Havana Club, an authentic Cuban rum reflecting the rich culture of the tiny island nation, recently hosted a masterclass and exclusive tasting session of the Havana Club range in Accra at the Little Havana Restaurant and Bar.

The Havana Club team visiting Ghana from Cuba, trained and educated nearly 50 local bartenders from the Bartender’s Guild of Ghana and mixologists from some of Ghana’s top restaurants and hospitality venues on the history and process of rum making and the art of carefully crafting cocktails with Havana Club, one of the world’s top rum brands.

“It is very exciting to have the team from Havana Club in Ghana for the first time to share the story of Havana Club while experiencing firsthand the many influences of Africa on Cuban identity including its food, music, religion, and drinks.

It is a once in a lifetime experience to have Ghanaian bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts learn firsthand from experts such as Alfredo Guerra, the global brand ambassador for Havana Club and Pavel Fernandez, the Vice President of the Cuban Bartender’s Association,” says Jaen Bekker, Sales Manager for Pernod Ricard Ghana, the global partner for Havana Club responsible for producing, marketing and commercialising the award winning rum around the world.

During the masterclass, participants were educated, trained and ultimately tested on their ability to create a unique classic rum cocktail with select ingredients.

Two of the top ranked bartenders in attendance were selected as local Havana Club ambassadors.

These ambassadors will serve to promote the Havana Club brand in Ghana and will travel to Cuba to visit the Havana Club distillery, rum museum and meet with Maestros Roneros, the guardians of Cuba’s rum making tradition.

Both the masterclass and tasting session offered guests the opportunity to experience four flagship products of Havana Club Rum: Havana Club 3 Year Old, Havana Club 7 Year Old, Havana Club Anejos Especial, and the rare Havana Club 15 Year Old and to be educated about the brand’s rich history and purest Cuban traditional rum making process which includes a slow distillation of high-quality sugarcane carried out in columns designed especially for Havana Club.