The competition that turns bartenders into sensory artists is back. This year, Campari Red Hands APAC 2025 is all about making cocktails that don’t just taste incredible, but feel like full-blown sensory experiences.
The competition that turns bartenders into sensory artists is back. This year, Campari Red Hands APAC 2025 is all about making cocktails that don’t just taste incredible, but feel like full-blown sensory experiences.The Dot Magazine just got back from Milan (the entry point to the World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2025 in Turin), and we can attest that the city’s blood runs red…with Campari. Sipping on a Campari Selz, made the same way it has been since 1915, at Camparino in Galleria Milan, with the Duomo di Milano 100 meters or so away, is an experience worth fighting for. Cue the announcement of Campari Red Hands APAC 2025. The competition offers the chance of a magical trip to Milan as well as a cash prize.
Campari Has Always Had A Sense Of The Cinematic
Campari has always had a sense of the cinematic. It’s the official partner for the Festival de Cannes. Federico Fellini directed his first short film commercial for the brand, called ‘A Modern Fairytale,’ in 1984. Franco Scepi directed another, starring Kelly Le Brock, a few years later. And in 1990, ‘Il Graffio (The Scratch),’ by Indian director Tarsem, became the first commercial in Italy to broach the subject of sexual identity. More recently, in 2015, Joel Schumacher created the dreamlike short film for Campari, called ‘The Wait.’ And two years later, Italian film director, screenwriter, and writer Paolo Sorrentino created a devotional ode to the vibrantly red Italian bitters.
All of which is to say that holding the launch of Campari Red Hands APAC 2025 in a cinema in Ho Chi Minh City’s Thao Dien made complete sense. Inside, over 100 bartenders crowded in, keen to get the guidelines for this year from Symphony Loo, the Campari Group Regional Trade Advocacy Manager for APAC. If the job title sounds convoluted, it hints at how busy Symphony is.
The Launch Of Campari Red Hands APAC 2025
There’s the upcoming Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 in Macau on July 15th. And all the surrounding celebrations, including a series of three events hosted by Campari featuring Atlas and Cosmo Pony at The Opposites in Hong Kong on Sunday 13th; Idle Hands, Bar Otto, Bar Sathorn, Opium Bar, Bar Leone and Moebius at Wing Lei Bar, Macau, on July 14th; and, as something of an afterparty, Moebius and Locale Firenze back in Hong Kong at Bar Leone on Wednesday 16th. “Plus, we’re preparing for the World’s 50 Best Bars 2025 in Hong Kong in October,” she explains.
First, though, the launch of Campari Red Hands APAC 2025.
This year’s theme, ‘Cocktails & Senses,’ is bringing together bartenders from 14 markets (two more than last year with the addition of China and Mongolia) across Asia Pacific to compete for the ultimate prize: a flight to Milan and the chance to add their creation to the legendary Negroni Family Tree.
The Rules of Engagement At Campari Red Hands APAC 2025
Round one kicks off with a 90-second video submission where bartenders must showcase not just their cocktail skills, but how they’re incorporating one of the five senses into their creation. “Of course, cocktails are a sensory experience,” Symphony tells the packed cinema. “But your cocktail should focus on one.”
Every creation must be rooted in the Negroni Family Tree, include a minimum 25ml of Campari, and tell a story that goes beyond “this tastes good” to embrace the narratives that such a storied brand expects. Democratically, Symphony adds that other spirits from other companies are most definitely allowed, as long as those 25ml of Campari are incorporated.
And, true to a brand that lives cocktail culture, this is, first and foremost, a cocktail competition, and so entries are judged on the drink and not the production values, and participants are welcome but not obliged to post to social media.
Vietnam’s winner walks away with 20 million VND, a coveted interview shoot with The Dot Magazine (shameless plug, but we’re not sorry), and most importantly, that golden ticket to Milan for the APAC regional finals in January 2026. The overall APAC champion gets €3,000 and the honor of having their cocktail officially inducted into the Negroni Family Tree for 2026.
Campari Red Hands APAC 2025: The Dates With Destiny
Round one submissions are open from July 7-31st (meaning from the moment the cinema screen shut down). The local Vietnamese finals are set for November 17th, with Milan calling in January 2026. Industry experts heading up the judging plane include our own David Kaye, Tribe Hospitality’s Andy O’Brien, bartender-artist (or ‘bartist’ for short) Richie Fawcett, mixologist and teacher to many of the young bartenders in the audience, Cocktails Expert – Kata Simon, and the Campari Group regional team – so no pressure, but these are the people who actually know what they’re talking about, from storytelling to making the perfectly balanced Negroni.
Campari Red Hands is, then, a competition that actually pushes boundaries. It’s not just about technique anymore – it’s about creating experiences that linger long after the last sip. For bartenders ready to prove they’re more than just drink-makers, this is your moment. For the rest of us, it’s about to be a very good year for cocktails that surprise us.
Applications are open now through July 31st through this link. Because great cocktails don’t wait for perfect timing.
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