Tom McHugh from Hazel Restaurant in Melbourne has been named the winner of Flor de Caña’s Sustainable Cocktail Challenge.
The bartender took home the title in the live finals hosted at The Keel in Sydney’s The Rocks.
McHugh was commended for his winning creation, Flor de Café, a sustainable take on an Irish coffee with Flor de Caña 12-Year-Old and house-made miso.
The team at Hazel utilise leftover sourdough and use koji spores to ferment the miso before sugar is added to create a miso caramel.
A buttermilk and white cacao foam was then added to the coffee-based drink, with buttermilk made from butter and cream by-product.
The cacao was sourced from a farm that promotes sustainability and reforestation.
“Now more than ever, our community should be reducing waste and integrating
greener techniques wherever possible,” says McHugh.
“No matter the job or sector, there are so many ways to ramp up sustainability, and the Flor de Caña challenge highlights how easy and fun it is to do so.”
McHugh will go on to compete in the regional finals in Thailand on 27 October where he will go head-to-head with other national finalists from the Asia Pacific region for the champion title.
The overall winner will go on to Nicaragua to compete in the global finals February next year to win the title of Flor de Caña World’s Most Sustainable Bartender and take home $10,000 USD in prize money.