Beyond the Bar: The Craft and Competition Behind Havana Club Cocktail Maestros

 Image Credit: @cyrilctn

When the UK was announced as the winner of Havana Club Cocktail Maestros 2026, the room erupted. There were cheers, hugs and plenty of emotion after 18 months of competition. 

But the final in Barcelona offered more than a look at who would take home the title. Across the experience, there was a chance to see what goes into creating the drinks beyond what eventually reaches the glass, from rum blending and technical preparation to the creativity and teamwork required behind the bar.

Looking Beyond the Glass

One of the highlights was a special rum-blending session with Havana Club Maestro del Ron Cubano Asbel Morales. The session offered a closer look at the technical side of rum-making, including how different aged rums contribute to the final blend and how precision plays such an important role in creating consistency and depth. It was a reminder that there is far more happening behind a bottle or cocktail than the finished product suggests. Understanding that process also gave the competition itself a different perspective, particularly when watching bartenders make decisions about flavour, balance and presentation.

Where Craft Meets Competition

Image Credit: @cyrilctn

The final brought together 40 bartenders from 23 countries, each bringing their own approach to the competition. The judging panel reflected the level of expertise involved, with Sandrae Lawrence, Simone Caporale, Priyanka Blah and José Luis León, all featured in the Bar World 100, assessing the teams across originality, technical execution, storytelling, teamwork and the overall guest experience. What stood out was the variety of approaches. Bartenders drew on different cultural influences and techniques, with fusion appearing throughout the competition. Some also looked back to previous drinks and ideas as inspiration for something new. The UK and Kazakhstan were two teams that particularly caught my attention, both bringing a strong sense of identity to their creations.

The UK Takes the Title

Image credit: @cyrilctn_

The UK team: Blaise Bachelier and George Bryan, from Fox and Chance, ultimately took the win. After such a long journey, the reaction said a lot. This was the culmination of months of preparation, with the emotion of the moment making it clear how much work had gone into reaching the final. The People's Choice Award also gave guests the opportunity to recognise the team that delivered the strongest bar service, adding another element to a competition where the experience around the drink mattered just as much as what was in the glass.

A Golden Hour in Barcelona

After the intensity of the competition, Golden Hour offered a chance to slow things down. The rooftop celebration brought the competitors, judges and guests together to celebrate the end of the experience. It felt less like another event and more like a chance to recognise the dedication that had gone into the competition. The evening also marked the global debut of Havana Club Añejo 7 Años' new bottle design. Inspired by Havana's architecture, the Malecón and the warmth of the Cuban capital, the redesign introduces new embossed details, gold accents and a sunburst motif while keeping the liquid itself unchanged. The launch was accompanied by the Golden Mojito, which uses Añejo 7 Años in place of white rum to give the classic cocktail a richer profile with notes of cocoa and dark caramel.

Beyond the Bar

What made Cocktail Maestros memorable was seeing how much sits behind the final drink. From the technical process of blending rum to the decisions made under competition pressure, the experience showed the level of knowledge and creativity required to work at the highest level of bartending. The UK may have taken home the trophy, but Barcelona offered a much wider look at the people, craft and ideas that make the industry what it is.