Cuban and US Bartenders Share Common Experiences

Members of the Cuban Bartenders Association met in Havana with a delegation of US professionals in the field, who paid a friendly visit to the island. The gathering was held at the Caribbean Hotel in Havana, one of the facilities managed by the Cuban Islazul Tourist Group.
Among their issues at the center of interest of the visitors was the training of young bartenders at specialized schools run by the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with Education authorities. Cuban bartenders have won significant positions at recent International and Panamerican competitions, sponsored by the International Bartenders Association. One of those winners was bartender Barbaro Giraldes, who works at Havana’s world famous Sloppy Joe bar. Giraldes has just won second place at the Panamerican bartenders championship held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Cuban Bartenders Association counts on 3000 members, including 700 women.Chuck Fields, owner of The Paddy Wagon Bar in Richmond, Kentucky, praised the excellence of Cuban Rums and thanked their Cuban hosts for the exhaustive tour of Havana bars and the opportunity of seeing their Cuban counterparts in full action.

(acn)