MIAMI, United States. – Meliá Internacional Varadero Hotel hosted the 69th Edition of the World Cocktail Championship, held in Cuba for the first time, between November 4th and 8th, according to the island’s official news media.
According to the Cuban News Agency (Agencia Cubana de Noticias, ACN, by its Spanish acronym), the event promoted tourism and the country’s identity.
The championship is organized by the International Bartenders Association (IBA) and the Association of Cuban Bartenders. The championship gathered 63 competitors in the classic style and 32 in the free style, from more than 60 countries, who are called to show their abilities in the field.
The event was inaugurated last Friday by IBA president, Giorgio Fadda; Cuba’s Prime Minister, Manuel Marrero Cruz; Cuba’s Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda; the president of the Cuban Bartenders Association, José Rafa Malém, and other authorities in the field.
The World Cocktail Championship included workshops, book presentations, presentation of products pertinent to classic Cuban cocktails, as well as tours of rum-tradition sites in the island.
On November 7th, Cuba attempted to set a Guinness record with the elaboration of the largest Adam and Even cocktail, a tribute to the creator of this cocktail, Sergio Serrano Rivero, champion of the 2003 Edition and sole Cuban winner to date.
During the IBA’s Annual General Assembly, Cuba was chosen as the site for the 2022 championship. IBA is a not-for-profit world organization made up of people who are passionate about cocktail-related traditions.
Amidst a grave economic crisis, the island’s regime seeks to relaunch its principal tourism pole, whatever it costs. Last October, it was learnt that the Cuban Sports Institute (INDER, by its Spanish acronym) had requested to be host of the 2023 World Domino Championship.
One month prior to that, in September, Cuba’s prime minister inaugurated the VII International Festival Varadero Gourmet 2022, aimed at “empowering principles of healthy and sustainable cooking as well as food sovereignty.”
With the XII International Festival Varadero Gourmet 2022, the regime aimed to renew the existing culinary offers in tourist facilities, and to position Cuba as a quality destination regarding restaurant, bar and tavern services.
Celebration of culinary and gastronomic fairs aimed at the tourism sector while Cubans endure a period of serious food shortages has generated great criticism in the island.
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