International Bartenders Association Celebrates 75 Years of Global Bartending Excellence.

On 24th February 2026, the International Bartenders Association (IBA) returned to where it all began, Torquay, United Kingdom, to celebrate its 75th anniversary with a landmark Diamond Jubilee event.

Seventy-five years after its founding in 1951, the IBA gathered in the very city that witnessed the birth of a global movement, a movement that would transform bartending from a trade into a respected international profession.

The celebration took place in Torquay, the coastal city where seven visionary representatives from Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom established the IBA with a shared ambition: to foster collaboration, professionalism, and unity among bartenders.

Today, that ambition has grown into a powerful global network of 70 national associations representing tens of thousands of hospitality professionals and enthusiasts worldwide. The Diamond Jubilee was more than a celebration — it was a powerful reminder of how far the profession has come.

A defining moment of the event was the presentation of a commemorative plaque to the Grand Hotel Torquay, the historic venue where the founding meeting took place in February 1951.

The plaque was formally received by the hotel’s management before being installed at the reception area, creating a permanent tribute to the birthplace of international bartending unity.

The ceremony was led by IBA President Bruno Santos alongside Secretary General Xino Wu, Vice Presidents Serge Guillou (Classic) and Miguel Barbora (Flair), and Honorary Presidents Giorgio Fadda and Derrick Lee.

Strong representation from the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild (UKBG) further underscored the deep historical connection between the two organisations. UKBG President Claudia Carrozzi, Directors Adamo Varbaro and Luca Rapetti, and Honorary President Salvatore Damiano were present to commemorate the occasion.

The UKBG, itself a founding member of the IBA, marked the moment with a particularly meaningful gesture: presenting the IBA Board with a bespoke 26-page commemorative booklet. The publication includes scanned copies of the original foundation meeting minutes — signed by all attendees — along with archival records from February 1951 editions of The Bartender, the Guild’s official magazine.

This rare collection offers a tangible link to the moment when international bartending collaboration first took shape.

The anniversary also paid tribute to the European Cocktail Competition hosted by the UKBG in Torquay on 21st–23rd February 1951 — just days before the IBA was officially established.

The competition welcomed representatives from across Europe, many of whom would shortly become founding members of the IBA. The event concluded with a victory for Peter Razouvaieff of L’Aperitif Grill in London, representing the UKBG with his cocktail, Rye Lane — a symbol of early international excellence in mixology.

From Trade to Global Profession

Reflecting on the milestone, IBA President Bruno Santos shared:

"The IBA returns to its birthplace, the Grand Hotel in Torquay, to celebrate 75 years of elevating bartending from a trade into a globally respected profession. This is where the dream of a unified, professional bartending community was born; that dream has become a global movement.”

UKBG President Claudia Carrozzi echoed the sentiment, highlighting 24th February 1951, now recognised as International Bartenders Day, as both a historic milestone and a continuing responsibility to lead, evolve, and strengthen the global bartending community.

As the IBA enters its next era, its mission remains clear: strengthen global connections, advance education and professional standards, inspire excellence across generations of bartenders

From seven founding nations in 1951 to a thriving international network 75 years later, the IBA’s Diamond Jubilee is not only a celebration of history, it is a declaration of intent for the future of hospitality.

The craft, culture, and career of bartending continue to evolve, and the IBA stands at the heart of that journey.