Only 2 More Days to Enter! Chilled’s Sustainable Cocktail Challenge Sponsored by Flor de Caña Rum  

Shake up sustainability: Enter Chilled’s Sustainable Cocktail Challenge now! Sponsored by Flor de Caña.

Sustainable Cocktail Challenge Alert! 🚨

Hey cocktail creators! Just a friendly reminder that the deadline for the Sustainable Cocktail Challenge with Chilled Magazine and Flor de Caña is in just two days! ⏰ Don’t wait until the last minute—make sure your cocktail creations are submitted by May 11th!

It’s time to shake up sustainability and showcase your eco-friendly mixology skills. 🌿🍸

Cheers to crafting a better world, one cocktail at a time! 🥂 Here’s how to enter.

Check Out Some Bartenders Cocktail Entries and Inspiration:

A dedication to my roots and heritage in my hometown where the family starts the day with a rice coffee, a fisherman who just arrived out of the ocean for fishing, and my relatives who will begin to cultivate the crops in the higher land. A humble journey of my beginnings and today that I can express the experience through a cocktail together with our foundation Flor de Caña.

Love me a good Old Fashioned, never gets old. Nowadays you can make Old Fashioneds with many different styles of spirits. The inspiration for this Old Fashioned I created with sustainable ingredients is simple: by using sustainable ingredients such as black walnut which thrive in the wild without the need of chemical pesticides and fertilizer. Also, wood chips are perfect as an environmentally friendly fuel, and not to mention they are also renewable and more eco-friendly than other sources of energy. Therefore, I created this sustainable rum Old Fashioned. Enjoy!

Every year, the world produces over 23 million tons of coffee waste—yet no one really talks about it. That always puzzled me. Everyone drinks coffee, but why does no one care about what’s left behind? I started thinking—even after it’s brewed, the grounds still have aroma, texture, and depth. So, I began experimenting with leftover coffee, trying to give it a second life behind the bar.

At the same time, we run a fresh juice program, and I’d watch as piles of citrus—peels, pulp, and cores — ended up in the bin after we’d taken what we needed. I was already making oleo saccharum from the peels, but the waste still felt excessive. Then there was the maraschino cherry juice—that syrup at the bottom of the jar that never gets poured. Sweet, tart, full of character… and always wasted.

One quiet night, I asked myself: What if I combined all of it—the coffee, the citrus, and the cherry syrup—into a single ingredient? That moment sparked the creation of a new shrub: a blend of three waste streams that would otherwise be forgotten, now transformed into something flavorful and purposeful.

And since most bartenders dread making the Ramos Gin Fizz… I embraced it. I’ve always admired the drink’s complexity and creamy elegance. I rebuilt it with Flor de Caña 12, a rum rooted in volcanic soil and sustainability—the perfect spirit to carry this message. I serve it in a ceramic bowl, inspired by the handmade vessels my mother used growing up, symbolizing intention and craft.

“Flor de Fizz” is more than a cocktail. It’s a conversation about what we throw away—and what happens when we stop seeing waste and start seeing potential.

Gun Club Punch (1908)

From “The World’s Drinks” by William Boothby:

This adaptation utilizes prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) which is considered a sustainable resource due to its drought-tolerant nature, low water requirements, and ability to thrive in harsh conditions, making it a valuable food and biofuel source in arid regions. It sustains part of the Sicilian economy as well as its culture, along with the blood orange used as a garnish. The fruits in Sicily, including lemons, are recognized as some of the best in the world and help to sustain the economy and create a healthy biosystem.

Drought Resistance: Prickly pear cacti are naturally adapted to arid environments, requiring significantly less water than traditional crops.

Water Storage: They store water in their paddles (flattened stems), allowing them to survive long periods of drought.

Nutritional Value: The fruit, pads, and seeds of prickly pear are edible and provide valuable nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Biofuel Potential: Prickly pear biomass can be used to produce biofuel, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional fossil fuels.

Other Uses: The plant also has textile and medicinal uses, further enhancing its sustainability.

Ecosystem Benefits: Prickly pear can help stabilize soil, prevent erosion, and even improve soil quality.

Circular Economy: The plant’s various uses, including food, biofuel, and other products, promote a circular economy, minimizing waste and maximizing resource utilization.

Adaptability: Prickly pear can thrive in poor soil conditions and harsh climates, making it a valuable resource in areas facing food scarcity and environmental challenges.

Carbon Sequestration: Cactus crops can remove carbon from the atmosphere, contributing to climate change mitigation.

This recipe was inspired by the “Green Swizzle” which was considered the King of Caribbean drinks from the late 1890s until the 1930s after being dethroned by the daiquiri #2 being served at the Floridita bar in Havana.

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