Flor de Caña’s Sustainable Cocktail Challenge Has a New Global Winner

Published by

Emily Cruz Villegas

February 8, 2023

Carlos Ferron from La Cuadra Market Bar in Panama won the Global Final of Flor de Caña‘s Sustainable Cocktail Challenge. Ferron, representing Latin America, competed against the regional champions Marco Pastanella from the US (North America), Dimitris Kaitalidis from Greece (Europe), and Tom Mchugh from Australia (Asia Pacific) to elaborate the most amazing sustainable cocktails.

The Global Final was held on February 4th in the tropical volcanic islands of Granada, Nicaragua. Under this exotic scenario, the judges evaluated the cocktails according to their history and inspiration, their level of creativity, the use of sustainable techniques and ingredients, as well as their flavor and presentation.

The judging panel was composed of industry personalities such as;

Giacomo Gianotti, owner of Paradiso Bar in Barcelona (#1 of The World’s 50 Best Bars 2022)
Alex Francis, Bar Manager of Little Red Door in France (2022 Most Sustainable Bar)
Julio Cabrera, Owner of Café La Trova in Miami and “2019 Bartender of the Year”
Juliane Caillouette, Managing Director at the Sustainable Restaurant Association in the UK

Ferron had qualified to compete in the Global Final after winning the regional competition in Latin America. He impressed the judges with “Talamanca” and “5 Generaciones,” two innovative and sustainable cocktails made with Flor de Caña 12 Year Rum, homemade ingredients, and, of course, passion.

As the new “Flor de Caña World’s Most Sustainable Bartender,” Ferron received the Global Champion trophy—made from sustainable materials, a personalized bottle of Flor de Caña 25 Year Rum, and US$10,000. In addition, he will receive sustainability training and assessment from one of the competition’s partners, Food Made Good.

“It’s an amazing honor to have been named ‘World’s Most Sustainable Bartender’ representing Latin America. It’s been a truly unforgettable experience. I thank everyone who supported me along the way, especially Flor de Caña, who united us all under a single motto: sustainability, because being green is part of growing.”
Carlos Ferron

More than 30 countries participated in the Sustainable Cocktail Challenge, which represents Flor de Caña’s historic commitment to sustainability and its way of promoting such values with the global bartending community.

Featured image by Flor de Caña.

Emily Cruz Villegas

Content Director at The RumLab || She is a Journalist & Ghostwriter from Caracas-Venezuela, with more than six years of experience in Academic Research. She also has a postgraduate education in International Relations and a Master's Degree in Public Management. In the last few years, she has been working in sales and digital marketing.