Campari Red Hands APAC 2026 Sets 1,150-Bartender Target

Campari Red Hands APAC 2026 is open for submissions. The regional bartending competition targets more than 1,150 entrants across 10 markets, including Mainland China, Hong Kong & Macau, India, Indonesia, Japan, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

The winner gets a €3,000 cash prize, an all-expenses-paid trip to Milan for the Regional Grand Final in January 2027, and a more permanent mark. Their cocktail will be added to the Negroni Family Tree for 2027, alongside the Americano, the Boulevardier and the Sbagliato.

The 2026 theme is “Contrast & Synchrony.” Every entrant chooses one of two creative directions – contrast (bold opposites) or synchrony (seamless harmony) – and that choice guides the cocktail, technique and story. Each submission must include at least 25ml of Campari.

The competition runs across four stages: local qualifiers, national finals, regional semi-finals and the final in Milan. Every local finalist, not just the winner, joins the Red Hands Community, a year-round programme of events, guest shifts and creative exchange.

Supawit “Palm” Muttarattana, founder of Dry Wave Cocktail Studio (No. 5, Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025) and a former winner of the earlier Campari Bartender Competition Asia, returns as a guest judge at select Local Finals. His path from entrant to recognized figure is the trajectory the programme aims to replicate.

Submissions close after the local rounds. Full terms are available at the Campari Academy website. The Milan final is scheduled for January 2027.