The 2018 competition, entitled ‘Cuba Moderna’, challenges entrants to ‘translate contemporary Cuba into an original cocktail that is simple and replicable, while staying true to authentic Cuban ingredients, bartending techniques and culture’.
The competition will begin with heats in more than 40 countries and entrants have been invted to create a new rum cocktail that mixes ‘Cuba Moderna’ with their own local culture.
The winner from each country will then be invited to Havana from 28 May - 2 June for the global final, where they will be joined by a wild card entrant selected through a competition on the Havana Club Grand Prix Facebook page.
The Facebook competition will launch on February 1, 2018 and the winner will be announced in March.
“The cultural revolution in Cuba is the most exciting place to be in the world right now,” said Nick Blacknell, international marketing director of Havana Club.
“With the Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix, we want to show modern Havana to the world through new, authentic ways to enjoy Cuban rum and inspire others to explore Cuba themselves.”
In Cuba, the finalists will visit the Havana Club distillery as prt of the preparation for the two-day, competitive final.
The competition will be judged by a panel of rum experts, headed by Anistatia Miller.
