A three-city creative tour invites the UK bar community to design the next official Fernet-Branca Coin and put their mark on a tradition that belongs to them.
Fratelli Branca, the Italian spirits house behind Fernet-Branca, is bringing its Coin back to the UK in conjunction with Mangrove. This time the bartenders who carry it will have designed it.
The Coin began in San Francisco in 2013 and became one of the drinks industry’s most distinctive rituals: a quiet mark of belonging passed between bartenders in recognition of craft, kinship and appreciation. It ran in the UK for several years, now, in partnership with Mangrove, it returns with a creative twist.
Nicola Olianas, Global Export Head of Advocacy and Ambassadors at Fratelli Branca, said:
The Coin is Fernet-Branca’s, but its meaning belongs to the bartender community. It has become a symbol of recognition, respect and belonging because of the people who have carried it and kept its tradition alive”
Rather than a drinks competition, the revival centres on a design one. Across three evenings in July, bartenders in London, Manchester and Edinburgh will come together to shape the next chapter of the tradition.
London hosts the first event on Tuesday 14 July at Acme Fire Cult. Manchester follows on Monday 20 July at Bar Double Down and Edinburgh closes the tour on Tuesday 21 July at Hey Palu. Each evening pairs Fernet-Branca serves and food with a dose of healthy competition and space for the industry to network.
At each event, one winning concept will be chosen. The three city winners are then submitted to Fratelli Branca’s global team, who select the single design that becomes the official UK Fernet-Branca Coin. Mangrove will host a launch celebration in the winning city in the autumn, giving the coin’s creators a night to remember.
Nick Gillett, Managing Director of Mangrove Global said:
The Fernet-Branca Coin is one of those wonderful traditions that gets to the heart of what this industry is about, a ritual that belongs to bartenders. This revival is about giving the UK bar community real ownership of that tradition and giving the industry time and space to come together.
All three events are by invitation, with guest lists managed by Mangrove.