Vanguard Luxury Brands and Flor de Caña have announced Carlos Hurworth, from Brisbane's Mama Taco, as the first Australian champion of the Sustainable Cocktail Challenge.
Hurworth will move on to represent Australia in the Global Finals, which will be held in Central America from the March 30 – April 3, 2020.
The Flor de Caña Sustainable Cocktail Challenge is an initiative that aims to promote sustainability among the bartending community through a competition that awards the bartender that can best combine creativity and sustainable products to serve an amazing cocktail.
In order to participate in the Australian leg, bartenders were asked to create and submit a sustainable cocktail, highlighting the use of sustainable and Fair-Trade products.
Twelve finalists were then shortlisted to have their drinks tasted, before four finalists were invited to compete at the Australian Final held at Melbourne’s Whitehart Bar this week.
The Australian final consisted of two rounds:
- Mystery Box Challenge, where the Top 4 had to create and present a cocktail using Flor de Caña 12-year-old rum & the sustainably sourced ingredients from the mystery box, in under 7 minutes
- Present and serve their Sustainable Cocktail in under 5 minutes using Flor de Caña 12-year-old and their own sustainable ingredients.
Hurworth’s winning Sustainable Cocktail was named “Close to Home” and featured the Flor de Caña 12-year-old as well as whole mango kefir, nut and spent coffee ground honey, spent citrus rind and Fair-Trade coconut sugar biscuit. All ingredients were created and sourced locally, before being batched and chilled and served on a rock of ice.
The Global Finale of the Sustainable Cocktail Challenge will see finalists from more than 30 countries from around the world competing for the grand prize of $10,000, followed by $5,000 for second place and $2,500 for third.
Flor de Caña is one of the first global spirit brands to be Fair Trade certified, ensuring consumers that the rum is produced in compliance with over 300 rigorous social, environmental and labour standards.
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