A Spirited Week at Bar Convent Brooklyn

"No sleep 'til Brooklyn."

Making the Rounds at Bar Convent Brooklyn

Note: This is a super-sized dispatch, and will likely be truncated in your Inbox, so be sure to click the link to expand.

Aside from my recent travels through Italy, last week was the busiest week I’ve experienced, events-wise, in a while. The reason? Bar Convent Brooklyn. The Kings County offshoot of the popular Bar Convent Berlin, which began as a small industry gathering and has grown to a full-on annual trade convention, first launched in 2018 and was held in Greenpoint for two years before going on hiatus in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Since 2022, BCB has been held in Industry City in South Brooklyn within and outside of a sprawling collection of buildings and warehouses within view of Gowanus Bay.

The conference is a trade-only, two-day affair that attracts thousands of international members of the bar and beverage community. As a writer I’m able to apply for a complimentary media pass to cover the show, though in 2019 I was also a presenter, co-hosting an educational seminar on amaro with Amaro Nonino’s Francesca Nonino.

This was my fourth year attending BCB and it was my most productive experience yet. Holding a drinks-focused conference in NYC is a monumental challenge for so many reasons—the cost, the location, competing with everything else—including so many world-class bars to visit—New York has to offer. Many have tried and failed taking on such an endeavor, so BCB should be commended for their consistent run here in New York, though it’s not without room for improvement.

Read on for a splashy montage of memories from my spirited week at BCB and some of the events surrounding the show I was able to take in.