce
• Crushed biscuits

• Put a Martini glass in the freezer to chill
• Add ice and liquid ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake thoroughly
• Take the Martini glass from the freezer after 10 minutes and dip the rim in melted chocolate spread (microwave to melt) + biscuit crumbs
• Strain into the chilled glass and top with coffee beans

3) Opihr Spiced Daiquiri

• 45ml of Opihr Black Lemon Gin
• 20ml of rose syrup
• 20ml of lemon juice
• A dehydrated lemon slice
• 3 dashes of Teapot Bitters

• Build in Collins glass with ice
• Season with salt, pepper and garnish

4) Whiskey Java Juice

• 50ml of Dubliner Honeycomb Irish Whiskey Liqueur
• 30ml of espresso
• 5ml of simple sugar syrup
• A small pinch of sea salt

• Shake all the ingredients with ice in a cocktail shaker until chilled
• Fine strain into a stemmed cocktail glass and enjoy

5) Lady Marmalade

• 50ml of Bloom Passionfruit & Vanilla Blossom
• 1 teaspoon of orange marmalade
• 20ml of lime juice
• 25ml of Elderflower Cordial
• 30ml of pressed apple juice
• 20ml egg whites
• 15ml of passionfruit pulp
• Half a passionfruit
• 1 lime wedge

• Add the first 7 ingredients into a cocktail shaker, add ice, and shake
• Strain into a highball glass with ice
• Garnish with half a passionfruit and a lime wedge

And if you can't be bothered, just grab one of our ready-to-drink cocktails, open up the bottle or can, and enjoy!

Whatever your choice of cocktails, enjoy the day in good company, have some fun, and don’t forget to thank the bartender who will help you discover your next favourite drink!

Happy World Bartender Day!