SAN FRANCISCO — Campari, Italy’s iconic red aperitivo, has joined forces with Imbibe Magazine for the sixth annual Negroni Week. The global charity initiative will take place from June 4-10, 2018, when bars, restaurants and retailers around the world will come together over the classic Negroni – an iconic mix of equal parts Campari, gin and sweet vermouth – to raise money and awareness for charitable causes.
With love for the classic cocktail growing every year, so has its namesake annual philanthropic movement – and Negroni Week 2018 is set to be the biggest yet. Starting with just 100 participating bars in 2013, last year’s Negroni Week welcomed the involvement of 7,770 partners in 60 countries to raise a phenomenal $1.5 million for charitable causes since the initiative’s launch.
To amplify the program’s charitable roots, Campari will be working in partnership with the USBG National Charity Foundation (USBG Foundation) to host its first-ever Campari Community Service Day. On June 5 in over twenty cities across the U.S., bartenders and Campari employees in their respective cities will gather for activities such as volunteering at local animal shelters, organizing beach clean ups and preparing and delivering meals to local charities, community groups and firehouses, feeding the people who are making a positive impact in their local communities.
“Year after year our partner Imbibe helps us grow the incredible celebration that is Negroni Week in an effort to support some truly outstanding causes,” said Melanie Batchelor, VP Marketing for Campari America. “Its evolution is proof positive that the community’s collective heart has only grown larger. With the addition of our ‘Campari Community Service Day,’ we have opened up a tangible outlet for the bartending industry to actively channel its enthusiasm beyond what they’re serving behind the bar. Negroni Week’s popularity is accelerating at an amazing pace, and we encourage all bars, retailers and restaurants to get involved!”
“We are so excited to kick off the sixth year of Negroni Week with Campari,” said Karen Foley, publisher of Imbibe. “Every year we are humbled by the generosity of the thousands of people who participate in Negroni Week around the world in this collective effort to support so many incredible charitable causes—it’s truly amazing.”
Renowned industry icon Tony Abou-Ganim will once again lead Team Negroni bike rides. This year’s rides will take bartenders and cycling enthusiasts through twelve markets and counting including San Francisco, New York, Washington D.C., and Chicago during Negroni Week to benefit the Helen David Relief Fund, a program of the USBG Foundation that assists women in the bar industry who are fighting breast cancer. To sign up and for further details visit www.crowdrise.com/TeamNegroni2018.
In its continued effort to lead the cause-related charge and truly go a sip beyond, Campari will contribute $75,000 to the participating Negroni Week charities and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits, the largest wine and spirits distributor in North America, will contribute an additional $10,000 for a total of $85,000 going to Negroni Week causes. $10,000 will go toward matching the top contributing participant’s donation to its chosen charity, with the remaining funds being divided equally among all the other charities.
During Negroni Week, Imbibe will also donate a portion of subscription and merchandise sales to Mercy Corps and No Kid Hungry, as well as $5,000 to the Negroni Week charity chosen by one randomly selected participating venue.
Several national partners have already committed to participating in Negroni Week, including Altamarea Restaurant Group, Hilton Hotels, Freehand Hotels, Caffè Umbria, and Hedley & Bennett. All of Freehand’s hotel locations will allow guests to donate a portion of their room stay to Children of Restaurant Employees (and save 10%) during the month of June by using the code NEGRONIWEEK. Caffè Umbria will be offering a special Negroni-inspired coffee that will be available at caffeumbria.com and at their cafes in Portland, Seattle, and Chicago, with a portion of proceeds benefitting No Kid Hungry. Adding a touch of style to the Negroni Week offerings, Hedley & Bennett has created a limited-edition Negroni Week apron, also benefitting No Kid Hungry. The aprons are handmade with herringbone and feature an embroidered Negroni on the top pocket for those who wish to wear their love for the classic cocktail on their heart.
Campari and Imbibe will be celebrating the sixth year of Negroni Week with kickoff events in San Francisco and New York, all benefitting local charities. Campari will also sponsor the eighth annual Negroni Social in Portland, Oregon on June 3 as well as a wrap event with Dante NYC on June 10 to close out another successful year of charitable giving.
