Bartenders from across Australia are invited to enter the competition and use sustainable ingredients and new techniques to create a winning cocktail.
It’s the third year of the competition, which is backed by a Carbon Neutral and Fair Trade certified accreditation.
There will be 30 countries involved in the challenge, including here in Australia which will be run by Flor de Caña’s Australian distributor Vanguard Luxury Brands.
The bartenders will go in the running to be crowned Flor de Caña World’s Most Sustainable Bartender for 2023, and win $10,000 USD in prize money and take part in the Flor de Caña Sustainable Society Exchange Program.
The first round of the challenge asks Australian bartenders to create a cocktail using Flor de Caña 12-year-old rum and featuring it on their venue’s list.
Bartenders will also have to register their creation online, and also post it to their Instagram tagging relevant accounts.
The cocktail will then be judged on its concept, level of creativity, sustainable elements, appearance and promotion on social channels.
Flor de Caña’s Local Brand Ambassador Mitch Townsend will then select a bunch of local finalists who will then compete in September.
The winner will then travel to Nicaragua to compete in Global Final alongside other country finalists in February 2024.
“We want to build a community of sustainable champions, and pioneer best practice in reducing food waste in bars and restaurants,” says Townsend.
“Our judging criteria is very heavily weighted to creativity in each cocktail’s sustainability elements and we are excited to see what our Aussie bartenders are inspired to come up with.”
Last year, Tom McHugh of Melbourne’s Hazel Restaurant took out Australia’s top spot with his modern take on Irish Coffee.
Registrations for the Flor de Caña Sustainable Cocktail Challenge are open now until 15 June, with more information at www.flordecanachallenge.com