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Bartender Manachain Monaghan stormed to victory within the international ultimate of the Flor de Caña Sustainable Cocktail Problem.
Monaghan, proprietor of Under Stairs Bar in Leeds, UK, was amongst 30 international finalists who competed in a tense two-day digital contest, which was streamed live through Flor de Caña’s Fb and YouTube pages on 25 and 26 October.
Every entrant was tasked with making a cocktail to be assessed in response to 4 standards: sustainability, flavour and look, creativity, and backstory and inspiration.
Monaghan impressed the judges along with his profitable cocktail, Steamship – a zero-water-waste cocktail ready with home-made cacao and lime bitters, espresso liqueur produced from re-used Nicaraguan espresso beans and Honest Commerce-certified sugar, drops of saline resolution and Flor de Caña 12 Years Previous rum. The cocktail was served over a block of ice on a coaster produced from dehydrated pear.
The judges comprised: Salvatore Calabrese, The Donovan Bar in London; Julio Cabrera, Café La Trove in Miami; and Hannah Sharman-Cox and Siobhan Payne, co-owners and organisers of London Cocktail Week.
Commenting on the drink, he stated: “I needed to create a gorgeous cocktail that captured the essence of Nicaragua and proved that sustainability will be embraced behind the bar to enhance the flavour and expertise of our cocktails.”
Because the winner, Monaghan receives the title of Flor de Caña World’s Most Sustainable Bartender and a prize of US$10,000.
Second place was awarded to Carlos Sierra from Colombia, whereas third place went to Joe Ngui Wee Kwong from Malaysia, who obtained US$5,000 and US$2,000 respectively.
Calabrese stated: “Monaghan fulfilled each expectation of the competitors, his cocktail was completely superb, he blew my thoughts.
“It’s unimaginable the quantity of effort and time he devoted to make it possible for his cocktail was actually and completely sustainable.”
Following the success of the primary competitors, Flor de Caña confirmed the competitors would return in 2022 as a part of the model’s sustainability programme: Collectively for a greener future.
Click on the video under to observe the announcement of the winner.