Say #CheersToUs this World Bartender Day

This World Bartender Day, we’re saying #CheersToUs with a programme of digital events which celebrate the skill, passion and resilience of bartenders around the world. The hospitality industry is a global community; A collective of talented and dedicated professionals with a shared love for cocktails, bars, and the people behind them.

To celebrate this, we’ve assembled a star-studded team of five industry leaders, who’ll join us in hosting a wave of online toasts on February 24th, whilst also launching The Blend Connects. A mentorship programme designed to give back to bartenders, this initiative gives you the opportunity to be mentored, one on one, by our founding members:

Representing Venezuela, the USA and the UK, Leo Robitschek is the Vice President of Food and Beverage at the Sydell Group and the NoMad Hotels. Most recently, he opened Side Hustle and Common Decency at the NoMad London, the latter of which is Leo distilled - cheeky, refined, and impossible not to enjoy.

From Canada, Kelsey Ramage will be representing the Trash Collective - her very own anti-waste movement committed to making sustainability an integral part of bartending. Kelsey honed her skills at former World’s Best Bar, Dandelyan, before heading back home to spearhead her consultancy business in Toronto.

Everyone’s favourite anti-establishment entrepreneur, Moe Aljaff, is widely known as the co-founder of Two Schmucks, but in the past year, his empire has grown. Moe now oversees three bars in Barcelona and has earned himself a reputation as a cutting edge content creator and brand builder.

Originally from Colombia, London based Carina Soto lived in Paris for 17 years, during which time she opened Candelaria, Le Mary Celeste and Hero, under the Quixotic Projects umbrella. In her ‘spare time’, Carina works on consultancies across Europe and the USA and recently launched her own Mezcal brand.

And finally, from Athens, Vasilis Kyritsis opened The Clumsies during the Greek recession. A resounding success, it’s been featured on the World’s 50 Best Bars list for the past six years running and in the top ten since 2015.

The Blend will celebrate World Bartender Day through our global Instagram Channel, @theblendworld, with activities in the UK, USA, India, Germany, New Zealand and Australia.

Join our #CheerstoUs celebrations and learn how to apply to The Blend Connects mentorship programme, on February 24th, live on @theblendworld.