2026-07-02
Rémy Cointreau used the first edition of Europe’s 50 Best Bars in Amsterdam to deepen its presence in the premium cocktail trade, backing the event through its Cointreau and Rémy Martin brands as the French group pushes harder into Europe’s on-trade market.
The ceremony took place at De Kromhouthal in Amsterdam on June 30 and marked the European debut of the 50 Best Bars format after earlier regional lists in Asia and North America. Rémy Cointreau said its role at the event was meant to support bartending talent, strengthen ties with influential bars and show how its portfolio fits modern cocktail programs.
Cointreau served as the official orange liqueur partner of the awards. The brand, founded in Angers in 1849, is widely used in classic cocktails including the Margarita and Cosmopolitan, and the company said it appears in more than 500 recipes. During the ceremony, Cointreau also sponsored the red ceremonial scarves handed to winners onstage. Drinks featuring the liqueur were prepared by the team from Super Lyan, one of Amsterdam’s best-known cocktail bars.
Rémy Martin, founded in 1724 and focused on Cognac Fine Champagne, sponsored the Best in Destination Award. At its stand, bartenders from De Vie in Paris served cocktails built around expressions ranging from VSOP to XO. The company framed that activation as part of a broader effort to present cognac as a flexible ingredient for contemporary bars rather than only a traditional after-dinner spirit.
In the days before the awards, both brands expanded their activity beyond the ceremony itself. Rémy Cointreau worked with Super Lyan in Amsterdam, De Vie in Paris and Harry’s Bar in Paris on a guest shift held June 28. The event was open to both trade professionals and consumers and was designed to create direct contact between bartenders and cocktail drinkers.
The company also highlighted two younger bartenders tied to its training and competition programs: Robbe Dupon, winner of the Cointreau Margarita Challenge 2025, and Octavio Dogliotti, winner of the Rémy Martin Bartender Talent Academy. By placing them around the Europe’s 50 Best Bars program, Rémy Cointreau linked its sponsorship to recruitment and education at a time when many spirits groups are investing more heavily in bartender advocacy.
The event also drew brand ambassadors outside the bar trade. Cointreau brought Belgian media personality and artist Miss Angel as part of its Summer of Cointreau campaign. Rémy Martin was represented by Dutch entrepreneur Ron Simpson, known for The Avocado Show chain.
Europe’s 50 Best Bars is voted on by an academy of more than 300 independent industry figures from across the region. For drinks companies, that audience matters because it combines bar owners, bartenders, consultants, media and frequent travelers who help shape trends in high-end hospitality.
For Rémy Cointreau, the Amsterdam gathering offered more than visibility at an awards show. It gave the group a stage to present two different categories — orange liqueur and cognac — as central tools for Europe’s top bars while reinforcing a strategy built on sponsorships, bartender programs and direct engagement with venues that influence what ends up on cocktail lists across the continent.