Beth has become a Top 10 Finalist in the UK for the Flor de Cana Sustainable Cocktail Challenge. A global competition to inspire the bartending community to become champions of sustainability and build a greener future together by creating spectacular cocktails using sustainable ingredients and techniques.

This competition is a celebration of Flor de Caña’s historic commitment to sustainability and its way of sharing and promoting these values with the global bartending community.

The contestants will create cocktails using sustainable ingredients, techniques and carbon-neutral Flor de Caña rum. Industry professionals will judge the cocktails on their history and inspiration, the use of sustainable ingredients and techniques, level of creativity and their flavour and appearance.

Participants will also have access to courses taught by industry experts on sustainability topics and ethical practices behind the bar. The winner of each local edition will receive the title of “Flor de Caña Most Sustainable Bartender”, a trophy made from sustainable materials, a bartender kit, a personalised bottle of Flor de Caña 25-year-old rum, a cash prize and the opportunity to participate in the European regional final in Berlin. The regional final winner will then be able to compete in the global final in Nicaragua in 2023 for the title of "Flor de Caña World's Most Sustainable Bartender” and a cash prize of US $10,000.

Beth's entry is called 'As Above, So Below.'

- Flor de Caña 12
- Discarded Mint Syrup
- Rhubarb and Kelp Cordial
- Malic Acid
- Citric Acid

'I took inspiration for this cocktail from a quote from Greek Philosopher Plato “What now remains compared with what then existed is like the skeleton of a sick man, all the fat and soft earth having wasted away, and only the bare framework of the land being left.”

He was talking about how Attica (now modern-day Athens) was once a land rich in forests and minerals but had been pillaged by mankind.

This quote I feel is unfortunately far more relevant today. We have taken every resource possible for housing, fuel and energy, food, as well as just general luxuries. And though the hospitality industry isn’t the sole reason behind this, we do play a large part when it comes to the food and energy waste, having lights on 12+ hours a day, throwing out food and garnishes because they’re no longer “aesthetically pleasing”, not recycling cans because it’s easier to just throw them in the general waste bins. We are unfortunately just a wasteful industry, but thankfully we realise this and are trying to change and make a difference.

For the Rhubarb and Kelp Cordial, I used Scottish Rhubarb that was at its “sell-by date”. I used locally sourced, farmed Kelp. Rhubarb requires little water to grow and has a very low carbon footprint.

Kelp is arguably one of the most sustainable food products on the planet. It requires no land or water to grow but also absorbs CO2 from the ocean and is estimated to then produce 50-80% of the world’s oxygen. As it absorbs the CO2 from the ocean it then allows the ocean to absorb more CO2 from the atmosphere, protecting the ozone layer. As kelp grows at a much faster rate than land plants it is safe to responsibly farm it.

Mint is one thing bars throw away a lot of, whether it’s because the leaves have gone limp, gone a little dark, the stems get thrown away after the mint has been picked for service. So I saved the stems and older leaves to make a syrup to reduce even more waste.' 

A huge congratulations to Beth and best of luck in London for the finals! 

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