To sign up as a participating Negroni Week venue, businesses can simply select their charity of choice from more than 45 Negroni Week charity partners and make an initial donation of $25 or more atwww.NegroniWeek.com, up until June 1, when registration closes. Participants who have registered by June 1 are also encouraged to return to the website throughout Negroni Week, and until June 25th, to donate additional funds they’ve raised.
Stay up to date on all Negroni Week news by following@CampariUS and@Imbibe on Facebook,@CampariUSA and@Imbibe on Instagram, and engaging with the #NegroniWeek #Campari and #imbibe hashtags.
About Negroni Week
In 2013, Imbibe Magazine launched Negroni Week as a celebration of one of the world’s great cocktails and an effort to raise money for charitable causes. Now in its sixth year, Imbibe has teamed up with Campari to present Negroni Week 2018. From June 4 to 10, 2018, bars around the world will be taking part in Negroni Week, inviting people to celebrate the classic cocktail while also raising money for some great charitable causes. For more information, including a list of participating bars and upcoming events, visit negroniweek.com and follow the hashtags #NegroniWeek #Negroni #Campari and #imbibe.
About Campari
Campari is a contemporary and charismatic classic. The secret recipe, which has remained unchanged, originated in Novara in 1860 and is the base for some of the most famous cocktails around the world, Campari is an alcoholic spirit obtained from the infusion of bitter herbs, aromatic plants and fruit in alcohol and water. With its vibrant red color, intense aroma and inspiring flavor, Campari has always been a symbol of intrigue and pleasure, which unfurls itself into a captivating drinking experience. These are the values that have made the Campari brand famous throughout the world as an icon of passionate Milanese style and excellence.
About Imbibe
Imbibe is the ultimate guide to liquid culture. In every issue of the James Beard award-winning magazine and on imbibemagazine.com, you’ll find the world’s top drink destinations, recipes and in-depth stories—everything you need to know about the people, places and flavors of drinks. Imbibe also publishes cocktail books and produces drink-related events, including Negroni Week. For more information, visit imbibemagazine.com and follow @imbibe and #imbibe.
About USBG National Charity Foundation
The USBG National Charity Foundation is a not for profit organization whose mission it is to advance the lifelong stability and well-being of service industry professionals through education and charitable activities. The Foundation accomplishes this through three programmatic pillars; social responsibility, community service, and philanthropy. To find out more about our pillars, our programs, or how to donate, please visit our website atwww.usbgfoundation.org.
About The Negroni
It was around the year 1919 in Florence when Count Camillo Negroni contemplated ordering an Americano cocktail but decided it was time for a change. He requested it with a touch of gin instead of soda, inspired by his last trip to London and its prevalent gin scene. The bartender was pleased to honor Count Camillo Negroni’s request and added an orange garnish rather than the lemon wedge of the Americano to signify the new drink he had created. In Florence, the Count’s ‘usual’ became known as Count Negroni’s Americano, or the “Americano with a touch of gin,” but whatever it was referred to as back then, the Negroni was born. The Negroni is now one of the most famous contemporary classic cocktails. Anywhere you go in the world, you will find a mixologist who can make you the iconic Negroni. The original recipe, the perfectly balanced combination of equal parts of Campari, Red Vermouth and London Dry gin, is almost a century old and continues to be enjoyed today. The International Bartenders Association (IBA) lists Campari as an official ingredient of the Negroni, and thus, there is no Negroni without Campari! For more information visitwww.campari.com.
About Campari Group
Campari Group is a major player in the global spirits industry, with a portfolio of over 50 premium and super premium brands, spreading across Global, Regional and Local priorities. Global Priorities, the Group’s key focus, include Aperol, Appleton Estate, Campari, SKYY, Wild Turkey and Grand Marnier. Campari Group was founded in 1860 and today is the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry. It has a global distribution reach, trading in over 190 nations around the world with leading positions in Europe and the Americas. Campari Group’s growth strategy aims to combine organic growth through strong brand building and external growth via selective acquisitions of brands and businesses.
Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Campari Group owns 18 plants worldwide and has its own distribution network in 20 countries. Campari Group employs approximately 4,000 people. The shares of the parent company Davide Campari-Milano S.p.A. (Reuters CPRI.MI – Bloomberg CPR IM) have been listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 2001. For more information: http://www.camparigroup.com/en
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