Venice Cocktail Week 2022 • Sept. 26 - Oct. 2

[Official] After the success of the first edition in December 2021, Venice Cocktail Week returns to Venice with new dates for 2022. The second edition of the event will take place in the last week of September, from 26 to 02 October 2022, for a week full of activities and events. Supported by the City of Venice, in collaboration with Vela organization.

« The last edition, in December, gave us great emotions, and we received enormous support and participation from the entire city, which really surprised us, » says Paola Mencarelli, founder of VCW. « This year, however, we decided to bring forward the dates with the idea of involving the city even more. In September, in fact, also the terraces and outdoor spaces will be open and available for events. With the warmer temperatures we wish to see a Venice that is more active than ever! »

« We are very happy to host this second edition of Cocktail Week in Venice. An international event that enhances the high-level mixology and excellence of the city, involving the best hotel bars and cocktail bars in Venice. We believe that this initiative fully represents the type of activities of the city, being capable of intercepting a target looking for experiential and quality tourism. We are convinced that the VCW has all it needed to grow over the years, becoming an international event for professionals and enthusiasts that cannot be missed. Congratulations to the VCW staff and the facilities involved. » Simone Venturini, Councilor for Work, Tourism and Economic Development of the Municipality of Venice

32 are the venues involved, including Hotel Bar, Cocktail Bar and Historical Coffee and each of them will create an exclusive VCW22 Cocktail List crafted specifically for the event. The cocktail list is designed to represent Venice and its traditions, and it will consist of 4 drinks, available during the 7 days of the event.

Cocktail List #VCW22

Signature Cocktail – A drink of free creation that will represent the cocktail bar during VCW22
RiEsco a Bere Italiano Cocktail – A drink dedicated to MADE IN ITALY with products from exclusively Italian companies, participating in the RiEsco a Bere Italiano initiative
L ‘Aperitivo di Mezzogiorno – A fresh and light drink ideal for every hour of the day and especially for a midday aperitif, which is a great Venetian tradition.
Leon D’Oro – A drink inspired by the cinema, with which the bartender can express their creativity

Venice Cocktail Week aims to inspire Venetian citizens and all to discover and get to know all the bars of the city and the expertise of Venetian bartenders through their creations. Not only cocktails, however, VCW22 will also have a rich weekly program, full of masterclasses, night shifts and themed evenings with national and international guests, but also cultural initiatives and recreational activities to help the public discover a new Venice. With the support of Associazione Piazza San Marco and Venezia da Vivere.

Cocktail List and Events Calendar will be available on the official website www.venicecocktailweek.it

The Cocktail Week format, born in London in 2008, was brought to Italy by Paola Mencarelli in 2016, when she decided to organize in Florence the first edition of Florence Cocktail Week. Given the success of the Tuscan kermesse in 2020, Aman Venice asked FCW to export the format also to Venice, in order to organize the first Venetian event dedicated to mixology. The Cocktail Week team has always had a single, clear objective: to enhance the quality of the mixology in the city and spread the culture of Conscious and Responsible Drinking.

“We are thrilled that Venice Cocktail Week will be back in town after the great success of the first edition. It is a project in which Aman Venice has believed from the very first moment and we are proud to have been among the first supporters of the event. We will also participate enthusiastically in this second event, opening the doors of « The Bar » to the city and supporting the event, certain that it will be another great success. » Licinio Garavaglia, General Manager Aman Venice

« Venice Cocktail Week, at its second edition in the city, allows you to enhance the excellence in the industry,” says Fabrizio D’Oria, Operational Director of Vela Spa “facilitating their presence through a single event. It is a type of initiative that enriches the annual agenda of events ».

ACTIVATIONS IN THE CITY

During the week will be proposed also a series of initiatives: « VCW Experience ». Experiential activities where cocktails are protagonists and will accompany the guests to discover the city. The activities will be open to the public upon reservation. Experiences included are: Historical Café Tour, Cocktail Bar and Bacari Tour, Bragozzo Tour, Topa Tour (typical boat of the Venetian lagoon), Rialto Market Experience.

In addition, following the example of Florence, for the second edition of Venice Cocktail Week will be proposed the initiative « Dining with the Spirits ». A selection of Venetian restaurants will use spirits as ingredients of their dishes proposing an entire dedicated menu or in themed evenings, among the others the Michelin star restaurants Glam, Wisteria, Zanze XVI.

AGENDA OF THE WEEK

Venice for the entire week will be full of cultural initiatives, recreational activities, Masterclass and Night Shift with Italian and international guests and theme evenings organized by our brands sponsor. The program is work in progress, and from September 15 will be available and continuously updated on the official website www.venicecocktailweek.it

Monday 26th – Aman Venice officially opens Venice Cocktail Week with the Opening Party – only upon invitation – in collaboration with the Main Sponsor brands.

