It's really time to talk about it, to draw the sums and move on to the thanks.
So let's start from the location, this magnificent garden in the center of Milan that is the Chiostri di San Barnaba, helped on the day of Monday, June 16, by a climate much more spring than summer: so thanks to the 'where' and 'when'.
Let's move on to thank all the 'who': the organization taken care of, managed, set up and coordinated by the unfailing staff of Drinkable, the company of Alessandro Melis and Francesco Pierluigi, not only professionals but true and tireless friends.
A heartfelt thank you goes to Bargiornale, our media partner, and to show-man Stefano Nincevich who spent the day entertaining guests and commenting on the competition, explaining step by step the lineup. Thanks also for setting up the home-made seminar, exhibited by Dr. Saverio Linguanti, and the live demonstrations by the bartenders from Mag in Milan and Smile Tree in Turin.
Many thanks to the sponsors: the Pizzavacca company for the tomato juice used by the contestants during the competition, Stoli Vodka as the official distillate distributed by Velier, Ceado, Trabo, Musetti coffee, Luigi Bormioli, The Bars for providing the stations where the participants competed, professional Ballarini and chef Roberto Cuculo who cooked for us all day, spreading a pleasant scent of fine cuisine through the garden.
So thank you to all the participants, to those who came from afar to take part in the competition or to assist, to the friends who supported the contestants, to those who were simply curious or fascinated, and to those who contributed anyway. Congratulations to the finalists, Terry Monroe, Corrado Lotà, Silvia Ghioni and the winner Roberto Gulino. Thanks to them and to their opponents for bringing the competition to a level of bartending that would make international competitions envious and for making drinks that were truly amazing in appearance and taste, unleashing a truly boundless imagination for a theme as simple as Bloody Mary.
Thanks to the judges who evaluated them, alternating and comparing judgments: Giorgio Tagliabue and Leonardo Salerno, Allan Bay and Claudio Burdi, Teo Rizzolo and Paolo Sanna, Luca Pirola and Dario Comini.
Additional thanks go to the latter, for the dual role of judge and seminarist, because he has never missed an edition of the Summer Drink&Eat Festival, has always managed to amaze with his gab and even this time he won the audience over with his demonstration on how to use the Isi company siphon in cocktail preparation.
Thanks then to Diego Ferrari, for sharing during the event the pictures of the most beautiful drinks from all over the world, which he collects daily in his facebook group 'Cocktail Art'.
Thanks to dj Dado and the video shooting staff. Thanks to our Giorgia for the graphics and beautiful photos throughout the day. Thanks to our communication consultant Monica for holding the reins of this whole network of people and sponsors, made of endless public relations. Thanks, then, to all the RG staff who collaborated.
We save them for last so we can thank them properly: thanks to Giorgio and Lella, he for his ambition and competence, she for the irrepressible but essential work behind the scenes, both for their irreplaceable professionalism.
With much much pride, we finally thank those who spent a few words to thank us, congratulate us, offer us smiles of gratitude for allowing them to participate, for the opportunity to have met old friends, for the fun the invitation the enthusiasm the passion.
Simply, thank you, because we could not imagine it would be such an intense and perfect day. Until next year!
