CAMPARI America
BAR CONVENT BROOKLYN 2026
the challenge
Campari tapped SoHo to evolve its presence at Bar Convent Brooklyn and continue strengthening its leadership in trade advocacy while deepening connections across the bar and beverage community. The opportunity was to showcase the breadth of the Campari America portfolio, including Aperol, Appleton Estate, Campari, Courvoisier, Espolòn Tequila, Wild Turkey, Crodino, and Russell’s Reserve, while putting the people and craft behind the brands front and center. With four Master Distillers and Blenders onsite, the experience needed to create meaningful access, spark peer-to-peer connection, and give the trade new ways to explore how these spirits can live within their own beverage programs.
the SOLUTION
SoHo transformed Campari Academy into The Cocktail Test Kitchen, a working development bar that invited the trade inside the creative process behind a great cocktail.
Designed like an open R&D kitchen, the 20' x 20' space put experimentation and education at the center. Master Distillers and Blenders stepped into the role of “head chefs,” hosting intimate conversations and tastings, while Brand Ambassadors served as “sous chefs,” guiding guests through the portfolio and the thinking behind each pour.
The experience extended beyond the bar through details designed for discovery and participation. Guests collected signatures from the distillers in custom Distiller’s Ledgers, shared their own R&D secrets on an interactive cocktail napkin wall, and explored a menu spanning the portfolio—from an Appleton Estate Daiquiri and Espolòn Grand Margarita to Aperol, Campari, and N/A Crodino Spritzes.
Instead of simply serving finished drinks, The Cocktail Test Kitchen gave the trade a look behind the curtain, turning tasting into conversation, education, and a shared exchange of ideas.
