Vendors hailed the first Bermuda Swizzle Festival a success as a steady flow of locals and tourists came out in the sunshine to sample their wares.

The event on Sunday at Barr’s Bay Park featured a host of swizzle products including variations of the drink as well as ice lollies, sherbets, cake and even chicken wings.

Curtis A. Simmons, owner of Let’s Get Swizzled, has been making swizzle for five years and began selling it before the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020.

He said: “We hope it will become a household brand and I would like it to become international. We have come a long way, but we have a long way to go.”

Mr Simmons was selling a mango swizzle and original swizzle at his stand.

He said: “It is a mellow cocktail you can enjoy all year round. It is a combination of three premium rums, fruit juices, bitters and lots of love.”

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Kendric Smith, of Island Event Group, which organised the festival that was proposed by the Bermuda Tourism Authority, said he was happy with the way the event turned out.

He said: “I thought it was a good way to get out new products as there are a lot of new swizzle products on the market.

“I wanted to put together something that attracted locals and tourists, which is important during the quiet season.”

Taxis were organised to provide free ride-shares in an effort to encourage responsible drinking, as part of a partnership with anti-alcohol abuse charity CADA.

Simon’s Rum Swizzle had a stand selling the company’s own brand of rum as well as rum swizzle, swizzle sherbet and swizzle BBQ sauce.

Another stand run by PSSST had its own brand of swizzle BBQ sauce and was serving chicken wings seasoned with it.

Owner Kara Montano said black and gold rums were used in the sauce as well as fruit juices.

She said: “We decided to make it especially for this event and people seem to like it a lot. The festival is a great idea. It shows us at our best.”