Among the international and Italian guests:
Monday 26th – Campari Academy opens with two guests from London: Giulia Cuccurullo, The Artesian Bar at Experimental Cocktail Club, and Victor Maggiolo, Amaro Bar at Time Social Bar; from Cannes Emanuele Balestra, Hotel Barrière Le Majestic with N Gin 44 at Palazzina The Bar
Tuesday 27th – Daniel Arèvalo Arena, Somnia FX Cocktail Bar, directly from Barcelona with Gin dei Sospiri at Palazzina The Bar; from London Federico Pavan, The Donovan Bar will be with Select at Il Mercante; Daniyel Jones, Angostura Global Brand Ambassador will takeover The Bar, Aman Venice; from London Sebastiano Cristofanon, Nightjar, with N Gin 44 at Time Social Bar; Davide Borgia, La Cañita and Cafè La Trova, Miami and Davide Wang, Moebius, Milan will be with Bitter Fusetti and Amaretto ADRIATICO at Experimental Cocktail Club; Leonardo Pinto and Samuele Ambrosi will be the protagonists of #shakeyourgrappa with Distilleria Nardini 1779 in collaboration with GrappaRevolution at Taverna La Fenice
On Wednesday 28th – at Aman Venice Salvatore Calabrese « The Maestro » and Patrick Pistolesi, Drink Kong, Rome will present an exceptional double guest about Breakfast Martini with Cointreau, followed by a gondola performance by the Maestro; from Stockholm Oscar Buhre, Lucy Flower Shop, will be with Michter’s at Experimental Cocktail Club; from London Giorgio Bargiani, The Connaught Bar with Campari Academy will be at Aman Venice; Oscar Quagliarini with N Gin 44 at Venice Venice; Edoardo Sandri from Atrium Bar, Four Seasons Florence will celebrate with Ginarte Martini cocktail at Caffé Florian in Piazza San Marco
Thursday 29th – Select will bring Alessandra Purcaru from Mexico, Selva Oaxaca Cocktail Bar to Experimental Cocktail Club
Friday 30th – at Experimental Cocktail Club Danil Nevsky will represent Martin Miller’s Gin; from Florence Luca Picchi, Caffé Gilli will be at Alchemia, Ca’ di Dio for #shakeyourgrappa with Distilleria Nardini 1779
Sunday 2nd – VCW will end the week Stefano Catino and Martin Hudak from Maybe Sammy, Sydney with Altamura Distilleries at Aman Venice; and Cristian Silenzi, American Bar, The Savoy London with Campari Academy will be at the Skyline Rooftop Bar of the Hilton Molino Stucky Venice

Other upcoming events include:
Tuesday 27th – Presentation of the book Erbario Lagunare at Giardini Reali in collaboration with Venice Gardens Foundation and Associazione Piazza San Marco; Tour of Sant’Erasmo island with a tasting by Gin Dei Sospiri; Tuscan Cigar & Rum with Stefano Fanticelli, Club del Maledetto Toscano at Hotel Bauer Palazzo
Saturday 1st – « Towards Venice », solo concert by Antonio Fresa at the Squero dell’Isola di San Giorgio. with the cocktails of San Giorgio Café

Among the mixo-gastronomic experiences:
Tuesday 27th – Dinner « Dining With The Spirits » at San Giorgio Café
Wednesday 28th – Scampi & Gin Tonic with Ginarte at the Rialto Fish Market; La Laguna in Tavola, Dinner with plants from the Lagoon and cocktails by Marco Vian, Gin dei Sospiri at Birraria La Corte
Thursday 29th – Atmospheres of the East in Venice, Aperitif, Dinner & Sound Performance with cocktails by Samuele Ambrosi, organized by Bevande Futuriste at Palazzina Grassi
Friday 30th – Negroni & Moeche in Bragozzo with Mauro Mahjoub and Manuel Bognolo
Sunday 2nd – Asado & Fernandito, Lunch with argentinian flavours at Trattoria Argentina in Refrontolo, Treviso

Throughout the entire week the starred restaurant Zanze XVI will offer a welcome drink made in collaboration with Distilleria Nardini 1779

To anticipate the event, on Sunday 25th Venissa opens the doors of the Mazzorbo estate and officially presents its Cocktail Bar, hosting some of the Venetian bartenders participats of VCW22.

VENICE COCKTAIL WEEK – PROJECTS

COLLABORATION WITH PROMOVETRO

This edition will present the collaboration between Venice Cocktail Week and the Consorzio Promovetro Murano, the offical manager of the brand owned by the Veneto region, « Vetro Artistico di Murano® » (www.muranoglass.com). The collaboration will also be presented on the occasion of Venice Glass Week (17-25 September).

Only for Venice Cocktail Week, a selection of glassware has created a collection of Murano glass Gallons, designed specifically for the event and to represent the Venetian mixology. A unique collection, in which each piece has and exclusive design, entirely handmade by a skilled glassmaker artist. Each venue participants of VCW will receive a Gallon to be kept on display for the duration of the event, thus having the honor of being able to act as a « showcase » to a piece of great artistic and cultural value.

THE COLLABORATION WITH CA’ FOSCARI ALUMNI

Ca’ Foscari Alumni, the network of Ca’ Foscari university students, with over 25,000 members in over 90 countries around the world, supports Venice Cocktail Week once again this year. « This is a unique opportunity to experience the city in a different way, creating opportunities for in-depth study and networking, discovering places and professionalism related to the world of hospitality, often little known ». Marco Cosmo, Director of Ca’ Foscari Alumni

Shoshin ART CLUB for Bartender and VCW22 under 25

Valentino Longo – Head Bartender of the Four Seasons at The Surf Club (Florida) and Founder of Shoshin Art Club – will give also this year, the opportunity to access his Shoshin Art Club platform for free, to a young Bartender under 25. Shoshin is a virtual hub created by Valentino where you can find all the fundamental information and teachings by international names in the world of mixology. Useful multimedia classes for those who want to embark on Bartender’s career and be trained on the basics and new trends. The winner of the 2021 edition was Jonathan Bortoletti, Blue Drop at Lido di Venezia.

DESIGN and ART

As for Florence Cocktail Week, VCW has also paid particular attention to design and art, since the very creation of the brand. The Venice Cocktail Week logo is designed by Piero Lissoni with Lissoni&Partners who gave a personal and modern interpretation of the event, linking the world of cocktails to the city of Venice with a minimalistic and elegant design. The design idea started from a sketch made by Marino Lucchetti, Bar Manager of the Hotel Londra Palace.