Gegam Kazarian: from Italy to Armenia, shaking up the cocktail scene

Armenia-Italy, round trip. The journey of Gegam Kazarian begins in Yerevan in 1980, continues in Spain, and reaches Italy when the bartender-entrepreneur, with a background in biochemistry, architecture, and interior design, is invited to Florence for the fifth edition of Paola Mencarelli's Florence Cocktail Week. It is 2020, the year Gegam begins to embrace Italian creativity. This moment lays the foundation for what would become his first Yerevan Cocktail Week in 2023, followed closely by the second edition in 2024.

"I have a very special bond with Florence. In Tuscany, I feel at home," says the organizer of YCW. "A few years ago, the renowned bartender and writer Gary Regan called me 'the Renaissance bartender,' describing me as a multidisciplinary figure, since I’m involved not only in cocktails but also in art, culture, martial arts... I strongly identify with the Renaissance era, sometimes even imagining that I lived in Florence during the Medici era in a past life. For these and many other reasons, I am very grateful to Paola Mencarelli for including me in the staff of the cocktail weeks in Florence and later in Venice, two events that inspired me to create my own Yerevan Cocktail Week."

After the nearly unexpected success of the experimental first edition in 2023, this 2024 has brought true international recognition to Gegam Kazarian's event dedicated to mixology. From May 5 to 12, he managed to gather in Yerevan some of the most important names in European mixology. Co-organizing the event with him and his Kazari's Project was Lusine Melkonyan, founder of the travel company Next Is Armenia. The goal? To promote a little-known destination through the culture of mixology, but also by showcasing the country’s most iconic monuments and artworks.

"Events like YCW allow us to better communicate our history and culture because our event starts with cocktails and bars, then embraces various disciplines, much like the Renaissance. For example, the first edition was dedicated to architecture, the second to painting and sculpture, while the next will pay tribute to traditional Armenian music and dance. This way, we push the boundaries of the drink itself, encouraging the participating bartenders to be more creatie in their preparations, guided by a painting, a painter, a sculpture, or an architectural structure," he continues.

Through this dual cocktail week, inspired by the Italian model, Gegam Kazarian has managed to share Armenia's rich cultural heritage with the world during a particularly challenging time for his country, amidst ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan and political turmoil. "It's difficult to organize an event given the conditions and geopolitical situation of a country like Armenia. This year, due to protests and demonstrations against the government, and last year because of the war, we all felt an added responsibility towards our people and especially our guests. But I have always enjoyed challenges. I see myself as a warrior fighting to tell the world about Armenia and its roots," concludes Gegam.

The YCW is not the only product of the connection between Gegam Kazarian and Italy. Recently, he launched his brand, MaGiKa Likidō, a line of organic non-alcoholic cordials produced in the mountains of the Italian Alps, in Friuli, inspired by the elements of nature.