What to expect from the 2019 Campari Academy Masterclass program

Jay, Tris, Luca and Daniele talk Campari Academy Australia. Photo: Christopher Pearce

“2019 will be an exciting year for the Campari Group as we refresh our Bartender Education and Advocacy platform and launch the CAMPARI ACADEMY,” says Campari Australia National Brand Ambassador & Advocacy Manager Daniele Pirotta.

For years, our team of skilled (and handsome) Brand Ambassadors have demonstrated a consistent approach to bringing brand, category, and industry training into thousands of venues across Australia and New Zealand. 

You may recall sitting in a room hearing Jay Lambert wax lyrical on Wild Turkey Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey’s greater flavour retention through its higher rye content and lower distillation point or attending one of Luca Baioni’s Appleton Estate discussions bringing Joy Spence, the Nassau Valley, and “Jamaican funk” to life.  Or maybe you’ve listened to Tristram Fini and David Fletcher on everything Aperitivo – most definitely one of our favourite subjects.  And who are we kidding, I wouldn’t believe you if you said you hadn’t attended one of our Aperol Spritz “6090dash” sessions over the last 3 years. Forget about it!

Whilst brand training is our core program through which we share the stories behind our amazing premium beverage portfolio, Australian bartenders always look for more, surely one of the reasons they are recognised amongst the best on the global scene.  Building technical skill and brand knowledge through consistent training from the ground up is a critical pillar of our Bartender Education and Advocacy program, but we have identified a gap amongst existing bartender engagement platforms and truly feel the need to offer unique experiences beyond the everyday glorified brand product training format.  Our Aussie and Kiwi bartenders have asked for more comprehensive information, for broader and greater knowledge, and we are determined to bring this to them in a fun yet genuine way.

We are proud to introduce the 2019 CAMPARI ACADEMY Masterclass program. These CAMPARI ACADEMY Masterclasses have been created to bring world-renowned experts in their field to share learnings on key topics that will have a lasting impact on bartenders.  

Our ambition is to invest in building expertise among Australian and New Zealand aspirational bartenders, and to further support those professionals who are already making a difference, to ensure they remain at the forefront of their craft.  

We will do this by embracing concepts that are relevant to our bartenders’ everyday lives and that may help them take their careers to the next level, not by just giving them all the answers, but by inspiring genuine enquiry and discussion in an open and supportive forum.  We believe in the future strength of our industry and we would love to play a small part in driving its development.  

We launched the CAMPARI ACADEMY with a bang in March with our “WHY DO WE TASTE” Masterclass with Dr Karl Kruszelnicki. 

Dr Karl delivered an entertaining and engaging session to bartenders in Melbourne and Sydney, including some based in Brisbane and Perth through a deep dive examining the “science of taste”. He explored misconceptions, debunked myths, and analysed recent research on the fundamentals of our 5 Basic Human Taste elements (Acid, Sweet, Bitter, Salt, Umami). 

Discussing these taste interactions, he addressed the role that culture can play in the taste equation, highlighting the importance of expectation, what our “gut-brain” is, and touching on the myriad of ways we perceive taste.  It was epic!

So, what to expect next from the CAMPARI ACADEMY?

Some pretty cool stuff if you ask me.  We will be partnering with the Global World Class winner Orlando Marzo from Worksmith and the Melbourne Rooftop Honey team.  This Masterclass will focus on sustainable beekeeping and cooking savoury flavours with honey.  There will be a winter cocktail menu created with propolis, beeswax, bee pollen and other honey derivatives. Expect some tasty stuff from these legends! 

And there’s more! Keep your diaries free in May as Naren Young, creative director of Dante New York, heads home to his motherland, touring all major capital cities, while co-hosting a super-informative Masterclass on “The past, present and future of the Negroni”.  Naren will literally dissect every single element of this most-loved classic and challenge the assumptions behind its success. 

You can expect open chats on which citrus fruit was actually used back then, debates on ice 100 years ago and its role in today’s service style, and of course why there should never be a Negroni without Campari. 

Furthermore, we will also partner with local talent – think about those gals and guys spinning centrifuges and rotovaps – to showcase innovation and inspire you with modern techniques that reinterpret the quintessential aperitif.

An exciting first half of the year, with lots more to come, thanks to the creativity and collaborative efforts of the Campari Brand Ambassador team. 

To find out more about the Masterclass program and how to attend, please visit: www.campariacademy.com.au or reach out to your local Brand Ambassador.

We hope to see at one of our unique sessions, Salute!
David, Jay, Daniele, Tris & Luca.

Find all the necessary info for the CAMPARI ACADEMY Masterclass program on www.CampariAcademy.com.au or reach out to your local Brand Ambassador. We hope to see at our unique sessions, Salute!