In 2018 we hosted our first ever Toronto Cocktail Conference. At the time, no other city in Canada was hosting something of its kind that was aimed 100% at those who work in bars and restaurants and we wanted to change that. That year we worked with our TOCC co-creators Jonathan Humphrey and Gord Hannah to create a conference that we felt was truly needed and wanted by the community. We learned A LOT in that first year and it was A LOT of work for our small team of four. Once TOCC was over, we booked a 10-day trip to get away for some much deserved rest. Our destination: Barcelona.
In 2018, Paradiso entered the World’s 50 Best Bars list at #37. We had heard things about this place and we were curious so we visited on that first trip of ours to Barcelona. Entering through a walk-in fridge door, we were transported to, well, a paradise of sorts with drinks that took us beyond what we knew cocktails to be. It was theatrical and fun and everyone working was so dang nice. The second you walked in you knew this was a special place.
In 2022 we began working with Torres Brandy on their global competition the Torres Brandy Zero Challenge, a sustainable bar project competition with a big prize of 30K Euros. In that inaugural year, Giacomo Giannotti of Paradiso was the winner and through that, we learned of all of the great things he was doing in the name of sustainability. Giacomo’s care for sustainability goes beyond his own bar with his Zero Waste Lab and well into his overall community. It includes not just finding a way to reuse plastic but also looking at sustainability through people – Paradiso has staff that worked there for many years – well beyond what is normal in this industry. In 2021 he launched the Paradiso Sustainability Summit – a cocktail festival focused on that sustainability.
This year the summit was rebranded the Barcelona Cocktail Fest and we had the pleasure of attending. As creators of Bartender Atlas and co-creators of Toronto Cocktail Conference, our prime focus has always been on community and bringing people together. Barcelona Cocktail Fest does just that. It is a place that gives the opportunity for others to be together in a way where they can actually connect. It’s meaningful. With a focus on pop-up bars hosted by some of the world’s best bars* and with panel discussions filled with some of the best leaders in our industry**, Barcelona Cocktail Fest truly has it all. Just like anything in life, it’s all about how much you put into it – the effort you make in talking and connecting with others and the nuggets of wisdom that you hold onto after you leave.
While at Barcelona Cocktail Fest we had the opportunity to have a conversation with Giacomo.
Bartender Atlas: Turnover with bar staff is an assumption when going into business. You get people who usually work 18 months, maybe three years some place. At Paradiso, you have staff that stick around for years. Do you have a secret for that?
Giacomo Gianotti: I was just listening to Julie Reiner talk about this topic. I think with Paradiso we involve the team in the project. So the majority of the team, they don’t feel like they just work eight hours but that they are part of something. The consequence of that is they push for their goals. I’m very lucky – I’m surrounded by a group of people there with me since seven, eight years ago. They are the base of Paradiso. We share the same value of teamwork, of transparency, of thinking that without the sacrifice you don’t achieve your goals.
And then we all as well make a point to make sure new members are on the same ship. But I think you have to have a project to get behind. You can come to the bar and do your eight hours but in the end if you have a better offer you go to another bar. The difference is when you work in a place that believes in you, they give you opportunity to grow, listen to you and you want to stay. You want to grow with that.
BA: You’ve won all these awards, you’re on all these lists, you’ve opened a couple of bars. Why did you decide to start a bar show?
GG: I travel all over the world, you know, for this kind of event and in Barcelona we never had one. I always asked myself “why”? It’s such a cocktail capital of the world and you go to some other very important cocktail cities around the world and they have their own show. When you bring the community together you see people that you don’t see in your daily routine. With these events, you put the industry together and you grow as an industry. With Giuseppe Gallo we were talking before the pandemic and made a goal to make a kind of an international event in Barcelona to bring the community together and grow. Then, you know, there’s something that happened in 2020, so we postponed it. In 2021, I started with the Sustainability Summit. The first year was two guests bartending, second year there were five guests bartending, third year we had 10 bars.
BA: So you made it grow organically
GG: Exactly! Then last year again it was similar to this but this year is even bigger.
BA: And from doing all these events in other cities that had all these bar shows, did you find that there were things you really liked and you stole that idea?
GG: Yes, for sure. The vibe of the Athens Bar Show is very similar to the Barcelona Cocktail Fest because I believe Athens and Barcelona, in terms of weather, how people behave, everyone is used to being outside socializing with cocktails or with the food. They’re very similar in culture. And I really like it.
