Some know Zisheng Hong from behind the counter at the elegant Gino’s Negroni in Montreal where he’s been mixing up extraordinary cocktails for a few years. Others now know Hong as this year’s Canadian winner of the Amaro Montenegro’s 2025 The Vero Bartender competition. The bartender’s winning creation, The Crimson Horizon, wowed the judges with its complexity — an innovative meld of herbal and balsamic notes (tomato and basil), tropical fruit (prickly pear), and bright citrus florality (lemongrass). The cocktail also guaranteed Hong a spot at the event’s upcoming global finals in Bologna, Italy on April 9, 2025.
Founded by Amaro Montenegro in 2018 to support emerging bartending talent around the globe, The Vero Bartender competition explores a new theme each year. 2025’s theme, “Mixology 2165”, looks ahead to the future of cocktails. Hong’s mixology is meant to reflect a future state where bartenders rely on hydroponic crops and innovate within the challenges of limited resources. “There’s so much uncertainty about the future of our planet,” says the young talent. Fortuitously, that uncertainty sparked an intriguing idea for Hong. “What if humanity became a multi-planetary civilization, expanding to Mars?” he wondered.
Hong chose his cocktail’s Italian-inspired ingredients to complement Amaro Montenegro’s flavour notes, but also to symbolize the human ability to adapt and thrive in new environments, intergalactic or otherwise. “The resilience of these plants became a symbol of our ability to persevere in the face of uncertainty,” he explains.
The liqueur’s versatility guarantees it as a bar staple now and into the future. Its balance of bitterness – it contains a proprietary recipe of 40 botanicals including sweet and bitter orange to marjoram, cinnamon and nutmeg – that also make it incredibly adaptable for modern-day mixologists and palates. Amaro Montenegro also allows for seamless blending with a wide range of bar ingredients. Imagine a nuanced twist on a Negroni or Manhattan, for instance, or a Monte and Tonic.
Hong also says the 23% ABV elixir fits perfectly with today’s moderation-minded mindset. “With the increasing demand for low-alcohol cocktails, Amaro Montenegro will continue to fuel bartender creativity and reach a wider audience,” he says.
Given its theme, this year’s competition highlights how sustainability can be a catalyst for creativity. Sustainable bartending practices are becoming a necessity, says Hong, who admits being inspired by the myriad waste-reduction techniques being practised currently in the industry. “I’ve seen bartenders transform ingredients using no-waste concepts in ways that were beyond my imagination,” he says. “Sustainability isn’t just about reducing waste – it’s a platform for innovation.” Leave it to a bartender to turn lemons into lemonade!
With its complex flavour profile, Amaro Montenegro also aligns with how culinary techniques are increasingly being integrated into menus by imaginative and news-making bar chefs. Hong says more and more, bartenders are turning to amaro and fortified wine-based cocktails to craft drinks (of all ABV strengths) that stand on their own. A winning cocktail must be both memorable and delicious, says the Canadian champ. “It’s about flavour and storytelling,” he says, adding, “the recipe must also be replicable in different settings.”
The Crimson Horizon – with its imaginative backstory, palate-pleasing taste and straightforward recipe – is all those things. The Vero Bartender award, then, is an achievement but it also represents a milestone and a career stepping stone for Hong. “It’s an honour and a responsibility,” he says. “I’m not just representing my cocktail – I’m representing Canadian bartending.”
