The Caribbean Rum & Beer Festival is the only annual festival in the world dedicated to both rum and beer. It is designed to promote and market some of the finest rums and beers from the Caribbean to an audience of local, regional and international patrons. The festival attracts manufacturers, rum sommeliers, and rum and beer lovers from all over the world. The event offers an ocean of high-quality beer and rum, tons of delicious food, and lots of entertainment.
The annual Caribbean Alcohol Beverage (CAB) taste contest is one of the festival’s main attractions. Rum and beer connoisseurs from the USA, Canada, Europe and other regions participate in blind samplings and award Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals to the best products in each section. Members of the expert panels include world-class specialists whose opinion is not questioned.
The Caribbean Rum & Beer Festival also hosts an annual bartender competition called the Rum Cocktail Wars. The competition is a real crowd pleaser because talented bartenders from all over the world make exotic rum cocktails in front of a live audience. Along with the competitions, the program of the festival includes live culinary demonstrations and tastings featuring famous chefs, beverage and food pairing seminars, indigenous music, brewing workshops, sampling booths, and more.
Of course, samplings aren’t limited to rum, beer and cocktails. Exhibitors offer various traditional foods to introduce guests from other regions to Caribbean cuisine. Traditional dishes are very important to regional culture. They are really unique because Caribbean cuisine is a fusion of African, East Indian, European, Amerindian, Arab and Chinese cuisine.
The Caribbean Rum & Beer Festival is a two-day event. To attend the festival you need to purchase a ticket which includes free access to samplings, tastings of cooking demonstrations, entry to the onsite workshops and seminars, onsite music and entertainment. The host country and venue vary from year to year, for example, the 2015 festival took place at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino in Sint Maarten.
