Alfredo Guerra is one of two global brand ambassadors at Havana Club. Born and raised in Cuba, his first experience of the brand was as an intern at the Havana Club Rum Museum. “I was studying languages and one of the assignments was to write about an iconic place in Havana,” he tells us when asked about his journey with the brand. “Me and my three friends chose the Havana Club Rum Museum”. What started as a project rather serendipitously turned into something so much more. “As we were expressing such an interest in the place, the people at the museum joked that we should take up an internship there. And two months later when the time came for us to choose where we wanted to do our internships, we thought to ourselves, “‘why not’?” he laughs. “I spent the whole of my five years of university at the Havana Club Rum Museum, working at weekends and some days during the week.”
Good job too as it was there that he found his happy place. “It wasn’t just about the rum, I fell in love with the bar, the cigars, the entire industry. So much so that when I finished university, I stayed at the Havana Club Rum Museum as an employee. Then in 2017, the vacancy for a global ambassador came up.” And the rest, as they say, is history.
That’s how Alfredo became involved with Havana Club. Here he tells us how you can be part of its legacy too. Not by working in the museum (although if you make it through to the global finals, you’ll get to see and learn why Alfredo fell in love with the place) but by entering the second Havana Club Cocktail Maestros competition. Read on to find out more.
Let’s get straight to it. There are countless cocktail competitions out there, what’s so special about Havana Club Cocktail Maestros?
Essentially, the format of the competition has been created in response to what bartenders have communicated to us. So, for instance, sometimes they tell us that they don’t like being competitive, that they don’t like to compete against their peers. At other times they say they want a competition where the bartender, not the brand, is the centre of the competition. They also tell us they want to show off their skills, show their love for the brand and, of course, to receive the support and benefits that goes with that. Havana Club Cocktail Maestros addresses all of these things.
Additionally, there’s the team spirit side which we encourage those taking part to embody. And of course, there’s a prize but it’s not only about that, we also offer education by experts of the industry.
Lastly, the fact that the final is in Cuba is an amazing and unique experience where bartenders get the opportunity to immerse themselves in our Cuban roots, heritage and culture. The competition is also a way for them to show their mastery, to improve their techniques and to connect with and be seen by others.
How does Havana Club Cocktail Maestros embody the ethos of the brand and the essence of Cuban culture?
Havana Club has been supporting the bartender community from the beginning of the creation of the brand. In fact, I think, Havana Club Grand Prix was one of the first cocktail competitions worldwide. Havana Club Cocktail Maestros is a continuation of that support.
As the biggest brand in Cuba and as a brand that truly represents the heritage of culture in Cuba, I think it’s our duty to support the community. Not only the Cuban community, I mean the international community.
The key point of advancing in Havana Club Cocktail Maestros is not only that the participating bartenders make a good cocktail, it’s also to represent that spirit of solidarity that is so common in Cuba.
There’s a creative energy that we Cubans have, of making the best from what we have. And if we don’t have much, we share it anyway – we support each other. The most important thing for us is being happy and communicating that happiness to other people. This is one of the duties of the bartender, no? Not to be straight and serious. Your cocktail might be the best in the world, but if your guest is looking for more than a cocktail, is looking for company, is looking for someone to talk to, someone to laugh with, that cocktail won’t be enough. This is a very important part of the competition. It’s about making a good cocktail, but also having that spirit of joy, and transmitting that spirit.
Tell us about the various stages of the competition and how they come together to educate, motivate and stimulate bartenders at various stages in their careers.
It starts with the Maestros sessions, the online education platform that every bartender can watch on our website and also on YouTube.
Those who want to enter the competition have to present a cocktail using Havana Club and Afro-Latin ingredients. They also have to submit their recipes, together with two photos – one of the cocktail and the Havana Club bottle, the other showing their team. The deadlines are different for each market so it’s important to check the dates that apply for your region.
We then take our time to go through the entries by judging them on paper until we get to the top 10 teams by country. The 10 with the most inspiring cocktails will go on to the national finals in each market. At this stage, they’ll be judged in front of a jury. From there, the pair that represents the best team spirit as well as the values of the brand and the values of Cuba will secure their place at both the regional and global finals.
