Bombay Sapphire Launches First-Ever Interactive Bar in Toronto

Bombay Sapphire Gin has opened up an interactive cocktail bar in downtown Toronto where guests can make their own DIY drinks. The pop-up bar also features popular bartenders from across North America, who will help guests come up with unique cocktails to make with the company’s gin.

The Canvas Bar will be open to the public from Thursday’s through Sunday’s until November 30^th. Guests are able to mix Bombay Saphire Gin with a variety of cocktail ingredients as they use their glass as a canvas. The interactive space features a mixing wall of botanical vapor-infused tonic jars, which encourage guests to enhance their beverages by misting, spritzing and garnishing. Guests can also try unique cocktails that are made by different world-class mixologists every week.

“‘Canvas Bar’ represents a fusion between art and mixology. We’re giving guests the freedom to experiment and stir creativity,” said Ridley Doolittle, Senior Brand Manager at Bombay Sapphire Canada. “This is an opportunity for people to reimagine their favorite gin in a creative way, and hopefully discover something new in the process.”

The bar will host celebrity mixologists and bartenders such as Austin Millspaugh, who is the 2018 Global Finalist of the United States’ Bartender Guild (USBG) Bombay Sapphire’s Most Imaginative Bartender Competition. Millspaugh is joined by other featured bartenders who have been distinguished as the country’s top bartenders. Each of them will produce unique and interesting cocktails that compliment Bombay Sapphire Gin’s flavor.

This new pop-up experience comes as consumers look to connect with food and beverage brands. The Canvas Bar will allow consumers to make their own Bombay Sapphire cocktails, which, in turn, will encourage them to make the same beverages at home.

Face-to-face marketing is commonly used in the food industry to allow consumers to taste products before purchasing and make a meaningful connection with a brand ambassador. A good brand ambassador and consumer interaction, along with a great product to try, make the perfect recipe for consumer connection. A huge part of marketing to modern consumers is evoking emotion and making them feel connected to the brand.

Another recent pop-up that caught a lot of consumer attention in Toronto was Hershey Canada’s Oh Henry! pop-up on April 20. The day is commonly referred to as “4:20” among cannabis enthusiasts and to celebrate the occasion, Hershey launched a limited edition 4:25 Oh Henry! bar. This pop-up was a good move for the company as Canada was on its way to legalizing recreational cannabis nationally. Although the limited edition THC-free chocolate bar did not have a long run on the market, Oh Henry! will likely be a popular chocolate bar among cannabis consumers because the company connected with them on a day that was important to them.

As for Bombay Saphire, their unique pop-up bar will likely catch a lot of attention in the downtown Toronto area. Since Toronto is known to be one of the most influential cities in Canada, the company will likely gain more consumer attention through social media.

According to Bombay Saphire, this is the first Canvas Bar opened in North America so far but they plan on opening more Canvas Bar pop-ups all over the world, including in major cities such as Brussels and London.