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 ci

Over 3,000 cocktails were shaken, more than 600 recipes, with bartenders coming from all over the British Empire, which in 1934 still spanned much of the globe. These few words already give a sense of the success of the very first Cocktail Competition organised by the UKBG, which also marked its foundation. The official British Empire Cocktail Competition was open to all “American bartenders in the British Empire”. ‘American bartenders’ was the term used to describe professio

As we head into the final stages of the UKBG’s National Cocktail Competition 2021, we sit down with UKBG Curator, Luca Rapetti, to learn a little bit more about our final’s category theme – the Gin Fizz – an intriguing cocktail category with over a century of history.  “ Waiter, bring me a Gin Fizz And make it stiff! One Gin Fizz Every ten minutes is the proper thing This beastly weather” Such was the first accompanying description of the Gin Fizz  in an early recipe, dati

At the dawn of 1951, the UKBG invested time and resources in contacting overseas Guilds on the question of the formation of an International Association.  The aim was to meet the representatives of these Guilds in England, in conjunction with 1951 European Cocktail Competition, organised by the UKBG. Sweden, Denmark, Netherland, Switzerland, Italy and France agreed that they would send representatives with the hope of having a thorough and friendly discussion on the possibili

“Look back on the Guild’s beginnings” by Charles Frey, one of the seven founders of the Guild. How was the United Kingdom Bartenders Guild started? As one of the seven original founders I can give you a brief history which, no doubt, will interest many of the present members. Nearly forty years ago Bernard Paul, with either Billy Whitfield or Billy Tarling, walked into the American Bar at the Piccadilly Hotel. During our conversation Bernard Paul said:” I would like to start

The USBG is one of the biggest and most influential bartending trade associations in the world. However, the organization’s roots sprouted from the UKBG and have an impressive history that spans some of the most critical periods of American history. The basis of this article is authored by UKBG’s historical curator, Luca Rapetti ; however, we will continue to add and update content on this blog page as we uncover it! What follows has been pieced together from UKBG records, su