At the regional finals bartenders will go through a challenge and education by industry experts while having the opportunity to network with the other finalists. The programme culminates in the global finals in Cuba where there will be this amazing cultural experience and more education. I don’t want to reveal too much but, suffice to say, there will be a fully immersive experience in Havana Club, in Cuba, taking in the history of bartending which is a very important part of Cuba (the Cuban Bartender Association is the second oldest such association in the world) as well as discovering Havana and its lively cultural ecosystem.
The competition has changed slightly for the second edition. How and why?
This year we’ve widened the pool and extended the size of the competition, going from eight markets to more than 20.
As well as the size, one of the other big things that we’ve changed is that all of the national winners will attend regional finals and will also go on to the global finals. So, the regional finals will be like a stage of the global final with teams accumulating points before heading to Havana.
Lastly, the entire programme runs over 16 months, with the global final taking place in April 2026.
We’ve also heard that, unlike last year, the teams don’t have to be from the same bar. Was there a particular reason for this?
We wanted to encourage more connection within the community. So, even if the bartenders are not working in the same venue, they can partner up with someone from another bar. Which is important, not just for the bartenders, but also the bars coming together and building that community side which is so much part of the Havana Club Cocktail Maestros ethos. However, if you wanted to do it with somebody from your bar, you still can. The choice is yours.
We saw just how much you loved sharing your passion for the brand, the spirit and Havana itself when we judged the competition last year. Why does this competition mean so much to you?
Well, first of all, being a global brand ambassador of Havana Club, and also being Cuban, it’s my baby but we’re all so proud of the competition. It shows to the world what Cuba is, how we live and how we work, and to share the love we have. It’s a way for me to show myself and show the brand to the world and the global bartending community.
I also love being part of the competition because I’m supporting people – not only teaching them how to express themselves as Cubans and how to represent the spirit of Cuba, but also supporting them in their careers, knowledge and networking. And that’s what we’re aiming for. We become like a family in a very honest and not competitive way.
So let’s get down to the nitty-gritty: what’s in it for bartenders professionally?
The main prizes are the €10,000 cheque for the winners as well as two Havana Club Iconica Maximo decanters but equally important is the global visibility they’ll receive from within the bartender community. They’ll have the chance to connect with other bartenders from different cultures and elevate themselves in terms of technique – what we call cocktail mastery. Additionally, they’ll have the ongoing support of Havana Club. As you know, the winners of the competition are not the only winners. The finalists from last year have been collaborating with us at trade shows such as BCB, Athens Bar Show, The World’s 50 Best Bars and also working hand-in-hand at more local levels.
And what’s in it for bartenders personally?
Personally, I think that they will grow, particularly from the team spirit side of working, but also the human side. Both Havana Club and Cuba have a way of teaching people how to share all what they have.
What’s your favourite thing about the brand?
You were in Cuba and you saw how Havana Club is part of the heritage and the culture. It’s not because we’re marketing or asking people to represent Havana Club. It’s that in all the years of history in Cuba, Havana Club became a symbol. A symbol more than a product, more than a rum. It’s a part of our culture, of our heritage, it represents Cuba in and out of Cuba and Cubans are very proud of it.
Sons of Cuba from Greece
What are you most excited for, for the next iteration of Havana Club Cocktail Maestros?
What I love and enjoy most is seeing how bartenders from around the world love Cuba and its culture.
Take the winning team from last year for example. If you see a picture of them, you might think ‘what is their relationship with Cuba?’ But when you hear the love that they have for Cuba, the passion they have for our heritage, you change your mind. This is what I enjoy the most about this competition. How my country, how my culture, how the rum is loved with so much passion from these bartenders. It makes me proud to be Cuban.
What can you tell us about the Havana Club Cocktail Maestros global finals in 2026?
It’s going to be very exciting! There will be some surprises. The challenge will evolve. Moreover, it’s a rich and unique opportunity to share with amazing bartenders from all over the world.
And lastly, for anyone who has still to get their entries in because they’ve been too busy, what would you say to encourage them to do so?
I would say, just do it! It’s not only about the prize. It’s not even about going to Cuba. It’s about enjoying the whole experience. Even if you don’t win the first place, you are still winning.
