What happens when bartenders from London, Johannesburg, Istanbul, Helsinki and Dublin turn up at three bars in Prague? For one evening, a bar map is created in which the boundaries between cities and continents blur. In September, Jägermeister brought together Bitter Priest, AnonymouS Bar and Casablanca with twelve bartenders from different corners of the world. The result was 24 original cocktails, an international gathering of the Hubertus Circle, and a night during which Prague became a hub for the intense exchange of experiences, ideas and contemporary cocktail culture.
Bar culture today is no longer just about what goes into the glass. Equally important are the bartender’s personality, their handling of ingredients, the style of service, the venue’s atmosphere and the ability to seek out new combinations. It was precisely on this principle that Jägermeister organised the Prague Bar Takeover, which, for one evening, brought together three distinctly different Prague venues with bartenders from various parts of the world. Bitter Priest, AnonymouS Bar and Casablanca were transformed into individual stops on the international bar scene, offering visitors the chance to sample drinks that would rarely be found in Prague under normal circumstances.
Twelve bartenders arrived in the Czech capital, bringing with them not only their own approach to the craft of cocktail-making but also experience from their home bar scenes. Aimee May D’Onofrio came from Johannesburg, Laurie Howells from London and Mustafa Burucu from Istanbul. The Czech scene was represented, for example, by Jakub Baštinec from the 4 Pokoje bar in Brno, alongside other colleagues from South Africa, the UK, Turkey, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland, Germany and other countries. Rather than the traditional format of hosting a single foreign bartender, this resulted in a much broader showcase of different approaches to mixology.
One evening, three bars and 24 different takes on the cocktail
Each of the three Prague venues had its own atmosphere and character during the evening, but the common thread was a willingness to experiment. Special menus were created for the bars, offering a total of 24 original drinks based, among other things, on Jägermeister, Jägermeister Orange and Jägermeister Manifest, as well as Sul gin and Teremana tequila. For visitors, this meant the chance to sample a range of different interpretations in a single evening and see how the same ingredients can work in completely different ways in the hands of different bartenders.
This exchange of experiences was one of the main themes of the event. “Every bar has its own style and every bartender brings a different experience. That’s precisely why it was brilliant to meet colleagues from different parts of the world and create a menu together that showed just how differently working with cocktails and ingredients can look. It was a unique opportunity to taste something truly exceptional and enjoy one of those nights you’ll never forget,” says Jakub Baštinec from the 4 Pokoje bar in Brno.
The evening in Prague wasn’t just a showcase of finished drinks, however. Running in the background was the Global Stammtisch, an international gathering that brought members of the Hubertus Circle – a global network of bartenders established by Jägermeister – to Prague. It is precisely such gatherings that create space for sharing experiences across different bar scenes. Bartenders can inspire one another, exchange insights from their day-to-day work and discuss the direction in which contemporary mixology is heading.
When the global scene meets the Prague nightlife
The Hubertus Circle was founded in 2011 and has been active ever since; through it, Jägermeister has long been connecting the bartending community from different parts of the world. In addition to training and workshops, this collaboration also includes guest shifts, joint projects and bar takeovers. The evening in Prague was therefore not an isolated event, but part of a broader concept centred on bringing together people whose professional lives revolve around bar culture.
“We brought the energy of the international bartending scene to Prague, connected colleagues from different parts of the world and gave them a space to share experiences and inspiration, and to enjoy the evening together. And the visitors enjoyed it too, as they were able to sample drinks they wouldn’t normally come across. Three bars, a special menu and bartenders from all over the world – that’s exactly what the Jägermeister Bar Takeover was all about,” says Nina Eggeling, Senior Manager of Global Culture & Experiential Marketing at Mast-Jägermeister SE.
And because a good night out at the bar doesn’t end with the last drink, music also played its part. The Jägermeister Brass Cartel performed at Bitter Priest, and their live show gradually transformed the bar into a dance floor. Cocktails, an international line-up of bartenders, three venues in Prague and live music thus created an evening that brought the professional bar scene together with the audience and showcased Prague as a city capable of hosting contemporary international cocktail culture.
The Prague Bar Takeover was therefore not just about sampling new drinks. At its heart was a gathering of people who share a common interest in craftsmanship, creativity and the constant search for new paths. And that is precisely one of the most fascinating aspects of the contemporary bar scene: inspiration can come from Johannesburg just as easily as from Brno, London or Istanbul – and sometimes a single evening is enough for all these influences to come together behind the bar in Prague.
