Oil Resource and El Copitas Bar Showcased the Many Faces of Black Gold. “Kommersant. Sommelier” explores the “Oil” cocktail, created exclusively for the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Major players are bringing creative directions into business. On the eve of SPIEF 2025, the oil company Oil Resource, in collaboration with the St. Petersburg bar El Copitas, unveiled a project at the intersection of the oil industry and the restaurant business — industries that, as it turns out, have more in common than one might expect.

Traditionally, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum brings together the largest companies in the Russian and global markets, remaining a key event for the country’s business community. During the forum, Oil Resource (part of the Russian Kirillitsa Group of Companies) took an unexpected turn by introducing a thematic mixology novelty at El Copitas — the “Oil” cocktail.

The visual and conceptual identity of the Oil Resource brand is built on a synthesis of industrial power, cultural codes, and a focus on sustainable development. Their joint project with El Copitas became a symbolic manifesto of this transformation. Exclusively for the forum, the teams developed the “Oil” cocktail to express the idea of industrial aesthetics: oil as a cultural metaphor, industry as a style.

El Copitas is a world-renowned bar and a regular presence in international rankings, including The World’s 50 Best Bars. The collaboration emphasizes an important idea: creative alliances are becoming a new language of communication in the economy.

The process of crafting the “Oil” cocktail is quite complex and meets the highest standards of modern bar technology. The ingredients include aged rum, Shu Puer Gong Ting tea, fresh Azerbaijani cherry juice, red Italian vermouth, and smoked mezcal. The presentation deserves special attention: the cocktail is served in a bowl made of volcanic glass, and the ice is decorated with edible gold leaf.

“We are a company unafraid of challenges and we know how to surprise. Even in such a traditional sector as oil production, we find space for innovation and unconventional solutions. Our cocktail is a metaphor: oil remains a valuable resource, but its extraction requires advanced technology and a novel approach,” said representatives of Oil Resource.

Such collaborations are a vivid example of how creative partnerships between business structures and cultural leaders can enhance brand recognition, emotional engagement, and long-term trust. Even in the world of the oil and gas industry, there is room for aesthetics, symbols, and the ideas of the future.

“Kommersant. Sommelier”