Here's Your Inside Scoop on the Paradiso Sustainability Summit

The Summit kicked off with a welcome and a rallying cry from our host, Giacomo Giannotti, setting the tone for the summit. “Today is about sharing ideas, deepening connections and moving forward together,” he said. Giacomo acted as an enthusiastic captain of the ship, reminding the audience that we weren’t there to showcase perfection, but rather to inspire action.  

Waste is a Failure of the Imagination 

I moderated the first panel of the day, entitled ‘Waste is a Failure of the Imagination’, which looked at how-forward-thinking bars around the world are embracing zero waste and the principles of circularity. The panellists had very diverse points of view: Ara Carvallo, 50 Best Chair for the Netherlands and Founder of Barra Mexico, (Netherlands); Iain McPherson, Owner of Panda & Sons (Scotland); Lorenzo Antinori, Co-Founder of Bar Leone (Hong Kong); Hyacinthe Lescoët, Co-Founder of The Cambridge Public House, (France); Kevin Kos, sustainable bartender and creator of ‘Cocktail Time with Kevin Kos’ (Slovenia); and Giacomo Giannotti, Founder and Owner of Paradiso cocktail bar and Founder of the Paradiso Sustainability Summit (Spain). 

From the challenges of waste infrastructure in Hong Kong to reminding the audience to innovate (like Ian’s use of subzero freezing to create citrus vintages or Kevin’s Super Juice recipe designed to reduce waste), the key takeaway upon which all panellists could agree was to take a step back, working to design waste out by thinking ‘circular’ from the start.  

Representation: Embracing Diversity

The next discussion was ‘Representation: Embracing Diversity’, moderated by Sandrae Lawrence, Editor at The Cocktail Lovers Magazine, and focused on diversity in bartending, exploring the challenges and opportunities in creating more inclusive spaces. Speaking were Deano Moncrieffe, Founder of Equal Measures UK (UK); Calliope “Calli” Draper, winner of the 50 Best Bars Roku Scholarship 2024 and Founder of cocktail-zine ‘Places you are Welcome’; Tess Posthumus, Founder and Owner of Flying Dutchmen Cocktails and Dutch Courage (Netherlands); Raúl Navarro Bazán, Brand Ambassador of The Macallan whisky (Scotland); and Margarita Sader, Co-Founder of Paradiso bar and Founder of MS BarTrends (Spain). 

This talk highlighted the need for greater diversity across hiring, training and promotion practices and unravelled why representation matters at every level, shaping both internal culture and the customer experience. I think this was the panel that people loved most over the whole day; it felt like we got to talk about something that isn’t usually on the sustainability agenda. 

The biggest takeaway from this discussion was that visibility is critical — whether that means cultivating safe spaces for trans and queer people, supporting the needs of neurodiverse employees or simply seeing more women and people of colour behind the bar. As Deano pointed out, bars should represent the communities they serve. His note that 22% of people from marginalised communities feel they can’t be themselves at work shows that much more needs to be done. 

Tess said, “The first step in inclusion is being visible,” sharing that when she started, the only female bartenders people could name were Julie Reiner and Monica Berg, but now she can think of at least eight world-class, well-known, award-winning female bartenders in the Netherlands alone. “That is progress.”  

Calli founded ‘Places you are Welcome’ —a cocktail-zine devoted to queer stories across the hospitality industry — because she was the only ‘out’ trans person she could see behind a bar in her city. As she pointed out, a lack of visibility “is not because we aren’t there”.  

The panel spoke about bringing visibility further than just recruitment, noting that operators need to think about pathways to promotion: diversity needs to be visible at all levels from floor staff to senior management. As Margarita said about the work they’ve done to train neurodiverse members of staff to work in Paradiso, this benefits the whole team. “Expanding our way of thinking helps everyone,” she said. 

The core message of this inspiring talk can be summed up in Calli’s words: “Our core business of hospitality is making people feel welcome. So, let’s make ALL people feel welcome.”  

Farm to the Bar 

The second panel I chaired was, ‘Farm to the Bar’, which looked at the importance of responsible sourcing, exploring how traceability not only resonates with consumers but also fosters deeper connections with local producers and communities. On this panel, we had Hampus Thunholm, Co-Owner and Head Bartender at Röda Huset (Sweden); Cesar Montilla of Dr. Stravinsky (Spain); Artur Martínez, the Michelin-starred Chef at Aürt (Spain); Sasha Wijidessa of Fura (Singapore) Emanuel Minez of Red Frog (Portugal); John Stirling, Owner of Arbikie Distillery (Scoaland); and Cristóbal Cofré, Global Brand Ambassador of Torres Brandy (Spain). 

Key takeaways from this session included a call for ‘radical collaboration’ — building relationships with farmers, growers and producers and helping customers reconnect with where ingredients come from. The group also emphasised that sourcing local produce often also means high quality: this isn’t about deprivation, it’s about bringing the best possible flavour to the table. This was clear to see through the incredible creativity inspired through local sourcing. For example, at Röda Huset, Hampus uses green apple to add acidity to cocktails. He shared that, where he can commit to buying in bulk and builds a real partnership with the farmer, he ends up paying significantly less than what he would have spent on imported citrus. 

