We could spend hours talking about Lecce Cocktail Week and all the other cocktail weeks across the country—and trust us, we really could go on for hours. Or, we could use our words to let you experience the real life we lived over the last few days with Kyma: a young brand trying to emerge among well-known names and, above all, massive budgets.
"Now is not the time to think about what you do not have. Think about what you can do with what there is." (John Locke, Lost)
THE BATTLE OF THE UNDERDOGS
Obviously, this isn't an attack on anyone. It’s very easy to organize events when you have a corporate giant backing you and budgets that allow for the support of highly qualified agencies (let’s not kid ourselves). But when the project is all you have, you must face a reality that is often harsh and concrete. Every single gesture must be curated and thought out; you can't afford big mistakes—maybe not even one dinner too many.
The journey of an emerging brand born from a single person's vision is paved with novelty and sacrifice, but also with that so-called HUNGER. That’s something many people lack. Because of that, every detail, every move, every action is maximized—because you are investing yourself.
ZERO RUNWAYS
This wasn't a brand runway show; it was a human journey.
We spent days in close contact with the bartenders, sharing trips to the beach, beers at sunset, and walks through the streets of Lecce. We did it for real, without the usual glossy filters. This gifted us with laughs on the beach and, above all, real life—not just mixology.
It was beautiful to discover the guys behind the bar: people who have fun just like anyone else, but who face crazy shifts with a giant passion. And this, perhaps, leads us to say that there are still people who truly live their passions, who know how to love and hate what they do. (We won't tell you what they told us, nor what they think about the bar industry; for that, you can go visit them yourself).
WE TOUCHED HUMANITY
We were literally and physically psychoanalyzed at the counter of Folia by Livio Morena, who, with disarming bluntness, offered a free hour-and-a-half psychological consultation (my therapist charges 70 euros an hour).
We were cured by Cristian Bugiada, who managed an intolerance issue with mezcal and an apricot slice—because sometimes mezcal can heal anything (obviously, we know intolerances aren't cured with alcohol, but sometimes it helps).
We were pampered by the Hendrick’s Brand Ambassador, who acted a bit like a mother to us, managing everyone's peaks of hunger and exhaustion with an insane calmness.
We were protected by Cesar, who, like a dad, made sure we got home safe and sound.
And then we were welcomed, in that unique way perhaps only the South can pull off sometimes, by Mattia, who hosted us during those days, making us all feel at home and, above all, part of one big family... obviously in between trips back and forth between the airport and Lecce.
F***ING GENIUSES
And if you want something regarding the bar world instead, we can tell you that we were f***ingly impressed by the Lecce scene and how people still know how to have fun.
Of course, we can't skip a mention of the secret party by quantobasta and Diego Melorio. You have to be a f***ing genius to set up a bar inside an actual house, where living room sofas become seating for consumers and the kitchen becomes a bar counter pumping everything out.
And you have to be as f***ing crazy as Mattia to bring BlindPig, Drink Kong, Panificio SanLorenzo, and Freni&Frizioni onto the Quantobasta counter all at the same time, and all with the same level of MADNESS.
We can say with certainty that in today's market, where you often need heavy budgets to emerge, there is still a side path. It’s the path of those who might not have a safety net but have a story to tell; of those who still sit at the bar to laugh, drink, and create family.
Kyma started from a single thought and threw itself among the giants with nothing but its own hunger.And as Livio Morena would say, to understand this world you have to live it, get inside it, listen to it, and make yourself heard. (Livio, please don't charge us for the quote).
