Alonso Palomino, the most sustainable bartender in the country and his commitment to generating less waste

the butterfly farm It was the ideal place for the final of the Ron Flor de Caña Sustainable Cocktail Challenge, where 15 participated. bartenders from Cusco, Huancayo, Trujillo and Lima, and 5 of them were finalists. This contest promotes the idea of ​​a cocktail bar sustainable in the country; that is, use and reuse all its ingredients as much as possible. Inputs, processes, technique, suppliers and even the cups played an important role. Each bartender performed a show with her creative proposals and knowledge. Time was also valued, they only had 5 minutes to prepare and present their sustainable cocktail.

Ingredients such as prickly pear, sugar cane, cocoa, lemon verbena, muña, pacae, medlar from regions such as Huancayo, Cusco, Lima, Trujillo and our Amazon jungle paraded on the bar. With a maximum of 6 ingredients, the bartenders had to create a cocktail with reused ingredients such as fruit skins and that could be considered waste or discarded from the kitchen. That is, cocktails with awareness and responsibility for the care of nature and the environment. They called them the cocktails of the future.

The winner was Alonso Palomino from Lima (Lima, 1992). He called the cocktail that allowed him to enter the final Algas y Hojas, a complex proposal that runs through the sea and the jungle, the same one that delighted the jury made up of Franco Cabachi, Palmiro Ocampo and Benjamín Mejía.

With sargassum (algae that abounds in our sea) and pruned citrus leaves from Puerto Maldonado, both prepared in a Flor de Caña 12 cooking, Palomino created the Algas y Hojas cocktail. He served it in a Kiara Hayashida glass, whose enamel was made with the ashes of both firings, in such a way that the total traceability of the product was generated.

Alonso Palomino, the most sustainable

Alonso Palomino started 12 years ago in the world of the main bars in Lima. Traveling to cities such as Washington, Seoul, Tokyo, Berlin, London, Barcelona and other South American cities strengthened his experience and professional interaction, as well as allowing him to show the best of his talent and Peruvian cocktails abroad. For 10 months he has had his own space in Lima and it is a bar that is giving a lot to talk about: Lady Bee.

Together with his partner and chef from Lady Bee, Gabriela León, they gave shape and identity to this Miraflores bar. But behind each cocktail, menu items and desserts, there is also a team of professionals who contribute from their specialty: Belen Aguayo, pastry chef; Alejandra León, manager and head of service; Pamela Lazarte, marine biologist; Ruth Torres, specialist in ecotourism in Puerto Maldonado; Wilson Villar, chef and researcher of Amazonian products; and Kiara Hayashida, ceramic artist, are the essential professionals to maintain Lady Bee’s proposal.

To find out part of how this business works, Alonso Palomino tells us that the marine biologist tells them which are the appropriate species, size and correct weight; the forest engineer sends them the raw material from Puerto Maldonado according to the season; “And, a very dear friend, he sends us products from Tingo María and other regions and communities. He gets us things in small quantity, we use them responsibly and we communicate them, ”adds Palomino. Communicating to his clients is part of his strategy, making known what is behind each cocktail and the origin of its ingredients.

“Lady Bee is a cocktail bar & eatery, meaning it’s a seasonal open kitchen bar. We focus a lot on the use of the Peruvian product and we try to maintain seasonality”, explains the bartender. For this reason, Lady Bee’s menu can change several times during the month, as they depend a lot on the provider. It is part of its charm.

More information

• Alonso Palomino will be able to compete in the Global Final of the Sustainable Cocktail Challenge that will take place in Nicaragua in 2023 for the title of Most Sustainable Bartender in the World for Flor de Caña and a prize of 10 thousand dollars.
• Luis Sarmiento took second place in the competition and Manuel Lao third place, receiving cash prizes and personalized bottles of Ron Flor de Caña.
• The Sustainable Cocktail Challenge is a global competition that seeks to inspire the community of bartenders to become champions of sustainability and together build a greener future by creating spectacular cocktails using sustainable techniques and ingredients and Ron Flor de Caña, the only certified distilled spirit in the world. Carbon Neutral and Fair Trade.