Glass and Ice 

Moderated by Denny Kallivoka, journalist and Founder of Aegean Cocktails & Spirits, this panel focused on the environmental impact of glass and ice. Present on the panel were Michele Mariotti, Head of Bars and Andrea Gardiner, Assistant Bar Manager, both from The Gleneagles Hotel (Scotland); Alex Francis, Co-Founder and Director at De Vie (France); Mario Villalón, Owner of Angelita (Spain); Stephanie Jordan, Founder of Avallen Spirits (Scotland); and Giuseppe Baldi, National Key Account Manager for ecoSPIRITS (founded in Singapore). 

This session explored how bars and beverage professionals are rethinking these two fundamental parts of cocktail culture — and how to reduce the use of both while maintaining high-quality guest experiences. The panel agreed that the way to encourage customers to make better choices is to take the burden of sustainability away from the customer. We should only be giving our customers good choices.  

The biggest insight was simple, but groundbreaking: design your offering in a way that doesn’t require their use. When asked how they manage to avoid the use of ice at De Vie in Paris, Alex said, “We simply don’t use it. It’s a bit like asking me how we manage not to have a burger — we aren’t designed to do that. We simply don’t design for ice. We don’t make drinks that need it.” In a more practical sense, what this means is that they design drinks that can simply be chilled and consumed. “For example, no one ever asks for ice in a martini. It doesn’t need it.”  

Similarly, at Angelita in Madrid, the team considered ice to be a design challenge, developing a new system using biodegradable and non-toxic refrigerating gels that reach -20˚ C and stay frozen for up to eight hours. This keeps cocktails at a constant temperature of 1.8˚ C without dilution. “Rather than thinking about restriction, maybe it opens doors for innovation,” said Mario. “Maybe it opens doors for us to rethink.”  

Empowering People 

Next up was ‘Empowering People’, moderated by Co-Founders of The Pinnacle Guide, Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhan Payne. Panellists were Chris Beaney, West Africa Chair for 50 Best Bars and Founder of La Borracha (Ghana); Max La Rocca, Hospitality Educator (Italy); Silvia Dorninger, Founder of Aldea BCN (Spain); Bob Nolet, 11th generation Master Distiller, Ketel One (Netherlands); Demie Kim, Co-Founder of Zest (Seoul); and Giacomo Giannotti, Founder and Owner of Paradiso (Spain). 

This discussion explored the critical importance of empowering and inspiring teams and engaging with the wider community, highlighting how this can build a more resilient industry. 

Training, mentorship and paying proper attention to professional development form a big part of what it means to create meaningful career paths and keep people engaged and motivated. Creating a happy, supportive work environment matters, too. “You can feel it with the team, and that makes guests happy. We do this because we have a passion for hospitality and, fundamentally, hospitality is about making people happy,” said Giacomo. Demie agreed, also noting the widespread need for better work-life balance in the industry.  

Giacomo wrapped up by pointing out that hospitality, more than any other industry, relies on its people. “I might be the face of Paradiso, and it looks like I win all the awards, but without my team I am nothing. Remember: if you want to go fast, go alone — but if you want to go far, go together.” 

Mindful Mixology: Next Gen Drinking Trends 

The day wrapped up with an exploration of how young people are reshaping drinking culture with a focus on low ABV and non-alcoholic cocktails, with input from Ferdinand Guizetti, Bartender, Writer and Ambassador for Healthy Hospo (UK); Marela Batkovic, Amaro Santoni Brand Ambassador (Italy); Patrick Howley, Founder of So Let’s Talk (UK); Francoise Monti, Author at Imbibe Magazine (USA); Maggie Crifasi, General Manager of Sense (Spain); Esther Merino, Co-Founder at Taba Project (Spain); and Elvira Aldaz Mezcua, WSET Spirits Educator, Kikisake-shi, Shochu Adviser, and a Sake Master teacher (Spain). 

This session highlighted innovative mixology techniques that deliver bold, refreshing experiences without a high alcohol content. Rather than just offering a list of mocktails, the forward-thinking move is to integrate these no/low drinks into the main menu. This approach recognises that guests are increasingly fluid in behaviour, moving from alcoholic to low alcohol to alcohol-free and back again. The group was enthusiastic about the need for creative bartenders to give these new ingredients the same thought and attention that they would alcoholic drinks. 

Patrick pointed to healthier team dynamics as a positive effect of this culture shift. “Gone are the days of getting wasted with your team after a shift — but people are still looking for connection, without the drinking. Younger employees especially are looking for a non-alcoholic work culture, even in bars.” This brings the focus back to experience; there is an opportunity for bars to thrive because of their ability to create flavour and build something interesting — which doesn’t need to contain alcohol. 

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