With London Cocktail Week / month in full flow, some of London’s hottest bars have opened their doors offering events and special cocktails to entice Londoners to get out and celebrate the craft of the cocktail.
Last week we were fortunate enough to be invited by our friends at Flor De Cana Rum to a ‘Sustainable Masterclass’ ad Tiki bar Laki Kane. Hosted by John Toader (Flor De Cana Brand Ambassador) and Georgi Radev (Founder of Laki Lane) we were taken on a journey to Nicaragua to learn all about the sustainable practices Flor De Cana have in place.
Upon arrival we were treated to a delicious Rum Punch (obviously with Flor De Cana), which is available exclusively to London Cocktail Week guests.
We were then escorted (with masks on) upstairs to a secret room, set up with multiple mini tabletop distilleries giving off a ‘Tiki meets Breaking Bad’ vibe.
Once we took our seats John welcomed us to the evening and delivered a really interesting introduction to Flor De Cana as well as a tasting of the 12 and 25 year rums from the range.
Flor De Cana is a rum that has been taking the word ‘Sustainability’ serious for a long time. As well as planting 50,000 trees annually since 2005, the rum is distilled using 100% renewable energy for over 10 years.
They are the world’s first spirit to be carbon neutral and fair trade certified which illustrates Flor de Cana have been shaping their business around sustainability for some time, all the while creating some amazing rum that contains no added sugar.
FUN FACT: Flor De Cana Rum contains less calories than Whisky!
Back to the session and once we had concluded the tasting, Georgi took over to tell us about a special cocktail that has been created and available exclusively at Laki Lane – the Sustainable Vice, a twist on the classic cocktail Miami Vice.
To create the cocktail Georgi utilized waste from local businesses in Islington to create the cocktail such as left over pulp from the local fruit stand and squid ink form the local fishmongers (yep you heard that right).
The cocktail was topped with a strawberry foam made from strawberries that were about to go off at a local supermarket, creating a beautiful fruity cocktail that lives up to the sustainable values that Flor De Cana Rum live by.
Then, it was time to blend our own dried spiced rum. In front of us was a draw containing different spices divided into categories such as ‘Strong Spice’, ‘citrus’ and ‘aromatic’. We then had some time to go through smelling and selecting one from each section to add to our distillery in front of us, which contained Flor De Cana.
Once our flavours were added, it was time to turn the still on and wait as the rum heated up and distilled into a small bottle, which we were able to take away and enjoy at home. I opted for Clove (because my wife lives the smell), Lime and sandalwood, which created an amazing bouquet of flavour when it dripped into the bottle.
Once complete we each had our perosnalised bottle of Flor De Cana spice rum to take away with us. I called mine.
As the night drew to a close there was one last surprise John had up his sleeve. He presented us each with a sustainable party kit to take home and enjoy Flor De Cana, which contained a bottle of Flor De Cana 12 year, seeds to grow your own garnish, biodegradable straws and a Flor De Cana cup, which was crafted in Nicaragua.
It was a fantastic evening and after the unprecedented events of 2020 we are still experiencing, it was amazing to get together with friends of the industry and raise a glass together.
Flor De Cana Rum 12 year is currently on offer at Amazon for £25 (at the time of writing this article).