Havana Club brings cuban flavours to the fore with The Essence of Cuba

The Essence of Cuba range includes four flavourings - Island Fruit, Aromatic Leaf, Coffee and Honey - all of which are designed to highlight the natural flavours and aromas of Havana Club Añejo 7 Años, the first Cuban rum crafted specifically to be sipped. 

Distributed to key customers and bartenders exclusively by Pernod Ricard's salesforce worldwide, the flavourings have been developed especially for Havana Club by The Bitter Truth, which was founded by accomplished bartenders Stephan Berg and Alexander Hauck in 2006. 

Each Essence of Cuba flavouring is crafted using a combination of traditional and modern production techniques to enhance the aromas and tastes naturally found in Havana Club Añejo 7 Años. Made exclusively from natural ingredients through a slow maceration process with Havana Club Añejo 7 Años as the base, aromas of herbs, spices, roots and barks are extracted and used in each of The Essence of Cuba flavours, whilst single flavour extractions are taken from roasted coffee beans, honey, tropical fruits and a selection of fermented leafs respectively to create the four different flavour variants.

The recommended serve involves adding three dashes of The Essence of Cuba to 40ml of Havana Club Añejo 7 Años and ice, to create a drink that is complex in flavour, yet straightforward to make. The Essence of Cuba adds a playful element to the drinking experience of classic super premium spirits, allowing bartenders to experiment with the flavours of Havana Club Añejo 7 Años in their signature serves and cocktails. 

Nick Blacknell, Global Marketing Director for Havana Club International comments; 'Since its launch, Havana Club Añejo 7 Años has really put Cuban rum on the map.Today, it is seen by bartenders and spirits aficionados as the benchmark for authentic, high quality aged rum and it is the runaway leader of the international super premium rum segment, selling more than three times the volumes of its closest competitors.

So with The Essence of Cuba range, we want to go one step further and give bartenders a whole new opportunity to experiment with the flavours of Havana Club Añejo 7 Años, without losing the intrinsic Cuban character of this now legendary expression. 

'The initial response to the range from the bartenders who competed at the Havana Club Grand Prix earlier this year was really encouraging, so we're looking forward to seeing how it is received by Havana Club fans around the world.'

As a brand that is well known, respected and highly appreciated within the bartending community, we were really excited to work with Havana Club on this project. Havana Club Añejo 7 Años is blessed with a wide variety of characteristic flavours ranging from honey to cocoa, sweet tobacco to lush tropical fruits, so we have crafted a range of natural intensifiers that would harmoniously bring out the dominant single aromas found in this legendary rum in simple signature serves. '

Stephan Berg, co-founder of the Bitter Truth

The range is available in 24 markets, including Cuba, Germany, France, UK, Greece and Spain since October 2014 in 20 ml and 200ml formats.