MAHO--St. Maarten is the latest island to play host to the world's only roving Caribbean Rum and Beer Festival, slated to take place at Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino November 6-7.
St. Maarten will be the festival's third location, for its fifth edition, preceded by "spice island" Grenada and its home island Barbados.
Festival Director Cheryl Collymore and Operations Director Glyn Williams told The Daily Herald they planned to showcase a wide selection of beers and rums, which originate from the smallest to the largest of islands and even as far as Surinam.
"It's all about sampling," they said. The aim is to have attendees leave with a deeper appreciation for the products, having learned new things, especially about rum which people tend to think they know well, they said. Rum has a "real depth of character."
They want to take the festival to different destinations within the Caribbean, they said, and St. Maarten ultimately was chosen because of a combination of good airlift and the enthusiasm and support shown by St. Maarten Hospitality and Tourism Association (SHTA).
The festival is a celebration of the finest rum and beer beverages from the Caribbean and beyond. More than 2,000 international and regional patrons will have a chance to sample and purchase the more than 60 products on offer during the event. In addition there are a series of rum and beer "Master Classes" presented by world-renowned industry experts.
The results of the prestigious annual Caribbean Alcoholic Beverages (CAB) Taste Awards will be announced live at the festival this year for the first time.
Winning rums and beers will be awarded gold, silver or bronze medals. The CAB Taste Contest involves two separate international judging panels for either rum or beer, made up of industry experts from the United States, Canada, Europe and the region.
Panels blind-taste all the submitted products and the collective scores from the individual judges decide the winners within each category.
"No festival which includes rum would be complete without a mixologist session and this year bartenders from St Maarten and the region will be competing in 'Rum Cocktail Wars.' Starting on day one of the festival and concluding on day two, this exciting and entertaining contest will test the capabilities of the competitors as the bartenders 'shake up a storm,'" said the organisers.
"Cooking with rum and beer" demonstrations will provide patrons an opportunity to sample a mixture of innovative dishes, and a selection of traditional foods of St Maarten will be available for purchase.
St. Maarten hospitality students of Sundial School and National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA) will each create their own menus and provide live demonstrations.
Registration is also still open for any exhibitors, such as sellers of jewellery, clothing or art, to sign up for the event through its website.
The exact schedule will be released next month. The show will run from 2:00-8:00pm each day and the night continues with a range of local and regional music and entertainment.
