Already recognized as one of the finest international cocktail competitions, Chairman’s Reserve Rum proudly announces that submissions are rolling in for the next edition of the Chairman’s Reserve Mai Tai Challenge. More than a cocktail contest, The Chairman’s Reserve Mai Tai Challenge is a biennial event that encourages top bartenders from some of the world’s most elevated cocktail cities, to play with rums and express themselves with a cocktail that captures the true heritage of the Mai Tai, one of rum’s most iconic and misrepresented cocktails. “Chairman’s Reserve embraces the adoption of the Mai Tai as a cocktail that really shows the brilliance of rum,” explains Benjamin Jones, managing director of Spiribam North America. “With more styles and brands of rum readily in distribution, the Mai Tai is a cocktail which invites those who are curious to experiment and create blends that highlight the signature ingredients that define a true Mai Tai.” Registrations for the Chairman’s Reserve Mai Tai Challenge are made by visiting https://chairmansreserverum.com. Judges will be looking for the best talent, the best use of Chairman’s Reserve in the drink’s craftsmanship, and a personal touch from the drink’s maker. A winning cocktail should have the potential to be considered a Mai Tai of iconic tropical cocktail status. The regionals for the next edition are taking place in 2018 in 10 countries around the world: The United States, Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Switzerland. The 2018 North American regional competitions will be held in Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, and Toronto. To enter, contestants must create a Mai Tai recipe using at least one Chairman’s Reserve rum as the primary ingredient. Chairman’s Reserve strongly encourages creativity and originality in all submissions. The judging panels will feature notable cocktail personalities from each city, and the North American judging panels will be led by tiki legend and rum expert Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. Dates for recipe submission deadlines and regional competitions in North America are as follows: Fort Lauderdale, FL Deadline for submissions, September 24 Finalists announced October 1st Regional Competition, October 30 Toronto, Canada Deadline for submissions, October 8 Finalists announced October 15th Regional Competition November 12 Los Angeles, CA Deadline for submissions, November 5 Finalists announced November 12 Regional Competition, December 10 The winner of each regional competition will be flown to Saint Lucia, in March of 2019, to represent their city in the global final of the Chairman’s Reserve Mai Tai Challenge. The international bartenders will pair up with local Saint Lucian bartenders, and together they will visit St. Lucia Distiller’s and learn the mastery of rum making and blending behind Chairman’s Reserve. Subsequent days will be filled with fun in the sun with some educational excursions planned to discover Saint Lucia’s rum heritage, as well as a tropical cocktail workshop, is planned with Jeff “Beachbum” Berry. The entire experience culminates with a cocktail competition utilizing locally sourced ingredients and Chairman’s Reserve. There is no better rum event than The Chairman’s Reserve Mai Tai Challenge. The champion will have mastered Saint Lucian rum and making cocktails with local tropical ingredients, enhanced their talents, made great friends, and had a lot of fun doing it. Who will it be? Follow #chairmansreserve to learn more. For more information or to register, please visit: http://www.chairmansreserverum.com/mai-tai ABOUT CHAIRMAN’S RESERVE Chairman’s Reserve Rum is Saint Lucia’s ultra-premium rum brand and put Saint Lucia on the rum map. A blend of column and pot distilled aged rums deliver rich chocolate, dried fruits, pecan and brown spice characters to the body of the rum. The rums are blended and re-casked in ex-Bourbon barrels, which offers a slightly dry, smoky finish. For more information, please visit: https://chairmansreserverum.com CONTACT Benjamin Jones SPIRIBAM; North American Managing Director [email protected] Source: Chairman’s Reserve