New York – Last night, supermodel Joan Smalls, Actor Rotimi, DJs Nina Sky, and Model/Actor Broderick Hunter celebrated National Rum Day on August 16th with the BACARDÍ Premium Collection, HAVANA CLUB rum, Santa Teresa rum, BANKS Rum and the FACUNDO Rum Collection.
Guests joined Smalls at newly opened hotspot Broken Shaker at the Freehand Hotel to celebrate National Rum Day with premium rums from the Bacardi portfolio. Five premium rums – including the BACARDÍ Premium Portfolio, HAVANA CLUB rum, Santa Teresa Rum, BANKS Rums and the FACUNDO Rum Collection – offered unique experiences and encouraged guests to ‘Raise Your Rum’ for the national holiday. Supermodel Joan Smalls, Actor Rotimi, DJs Nina Sky and Model/Actor Broderick Hunter joined in on the fun as they sipped on elevated libations from each of the premium rums.
Throughout the night, guests were treated to culture, cuisine, and cocktails from all five rum brands, as well as surprise performances and special keepsakes that brought each versatile expression to life – with the help of celebrity host, Joan Smalls.
Smalls, a Puerto Rican-born supermodel, is a self-professed rum aficionado, and sipped on BACARDÍ Old Cubans (made with BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho) and HAVANA CLUB Añejo Clásico neat all night. Decked in a House of Hero’s top and pants, complemented by GUISEPPE ZANOTTI heels and Wendy Wu x Mark Cross bag, Smalls danced with the Alma Moyo Bomba group and posed for pictures in a pop-up sugarcane forest.
Surprise celebrities in attendance included Rotimi – actor on the hit show Power – as well as Broderick Hunter, the model and actor best known for his appearance on HBO hit-show Insecure. Rotimi and Hunter sipped on the BACARDÍ Gran Reserva Diez neat and HAVANA Café cocktail as they joined in on the National Rum Day celebration and danced along to tracks spun by DJ duo Nina Sky.
Five separate bars dedicated to each brand showcased all the different ways the spirit can be savored, as it continues to take the premium world by storm:
At the BACARDÍ Premium Portfolio footprint, guests enjoyed a sensory experience as they learned more about the ingredients that make up the bespoke premium expressions, including BACARDÍ Añejo Cuatro, BACARDÍ Reserva Ocho and BACARDÍ Gran Reserva Diez, from brand ambassador Juan Coronado.
At HAVANA CLUB, guests sipped on HAVANA Café cocktails made with HAVANA CLUB Añejo Clásico, while brand ambassador Gio Gutierrez recounted the rich history behind the real HAVANA CLUB rum.
At the Santa Teresa bar, brand ambassador Josh Campbell led special mixology sessions, showing guests how to mix up the signature Rum Old Fashioned cocktail, made with Santa Teresa 1796 rum.
At the BANKS Rums bar, guests learned about the craft in punch batching as they tried their hand at making a signature punch with brand ambassador, Stilo Pimental.
Last, but not least, at the FACUNDO Rum Collection bar, brand ambassador Robert Nieves taught onlookers about the art of rum and elevated entertaining, while sipping on EXIMO Manhattan cocktails – made with FACUNDO EXIMO rum.
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