Adrian Caruana, from Hugo’s Lounge, recently represented Malta at the Havana Club Cocktail Grand Prix, one of the most prestigious cocktail competitions in the world held every two years in Havana, Cuba.

The competition was won by Frenchman Julien Escot, who runs his own bar Papa Doble in Montpellier, France. The bar featured in Drinks International 2011 World’s 50 Best Bars.

Caruana was one of 40 cantineros – the Cuban name for bartenders – from 38 countries competing for the cherished grand prix.

Competitors had to present two cocktails of their own creation, giving an original twist on classic Cuban cocktails. A panel of three judges sat with each competitor as he or she prepared their cocktails, discussing the cocktail and presentation while evaluating the performance.

Caruana said: “The level of the competition was extremely high, with some of the bartenders coming from top cocktail bars in the world.”

Havana Club rums are represented in Malta by Farsons Beverage Imports Company Limited.

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