The Woodspeen Restaurant, in Woodspeen, near Newbury, stirs up a storm for global sustainable cocktail challenge

A bartender has created a limited-edition cocktail as part of a global challenge.

The Woodspeen Restaurant, in Woodspeen, has created a zero-waste cocktail as part of a global competition challenging mixologists to craft the world’s best eco-friendly cocktail.

Francesco Marone, who works at the restaurant, was tasked with pairing Flor de Caña rum with seasonal, locally produced ingredients that help eliminate food waste.

The outcome of his experimentation is Caribbean Breeze, which blends coconut water and fresh celery stalks with pineapple, bitters and 12-year-old Flor de Caña rum.

It features foraged pine needles left to infuse for at least three weeks, making it a wholly environmentally friendly choice.

The UK final of the contest will take place at Lady Libertine in Edinburgh on October 30, where each cocktail will be judged by an expert panel.

After this, the cocktail deemed the most sustainable will proceed to a global final in Nicaragua – representing the UK against the world’s best bartenders.

UK brand ambassador for Flor de Caña, Mateo Ortiz, said: “Sustainability has been at the heart of our ethos for 130 years, and the Sustainable Cocktail Challenge is reflective of our desire to give back to the Earth and ensure our product is as ethical as possible.

“The calibre of cocktails we’ve seen submitted to this year’s initiative has been superb, and Francesco’s serve is no exception.

“It has been a delight to work with each of our finalists to create these zero-waste cocktails.”

Visit https://www.flordecanachallenge.com/ to read more about the cocktails being served as part of the initiative.