Enjoying the cuban spirit

[Jimmy2]

When it comes to cocktails, few places have such an established reputation

Havana: it's one of the most vibrant and fun-loving cities in the world, as anyone who has ever been there can attest. Part of that is its bar and cocktail culture. From the 1920s, Cuban cocktails and cocktail bars became renowned, as bartenders came from around the world to Havana to join the locals at celebrity hangouts such as El Floridita. Over the years, drinks such as the cuba libre, daiquiri and mojito gained in popularity across the world.

Cuba's signature spirit is, of course, rum, and Havana Club – the rum brand that presents the creative website havana-cultura.com – is closely entwined with Cuban culture. Cubans are very proud of Havana Club, which they see as a national icon.

Rum is an essential part of Cuba's history. In the early 1800s, the extensive sugarcane plantations on the island were already being used to make an early form of rum. In the second half of the 19th century, a more refined form of rum was developed that was light, smooth and crisp. This was so popular that by 1860 there were more than 1,000 distilleries in Cuba.

Havana Club has kept alive the art of distilling, ageing and blending premium rums, from white rums to dark aged rums, making it the world's leading Cuban rum, and the only authentic Cuban rum to be distributed worldwide.

Time is the essence of Havana Club's rum-making art. After distillation, the aguardientes are aged, to become the true soul of Havana Club rum, and blended with fresh sugarcane distillate to create ron fresco (young rum). They then go through a series of stages of ageing and blending until they are declared perfect for each class of rum.

The most important part of this process are the Maestros Roneros (the master blenders). At least 15 years of training is required to be a Maestro Ronero, and they spend this period learning from their predecessors down the generations who created the Havana Club we love today.

Havana Club is terrific in cocktails and, all summer, Havana Club has been running competitions in bars around the UK. These were the British heats for the Havana Club International Cocktail Grand Prix. Competitors were marked on their creativity, flair and showmanship in delivering an authentic Cuban cocktail or their own speciality cocktail. The UK final took take place in London on 15 November. The world finals will take place in Havana in May 2010.

[semery74]

I think you forgot to reference the material you posted. Wouldn't want the Czar to unnecessarily have to defend themselves in Court.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/havana-club/cuban-spirit