My first encounter with Flor de Caña was in its country of origin—Nicaragua—back in 2013. The premium rum was served in abundance at every occasion, from trendy nights on the town to casual post-scuba diving drinks. That year, Flor de Caña updated its bottle to show the medals it had been awarded as well as a picture of a volcano.

Photo: The Macallan Bar

The image was an ode to the volcanic landscape of Nicaragua that was instrumental in creating the smooth rum, with the help of a rich volcanic soil fertilized by ashes, volcanic water enriched by minerals and the volcanic climate that contributed to the evaporation rate of the rum. Its heritage can be attributed to the founder, a man brave enough to build his distillery at the base of the (still) active San Cristóbal volcano in the 1800s.

The family-run distillery was an early adopter of fair trade practices, running on renewable energy and incorporating social and environmental responsibility not just in the naturally-aged and sugar-free rum-making process but also within the community it had fostered. This earned the highly-acclaimed rum the fair trade status and carbon neutral certification, and it became the world’s first spirit-producer to get both accreditations.

Photo: Stockton

This August, Flor de Caña is launching “Zero Waste Month” as part of its continued effort to reduce global food waste. The global initiative invites eco-conscious bars and restaurants around the world to spread the word about the important cause by creating sustainable cocktails made with re-purposed or leftover ingredients, mixed in with Flor de Caña rum.

Some of the Hong Kong and Macau bars joining the great initiative, which is supported by global non-profit Food Made Good, include The Wise King, The Pontiac, Four Seasons’ ARGO, Ritz Carlton’s Ozone Bar, Stockton, Galaxy Hotel’s The Macallan Bar and more.

“I’m always up for supporting positive initiatives which encourage and promote good changes. Sustainability is about taking actions, first of all, and being aware of what needs to be done in order to create a better environment for everyone,” says Lorenzo Antinori, Beverage Manager of Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong and the mastermind behind new bar ARGO.

See also: Four Seasons' New Cocktail Bar ARGO Is A Celebration of Innovation, Creativity and Rarity

Photo: Ozone Bar

All participating bartenders have turned their bar over to find under-utilised ingredients and have tapped into their right brain to come up with creative and sustainable Flor de Caña-based cocktails.

Get a taste of Lorenzo’s “Upcycled Gimlet” which uses leftover lemon peels which are then dehydrated and mixed with sustainably-sourced cocoa from the hotel’s “Chocolate Concierge”, or head over to Stockton to try Head Bartender Lok Gurung's “Coco de Caña” concoction, which uses every part of the coconut, from the coconut meat-turned-cordial to the outer cover-turned-coaster. And don't miss out on The Wise King’s Sandeep Kumar’s reinterpretation of “The Penicillin” with the “Rum Healers”.

Here's to healing our planet by raising awareness, one zero-waste cocktail at a time.

Learn more on Zero Waste Month.