Cortina Cocktail Weekend returns to Cortina D’Ampezzo. The second edition of the event, conceived and developed by Paola Mencarelli, under the patronage of the Municipality of Cortina, in collaboration with Cortina Marketing and with the support of Cortina for Us and Associazione Albergatori (the Hotelier Association) will take place from Friday, March 22nd to Sunday, March 24th, 2024.
As with its sister initiatives also organized by Paola Mencarelli – Florence Cocktail Week and Venice Cocktail Week – the format of Cortina will be tailored to the peculiarities of the host city, offering a festival dedicated to mixology with a rich program of contents and events. A project that will spread throughout the city and the mountains to promote the culture of mindful and responsible drinking and to highlight the quality of the mixology world in the Dolomites.
“The pilot project Cortina Cocktail Weekend 2022 has given me great satisfaction,” says Paola Mencarelli. “The feedback from Cortina, industry professionals, and our guests was very encouraging. Fostered by the local community itself, I decided to return to the Dolomites for the 2023/2024 season with my entire team building on the experience of the first year, I have crafted an even more tailored project, allowing each venue to showcase its peculiarities, without too many constraints, but rather with great support. The Mixology’s Cup could not be missing to conclude the weekend in the mountains. This initiative will be a unique, fun, and carefree event that transports the idea of cocktails into a playful dimension different from that of the cocktail bar”.
CORTINA COCKTAIL WEEKEND
Cortina Cocktail Weekend promotes a new and different idea of enjoying drinks. By showcasing local establishments, it aims to attract people to explore the venues found in the city. Not only mixology enthusiasts but also mountain lovers. There are two types of venues at #CCW24: Hotel Bars and Cocktail Bars, complemented by Event Partners, exclusive locations in the area that offer their spaces for a unique cocktail experience.
The weekend will be rich in events dedicated to mixology, divided into multiple moments, from Happy Hours to Après Ski.
Events featuring guests from across the country, cultural initiatives, and recreational activities will allow the general public to discover a different side of Cortina, not known to everyone. The official event calendar will list all the scheduled events.
During the festival, there will be the opportunity to experience the “CCW Experience”, activities where cocktails will accompaign guests in discovering the city and mountain activities such as the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Three Peaks of Lavaredo) Sled Ride, Skimobile Safari Tour, the snowshoe hike, and Heli-Skiing. Everything will be realized thanks to the collaboration with the Snowdreamers Ski School Cortina.
Due to the great success of the first edition, the “Mixology’s Cup” returns, the SKI AND SNOWBOARD COMPETITION #CCW2024, which will take place on the morning of Sunday, March 24th on the Socrepes slope, in the Tofane Ski area. This activity will also be made in collaboration with the Snowdreamers Ski School Cortina.
The Mixology’s Cup is a playful competition open to everyone and free to participate for bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts who also enjoy winter sports. It’s a downhill race on the slope with a full Martini cup. The winner will be the one who completes the race in the shortest time without missing any gates, holding the full glass in hand, and spilling the least amount of drink.
The Socrepes slope will be set up and secured by the instructors of the Snowdreamers Ski School Cortina with the same poles used for “Slalom Gigante” (Giant Slalom) competitions, like a real ski race. Once participants cross the finish line, they will place the glass on a table, and the ski instructors acting as judges will measure the time and the content of the glasses to determine the winners.
The idea for the competition originated from studying the history of alpine skiing. It was in the year 1900 when a group of Norwegian mountaineers developed a technique that later became famous worldwide. In Morgedal, in the Norwegian Valley of the Telemark district, the first ski race was organized—a steep downhill with fast curves while holding a glass of beer. The winner was whoever reached the end of the slope without spilling the contents.
HOW DID CORTINA COCKTAIL WEEKEND COME TO LIFE?
Cortina Cocktail Weekend was born at the end of August 2022 when Paola Mencarelli was invited by the Grand Hotel Savoia to present the Venice Cocktail Week. The presentation took place during an event that featured two bartender friends from Venice: Antonio Ferrara, the bar manager of The Bar at Aman Venice, and Lucas Kelm, the then Bar Manager of Palazzina The Bar at Palazzina Grassi in Venice and Rosapetra Spa Resort in Cortina.
“This event opened my mind,” states Paola Mencarelli. “Only by going to Cortina could I understand if my idea of a mixology festival would be feasible. And so I did. I visited the various venues in the city and realized that I could start working on it. The different synergies with the people of Cortina then helped me develop the weekend format, focused on the characteristics and opportunities of the location.“
ART AND DESIGN
Following the example of Venice Cocktail Week, special attention was also given to design and art for Cortina right from the creation of the brand. The image of Cortina Cocktail Weekend is indeed signed by Piero Lissoni with Lissoni&Partners, a friend of Paola Mencarelli’s Cocktail Week, who wanted to gift a modern and pop logo. In the logo, the world of cocktails merges with Cortina in a symbolic toast, starting from the design of the Martini glass from Venice Cocktail Week held by a ski glove with clear references to Cortina’s own past. In terms of design, they are the only cocktail weeks that can boast such a distinctive mark.
PAOLA MENCARELLI AND THE COCKTAIL WEEKS
The Cocktail Week format, born in London in 2008, was brought to Italy by Paola Mencarelli in 2016, when she decided to organize the first edition of Florence Cocktail Week in her city, Florence. Three years later, Tuscany Cocktail Week followed, and due to the success of these events, in 2020, Aman Venice asked FCW to export the format to Venice, organizing the first Venetian event dedicated to mixology in the Serenissima.The Cocktail Week team has always had a single, clear objective: to enhance the quality of mixology in city contexts and promote the culture of Conscious and Responsible Drinking.
THE UPCOMING EVENTS
There are many exciting ideas for 2024. Among them, a thrilling addition: Amalfi Coast Cocktail Week. The event joins the flagship project Italian Cocktail Weeks by Paola Mencarelli to promote quality Italian mixology and will take place on the Amalfi Coast from September 23rd to 29th, 2024.
COCKTAIL BARS, HOTEL BARS AND EVENT PARTNERS OF CORTINA COCKTAIL WEEKEND 2024
The list of selected Cocktail Bars, Hotel Bars, and Event Partners for CCW24 is currently being updated and will be communicated through the official CCW24 social media channels and the website ;
WITH THE PATRONAGE of the Municipality of Cortina
IN COLLABORATION with Cortina Marketing
WITH THE SUPPORT of Cortina for Us e Hoteliers Association
Thanks to:
MAIN SPONSOR CCW & MIXOLOGY’S CUP
Altamura Distilleries, Amante 1530, Campari Group, Colesel, No3 London Dry Gin, Nonino, Vov
SPONSOR CCW
Aramaspirits, Frantoio di Sant’Agata d’Oneglia, Santa Teresa 1796, World Class Diageo, Xedequa, Yerbito