If you ask me if I go to Athens for the Athens Bar Show, even if I don’t have any guest shifts or anything, even if I have to pay for my trip, even if I have to pay the entrance, I will go. Because I love the people. I love the vibe. In the place where we are now, I think it’s perfect because it shows the identity of the city. So for us it was important to do an international show but to represent Barcelona in the identity of the city. And the identity of the city is Mediterranean lifestyle.
BA: Is there anything that you’ve seen at other bar shows that you didn’t like? Things that you wanted to avoid?
GG: I think the classic bar show with the one stand in the front of a room looks a bit boring for me and for Barcelona you need to include music, food, you know, to be authentic so that’s what we’re trying to do.
BA: So this is your first year of being rebranded as Barcelona Cocktail Fest, how did that change happen?
GG: I wanted a way the Barcelona community could feel part of it and last year it was Paradiso Cocktail Fest. Okay, we are all friends but, you know, why do I have to support your bar you know? Nobody told me but I can get it, you know.
BA: Sure.
GG: Like two weeks ago we did like a bar tour giving some ticket discounts or sharing with the community and everybody was super proud. “Yeah we’re coming, the team is coming, let’s put the flyer on the door”. They were really represented and this was our idea when we changed the name. We changed the logo because we want the community the people of Barcelona to be represented.
BA: How would you describe Barcelona Cocktail Fest? One sentence.
GG: Authentic.
BA: How do you feel like the goals of the fest have shifted over time? Because it started as very much, you know, Paradiso Sustainability Summit. How do you feel it’s different now than it was and what goals are you trying to achieve when people come here?
GG: It’s much bigger now with its own name. Between today and tomorrow we sell around 3,000 tickets. The Masterclass at Paradiso, they were 100 people attending. So the scale has changed. We have a team working all year on these events. So the magnitude is – if I look back – it’s huge and we still have a lot to go.
BA: When do you start putting the show together? How early?
GG: After we finished last year’s Cocktail Fest, we finalised with the Giuseppe Gallo and ItalSpirits – we have known each other a long time – we have a beautiful relationship, friendship. Then we started planning straight away. From April last year, we started planning.
BA: What’s something about running a cocktail conference or a bar show that you didn’t think would be a problem that has become a challenge.
GG: A little bit around the conversations with brands. Okay if I have the jacket of Paradiso, I have kind of the power because I’m Paradiso. Paradiso is a reputation bar but as well as high-volume, so I have a lot of power. Starting something new – when I spoke for Barcelona Cocktail Fest, they looked at me from another point of view. So with Barcelona Cocktail Fest, I have to demonstrate still. With Paradiso having a runway of 11 years, I can speak with the numbers, you know, but at the moment with the cocktail fest it’s a little harder.
BA: If someone in another city wanted to run a cocktail fest, what advice would you give them?
GG: It is very complex, much more than you expect. I will tell you my personal experience. When I was going to the bar shows, it looked easy to set up. You put a table, some glasses, some ice, with the setup of a couple of hours you can do it. But it’s actually a whole year of working. Of 5, 6, 10 people all year workig for this today. It’s not even enough. It’s so complex. But if you do it with purpose – and we do – I think it’s worth it.
BA: What are you most excited for for this year’s Barcelona Cocktail Fest?
GG: There is not only one thing. But right now I see while I’m talking with you the scene in front of me: the whole picture of bringing all these people together in Barcelona; industry, international people, consumers and it’s something very very cool.
It was a pleasure to be guests of Paradiso to attend this year’s Barcelona Cocktail Fest. The event takes place at Palo Alto, a stunning indoor/outdoor venue. On this trip we stayed at the Hilton Diagonal Mar – the perfect hotel to stay at which was walking distance to Palo Alto PLUS the operate through a sustainable lens and we loved the extra touches they did towards this initiative.
*Bars that popped up at the 2026 Barcelona Cocktail Fest included: Himkok (Oslo), Alquímico (Cartagena), Native (Singapore), Angelita (Madrid), Paradiso
(Barcelona), Locale Firenze (Florence), Lady Bee (Lima), De Vie (Paris) and The Bar in Front of the Bar (Athens)
**People who spoke on the panels included Charlotte Voisey (Tales of the Cocktail, NYC), Julie Reiner (Milady’s, NYC), Inés de Los Santos (Cochinchina, Buenos Aires), Paul Clarke (IMBIBE), Shay Waterworth (Drinks International, London) and Mandy Naglich (author of How to Taste, NYC)
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Posted April 26th, 2026
