Woodford Reserve Guest Shift: Paradiso Barcelona Takes Over Pulitzer Bar Amsterdam

Paradiso Barcelona doesn’t have a sign. You won’t find it on Google Maps. The entrance is hidden behind a nondescript door in the Gothic Quarter, and getting in requires knowing someone - or at least knowing to look. So when this legendary bar decided to do a guest shift at Pulitzer Bar Amsterdam in collaboration with Woodford Reserve, Amsterdam’s cocktail community was essentially holding its breath.

I spent the evening photographing the event, and what struck me most was the palpable sense that we were witnessing something rare: a cultural exchange between two cities’ most respected bartenders, united by bourbon and craft. The Paradiso team brought their meticulous approach to each drink - every pour deliberate, every garnish positioned with intention. Woodford Reserve was the perfect spirit to bridge Barcelona and Amsterdam, its complexity giving the Paradiso bartenders a canvas that felt both familiar and foreign.

Guest shifts carry real weight. They are moments when bars and bartenders say: “I am confident enough in my work to do it somewhere new, in front of people who might not know my name.” For Paradiso Barcelona to bring their philosophy to Amsterdam via Pulitzer Bar, with Woodford Reserve’s support, was a genuine moment of cross-cultural dialogue in an industry that sometimes feels more competitive than collaborative.

I’m Rachel Ross, a Rotterdam-based photographer specialising in HORECA, branding, and event photography across the Netherlands. I document the cocktail bar scene from intimate guest shifts to large-scale brand events - capturing the craft, focus, and community that make this industry exceptional. Based in Rotterdam, shooting across Amsterdam, The Hague, and beyond.